Step Up for Africa Sponsored Walk 2011: Horn of Africa Famine Appeal

Hi everyone and Eid Mubarak to those celebrating the end of Ramadan,

Thank you all for donating so generously to our cause for the people suffering from the famine in north eastern Kenya. I've reached my 500 pound target! However, you can keep giving, because as you can see from my page, GENCAD is aiming to raise 30,000 pounds for the Drought Appeal, and they're not there yet, so give what you can.

My sister and I completed the sponsored walk and we had a great time learning about London and her beauty, vibrancy and diversity along the way. We witnessed Mevlevi dervishes at Turkishfest, visited Borough Market near London Bridge, admired art exhibitions on the Southbank where we also saw the Festival of Britain 2011. We completed about 12km after 5 hours and our legs and feet were "buzzing" by the end of it. It was a great day out for a very deserving and vital cause that's close to our hearts.

I'm raising money for GENCAD which is running an appeal for the severe drought, the worst in 60 years, currently happening in the Horn of Africa. GENCAD has the knowledge and access to people on the ground who can help save lives.
Below is some more background on the problem.

The humanitarian crisis unfolding in the horn of Africa is frightening. The successive rainfall failures in this region have resulted into the worst drought in 60 years, this has caused a massive loss of livestock; the main source of livelihood of the pastoralist communities in the region. Food shortages and rising food prices are causing severe malnutrition among the general population, particularly affecting children worst of all.
The humanitarian crisis is rapidly turning into famine on a scale in the region not seen since 1992. The lack of security in Somalia has made the crisis even worse by causing massive displacement of the population in southern Somalia, who are then fleeing into Kenya to seek refuge.
North Eastern Kenya has been particularly affected by this influx of internally displaced people from southern Somalia. The increased number of people is putting enormous pressure on the region already reeling from the effect of drought and the high cost of food and lack of support from the Kenyan government.