Scottish aid worker tells of devastating famine in east Africa

A Scottish aid worker has told of the "extreme" crisis facing families in the Horn of Africa as the area struggles with its worst drought for six decades.

Erin Gray, from Mercy Corps, is helping to get water to the region, where 12 million people are facing starvation.

The UN has declared a famine in some parts of Somalia, and with the situation getting worse aid agencies are renewing their calls for donations.

There has been no rain for three years in some parts of the drought area, which stretches across Somalia and takes in parts of Kenya, Ethiopia and Djibouti.

The Mercy Corps has been trucking in thousands of litres of water and the Disasters Emergency Committee has raised £50m for the region, but the wider UN appeal is short of funds despite a high-profile campaign featuring actor Ewan McGregor.

Ms Gray, 29, said the experience of seeing families barely surviving on meagre supplies of food and water was heartbreaking.

Among the victims was a three-year-old boy, Abdi, who was too weak to stand and whose family of nine were sharing a single cup of porridge a day.

She said: "On Wednesday I met a family of ten who had been walking for miles looking for water. They had to stop, they were too weak to continue. They'd not had a sip of water for four days. It's really extreme.

"We're asking people at home to not turn away, to recognise exactly how serious the situation is, to care and understand, and most importantly to reach into their wallets."

Anyone who wants to donate can visit the Mercy Corps website or call 0800 066 5766.