The chairman of the Irish Red Cross is to visit Niger to assess what can be done to help alleviate the famine in the West African country.
Up to eight million people across four countries in the sub-Saharan region are threatened with severe food shortages following devastation caused by swarms of locusts and long-term drought.
Niger, the second-poorest country in the world where 90 per cent of the population rely on farming to survive, is the worst-affected of these countries, with over 3.5 million people at risk.
The other affected countries are Mali, Burkina Faso and Mauritania.
David Andrews will travel to Niger later this week to get what he called a "first-hand understanding" of what the IRC can do. "What we do know is that public donations to the Irish Red Cross to fund the purchase of food is absolutely vital as very young children are already losing the battle with hunger."
The IRC has already allocated €100,000 to help famine relief efforts.
Last week, the Minister for Overseas Development, Conor Lenihan, announced the Government would be providing €1 million in aid for Niger.
Donations to the IRC can be made online at www.redcross.ie or by telephone on 1850 50 70 70 or by cheque or postal order to Irish Red Cross West Africa Appeal, 16 Merrion Square, Dublin 2.