Turkish people give helping hand to African nations

ANKARA (A.A) - August 5, 2011 - Turkish people have given a helping hand to African people who have been affected by famine. 
Donations reached 3.81 million Turkish lira (nearly $22 million) in a campaign launched by a charity society, "Kimse Yok Mu", while people donated about 1 million TL (nearly $580 thousand) in another relief campaign organized by the Directorate of Religious Affairs and Turkish Religious Foundation.   
Meanwhile, the Confederation of Turkish Trade Unions (Turk-Is) has called on all member trade unions to send donations to Somali and Kenyan peoples through the Turkish relief agency Red Crescent's bank accounts. 
According to the United Nations, up to 12 million people in the Horn of Africa have been affected by famine. The U.S. Agency for International Development said that more than 29,000 Somali children under the age of 5 have died in the past 90 days while 640,000 Somali children were acutely malnourished. The U.N. Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that more than $1 billion will be necessary to address all the needs. The USA has so far provided almost $460 million to the overall relief effort.