TORONTO - The Ontario government is pledging $1 million to help people facing starvation in the hardest hit countries of the Horn of Africa.
The province says millions of lives are at stake in the region due to a cycle of severe droughts.
The United Nations declared a famine in Somalia on July 20 -- the first time famine has been declared there by the UN in nearly 20 years.
Ontario's money will go to support the efforts of the Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies in the region -- which includes Kenya, Ethiopia, Somalia, Djibouti, Uganda and Sudan.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called for urgent international efforts to assist in the region.
He said the situation is rapidly deteriorating, with an estimated 11.6 million people in need of humanitarian assistance.
"To have nothing to eat is a frightening and unimaginable idea for many of us and a sad reality for millions of people in the Horn of Africa," Premier Dalton McGuinty said Tuesday.
"Ontarians come from all over the world and many people have friends and family in the midst of the crisis. Now is the time for us to work together to offer our support and I encourage all Ontarians to help in the relief effort," he added.
The federal government has also joined international efforts to help. Ottawa has said it will match whatever Canadians give to a registered charity working in East Africa.
The Canadian government has contributed more than $70 million this year to humanitarian aid in the region.
For more information on how to donate, click here.
