"We are waiting for death."

David Bull, the executive director of Unicef UK, is visiting Kenya as part of Unicef’s attempt to address the food shortage crisis in Africa, which is currently affecting large parts of the continent.

Around eight million people are on the brink of starvation in the Horn of Africa due to severe drought, crop failure and depletions of livestock, while around 12 million people in southern Africa need emergency food aid.

The causes are complex: poverty, gender inequality, lack of education and poor child care practices, compounded by drought or flooding, conflict and HIV/AIDS. What is clear is that the food shortages are a potential disaster for millions of children.

He has dispatched a three-part series to the Guardian’s News Blog, and I highly recommend reading it. Each installment is short but powerful, painting a vivid picture of how all those complex causes work in tandem to create and cultivate this appalling crisis.

Part One. Part Two. Part Three.

You'll also find information on how to help, if you can.

(Also of interest: A new ocean is forming in the Afar Triangle near the Horn of Africa with staggering speed—at least by geological standards.)