A social media campaign launched Wednesday is urging people to help millions of Somalis on the brink of death as a result of the ongoing famine by filling up a Turkish Airlines plane with humanitarian assistance.
The hashtag #TurkishAirlinesHelpSomalia made it to the top trends on Twitter within hours and received support from famous figures, including Hollywood actor Ben Stiller, who advocated for individuals to take action and do something for the 20 million people in Somalia and its neighboring countries on the brink of a humanitarian catastrophe.
Responding to a video posted by social media sensation Jerome Jarre, who was the first person to think of the idea of filling a Turkish Airlines plane with humanitarian assistance, Ben Stiller urged his followers on Twitter to spread the word and help the people of Somalia.
"Jerome has this crazy idea that he thinks we can all help by getting an airplane filled with food and water to Somalia. Right now" Stiller wrote to his followers, adding that everyone should urge Turkish Airlines to donate a plane.
Stiller emphasized that the campaign could draw significant media attention to the ongoing crisis and start a "snowball effect" pushing people to help.
President of the Turkish Red Crescent, Kerem Kınık, thanked Stiller for raising awareness about the East Africa crisis and said that his organization is preparing three ships and three cargo planes to Yemen, Somalia and South Sudan with Turkish Airlines.
Other social media users shared similar videos urging followers to spread the word and encourage Turkish Airlines, the only commercial air carrier that flies to Somalia, to donate a plane.
According to the United Nations, the world is facing the largest humanitarian crisis since the establishment of the global organization in 1945, with over 20 million people on the brink of starvation.
While the UN estimates that 4.4 billion dollars is necessary by the end of March to prevent catastrophe in east Africa, only 90 million dollars has been raised.
The lives of about 1.4 million children are threatened by malnutrition in the region, UNICEF warned.
Turkey is the second largest humanitarian assistance donor to Somalia, and has provided over $121.9 million since 2011 through the Prime Ministry's Disaster and Emergency Management Presidency (AFAD), the Turkish Red Crescent and the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet).
