SAVE THE CHILDREN LAUNCHES EMERGENCY RESPONSE IN MOGADISHU AS RAINY SEASON THREATENS MORE CHILDRENS LIVES

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**CEO Justin Forsyth available for interview from Mogadishu** Save the Children has begun delivering life-saving aid to desperate children in the Somali capital, Mogadishu, as hundreds of stricken families fleeing hunger continue to arrive in the city every day. Almost half the children in Mogadishu are acutely malnourished and many are dying for lack of food. Most newly-arrived families are living in squalid temporary shelters in makeshift camps amongst buildings destroyed by conflict. Save the Children’s teams are on the ground in Somalia, delivering vital food, water and healthcare to children and families. The charity’s expansion into Mogadishu is part of the continuing scale-up of its operations across the country; its staff are already saving children’s lives across South Central Somalia and Puntland. The charity is warning that the situation is going to get worse if children and families don’t get more help. The onset of the rainy season next month could destroy what flimsy shelter there is and will make children more vulnerable to the deadly diseases including measles, malaria, pneumonia and diarrhoea. Speaking in Mogadishu, Save the Children’s Chief Executive, Justin Forsyth, said, “The situation here is desperate. Children are living on the edge without food, without shelter and at risk of deadly disease. When the rainy season begins, more children will die without urgent help. “Children are dying in horrendous conditions in Mogadishu and throughout Somalia. We know how to save these children’s lives. We're on the ground making a difference - but we urgently need more money to continue scaling up our work.” Save the Children is appealing for £65 million / $100 million – across East Africa. It urgently needs more funds to scale up its programmes to save the lives of children affected by malnutrition and support families facing enormous challenges during this emergency. It costs just £7 to keep a severely malnourished child alive for a week, or £15 to treat a child with antibiotics to fight off life-threatening infections in East Africa. To donate, go to http://www.savethechildren.org/www.savethechildren.org or call +44 (0)207 012 6400. ENDS For more information or to book an interview, please contact the Save the Children press office on +44 (0)207 012 6841 or out of hours, please call +44 (0)7831 650409 Notes to editors: - Save the Children is partnering with Centre for Peace and Democracy (CPD), a Somali NGO, to help carry out our work in Mogadishu. - Across East Africa, millions of children face starvation. Save the Children is on the ground, saving lives, but the situation is getting worse. Now 6 million children are facing a devastating food crisis. -  Save the Children is rapidly providing life-saving food, water and medicine for children across the region, even in war-torn areas of Somalia. The charity has launched one of its biggest ever emergency responses – opening 10 new field sites and hiring over 1,000 new staff. Save the Children has already reached over 1 million people – and is aiming to reach 2 million.