Nadifo Yusuf, Puntland, Somalia

"We are pastoralists from a small village in the south. Four months ago our animals began to die because of the drought. I had 40 goats and cows and they all died, we had nothing left so we were forced to flee. I decided to come to Bosasso because it's safer here," says Nadifo.

I'm scared that my children won't have enough food. My husband is dead, I'm trying to get a job cleaning or doing anything, but there's no work and, even if I find something, who's going to take care of my children when I'm away? I have to stay here at whatever cost - everything back home is gone."

More than 6,000 people live in this dusty wasteland in temperatures over 40 degrees in the shade - a population that grows daily as more people escape the drought, mostly from south-central Somalia.

Halima Abdullahi, Abdiaziz, Kenya

Halima Abdullahi is seven years old and lives in Abdiaziz, just outside Wajir. Her brother receives nutrient-rich peanut paste through the Save the Children's feeding programme.

"I wake up and go to school. I don't have anything to eat for breakfast, but sometimes I take black tea with no sugar. I don't know what we will eat now when we're not at school. We sometimes have rice to eat at home on the days we're not at school, rice that we are given by the government.

I'm really worried about the drought. If it continues our school may run out of food and then I can't go to school. And my father may not be able to make any money. We used to eat well at home, but now we only eat rice. We used to eat pasta," says Halima.

Many of the families have lost their crops and livestock and have no money. They are struggling to survive on just one meal a day, or nothing at all.

Abdullahi, Got-ade, Kenya

Seven-year-old Abdullahi lives in Got-ade, just outside Wajir. His father died when he was young. His mother buys vegetables and fruit at the market, and sells them from their home. He has two brothers aged 12 and nine, and a five-year-old sister.

"My worry in this drought is the lack of milk and money. I worry when my mum doesn't have money. I don't think she has money today because she didn't cook the best meal today. I used to drink one cup of milk a day but I don't take any now. I can't remember when I last had milk.

I really fear the lack of food. I've seen a child who went back to school after the lunch break having eaten nothing. I couldn't believe it. He didn't eat anything for lunch. The only thing we think about is food," says Abdullahi.

Millions of children are hungry, thirsty and desperate. They're in danger of becoming critically malnourished and need help.

Abida and children, Hudet Health Care Centre, Somalia

Says Abida, "The conditions of the travel were really difficult. Some women had to abandon their weakest child, while some people got lost in the bush even while we travelled in a group of a hundred households and tried to stay all together."

Many of the families arriving from other parts of Somalia are utterly destitute and desperate to find somewhere safer for their families. They have lost their crops and livestock and have no money. They are struggling to survive on just one meal a day, or nothing at all.

Habiba and son, Tawakai Camp, North Somalia

"This drought has left us destitute, and the war has taken what little we had left," Says Habiba. Habiba had travelled for eight days in a cramped truck from Mogadishu with two of her children - Mona who is three and Ismael who is just three months old- to reach Bosaso in northern Somalia. All of them are severely malnourished.

During the journey, the truck would often be stopped by different militia groups and those travelling were robbed of the meagre belongings they had left with them. Every time the truck stopped, Habiba would beg people to give her food and water, while knowing she was at risk of being ‘arrested' or detained.

Those that have been lucky enough to arrive at the camps are living in very bad conditions. There are no latrines or washing facilities, many of the dwellings are made from cardboard, pieces of corrugated iron roofing and materials.

Halima and Ahmed, Wajir Hospital, Kenya

Fatuma and Ibrahim, Wajir Hospital, Kenya

Fatuma 16, holds her son Ibrahim, six weeks, in the stabilization center for severely malnourished children in the Wajir District Hospital in Wajir, Kenya. A severe drought in East Africa is causing malnutrition rates to soar and threatening the lives of children throughout the region.

Pastoralist families like Ibrahim's have been hit especially hard by the situation, as the drought is killing the livestock on which they depend for milk, meat, and income. Says Fatuma, "We lost all our livestock in the drought, we don't get the kind of nutrition or quality of food that we used to eat."