By Natalie Angley, CNN
(CNN) - Twelve million people are facing a hunger crisis in the Horn of Africa, and they are in desperate need of help.
The United Nations declared a famine in parts of southern Somalia, calling for a widespread international response to end the suffering.
Thousands of Somalis have been fleeing the country each week in search of food, water and shelter - many of them walking for days in the sweltering sun toward refugee camps in Kenya and Ethiopia.
Nearly half a million children are at risk of dying from malnutrition and disease.
Relief organizations are calling on the international community to join together to end the crisis, and they're working to gain entrance into areas with limited humanitarian access.
There are ways you can help.