Thirteen leading British charities launched an appeal for money to help avert a looming humanitarian disaster in southern Africa, where an estimated 14 million people face starvation.
"There is already a huge crisis in southern Africa, people are already dying from starvation, but we need the support of the British public now to avert a much bigger disaster," Mr Brendan Gormley, head of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), told a news conference.
Aid agencies and charities such as the British Red Cross, Care, Help the Aged, Tearfund and Oxfam have all clubbed together under the umbrella of the DEC to maximise their fund-raising potential.
Money raised will be divided between the charities involved and used to buy food, medical supplies, seeds and tools.
"Just Stg£25 pounds ($40) will feed two families for a month, so relatively small amounts of money can save lives," Mr Gormley said.
Political instability and three years of drought in the region, combined with localised flooding, has led to massive food shortages in Zambia, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland, Lesotho and Angola. HIV and AIDS have also devastated communities in the region.
The appeal came with the backing of British Prime Minister Mr Tony Blair, who acknowledged the extreme seriousness of the situation. "The collective view is that this could very quickly turn to catastrophe," Mr Blair said.
The United Nations warned earlier this month that a famine could be worse in 2002/2003 than that caused by the 1991/92 El Nino weather effect, because economic liberalisation in countries such as Malawi have eroded social support networks.