In pictures: Living with hunger

Rains have failed yet again in East Africa. Some of those affected explain the effects of drought. Ngina, 10, says: "Hunger makes you feel bad. This time I felt sad. Our animals died during the drought."

boy standing on a mound [� PLAN/ALF BERG]

Ten-year-old Amarech from Kenya says: "When you have been hungry for some time, you get stomach cramps and you get nauseous. It affects how you relate to everything around you. You lose interest in things."

"A bird is crying in my picture. It is not getting enough water. The person has a very thin neck. All these things happen when there is not enough rain - I have seen all these things," says nine-year-old Ethiopian Tsiyoni.

Six-year-old Mullu says: "Sometimes when I come home from school, I don't get food. When there is no food it makes me cry."

man leading a cow to market [� PLAN/ALF BERG]

Parents are struggling to feed their families. Paul Mwania has brought his eight cows to market. The drought has robbed him of all his resources. The cattle have not eaten for two weeks and so will not sell for very much.

family posing in their compound [� PLAN/ALF BERG]

Frederick Mwanzia tells a similar story: "Hunger robs you of everything - the ability to work and provide, the prospect of a better life, dignity and ambition. Without rain, there is no hope."

Twelve-year-old Bereket says: "Hunger is bad, because it erases everything. When I am hungry, I never notice what my teacher says in class. The only thing that is in your head is food."

Mwela (L) and Mumo (R) [� PLAN/ALF BERG]

Mwela, 11, explains: "Hunger makes you feel unwell. You go numb. You lose the ability to do anything. It feels like you are sick." And Mumo, 13, says: "Sometimes I think it is the feeling of dying."

Farmer's wife and children [� PLAN/ALF BERG]

Farmer Utungo Mbitti can barely provide for his family: "Never before have I experienced droughts which lasted so long. People around here lost hope three years ago. Still, we need to keep working as hard as ever."

Four consecutive years of drought have left the rivers eroded and dry in Masinga in Kenya's Eastern Province. (Photos and text by Plan International/Alf Berg)