The 114th IPU Assembly held in Nairobi marked a precedent for the Union: a group of parliamentarians conducted an on-site mission in collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The visit to the Province of Garissa, located in the north-east of Kenya, allowed members of the parliamentary mission to see what consequences the drought had had on some 3.5 million men, women and children, whose lives were threatened by malnutrition and a host of accompanying diseases. "It is our intention to report to our parliaments and governments on what we have seen. We shall encourage them to consider their assistance to the drought-stricken areas and, where appropriate, to take emergency steps to expedite relief. We shall also testify within our constituencies tothe situation in the areas we visited", said United Kingdom MP, John Austin, speaking on behalf of his colleagues.

UNICEF has requested over US$ 81 million to take action aimed at saving lives, but only US$ 27 million have been collected, a third of the required amount. The United Nations agency recalls that over 8.7 million persons are affected in the five countries of the Horn of Africa (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia), of whom 4.5 million are children. Of those, 1.5 million are under-five-year-olds.

In recognizing IPU's efforts in that cause, UNICEF intends to work more closely with the world organization of parliaments to set up emergency programmes aimed at saving lives, but also at finding medium- and longterm solutions to the extreme vulnerability of the rural populations in the region. UNICEF's message to parliaments: the lives of children and the only way of life these rural populations know are today seriously jeopardized in the five countries of the Horn of Africa. It is high time, therefore, to come to their aid.

Solidarity can be shown at the level of parliament and government, but also at the individual level, as demonstrated by the modest contribution made by a handtil of individuals to the New Life Home Trust in Nairobi, an orphanage which, for the past twelve years, has been giving care and hope to hundreds of children, many of whom were born with HIV. As a Kenyan reporter told us on leaving, "the story of the Assembly does not endhere. What all of you at IPU have done is important. And it should be continued".

L.B.