Niger Drought Leaves Millions On The Brink Of Starvation

Severe drought in Niger has left crop yields insufficient to feed the country's population, leaving millions hungry. Sky News reports almost half of Niger's total population of 15 million are suffering from malnutrition, three million of which are literally on the brink of starvation.

One Nigerien mother, Hadija, explained,

"We grow crops to sell to feed ourselves, but we received little rain in the last growing season and it wasn't enough."

"We didn't harvest any beans or peanuts and the yield of millet was very small. There is no food left over from our last harvest. Really there is nothing."

The group hardest hit by the drought's effect are the country's youngest inhabitants. International nonprofit Save the Children has announced an emergency appeal for aid -- saying that without urgent action, one out of every eight children under the age of five will die in the next month.

Since governments and international donors have been slow to respond, Save the Children is asking individuals to make donations to save lives in Niger.