What would you do if your child was going to bed hungry, night after night? For mothers Judith, Safi and Lokiyoto this question wasn’t hypothetical; it was reality. Because of a historic drought, 3 million people across East Africa are facing life-threatening hunger right now. In just one clinic run by IRC in Mogadishu, Somalia we saw a staggering 265% increase in severe malnutrition cases in children under the age of 5 from April to May of this year. Starvation is preventable—but the window to prevent mass deaths is rapidly closing. These mothers were all able to help their children at IRC-run nutrition centers in Kenya. Judith’s daughter Vanessa, once diagnosed with malnutrition, has since been able to recover. But the hardship for these families is far from over. Of her current situation, Safi told us: "There's no employment, I have to rely on food assistance which is inadequate. The little income I bring to the house due to high cost of living is insufficient.” The IRC is proud to be on the ground in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya providing humanitarian aid and malnutrition services to those impacted. But in order to prevent this crisis from worsening, world leaders must step up to help. Every day of inaction is a matter of life and death.