READERS will have seen much in the news about the chaos and suffering in Liberia's capital city, Monrovia. My colleague, MacArthur Hill, working for UNICEF in Liberia, has asked me to convey this news from the city:

As I write, the fighting continues around me with women and children dying daily. Food and water is fast running out.

This is the latest in a civil war that had already caused more than one million people, mostly women and children, to abandon their homes. By the beginning of 2003, war had spread to most parts of Liberia, disrupting humanitarian work and rendering 70 per cent of the country inaccessible. The recent fighting has caused even more civilians to seek refuge in public buildings around the city. They are living under deplorable conditions with limited access to safe drinking water, proper sanitation and food.

Without clean water, more children are suffering from diseases such as cholera and diarrhoea. A significant proportion of displaced children have visible signs of acute malnutrition and anaemia.

UNICEF urgently needs £1.6 million pounds to provide vital aid to the children in Liberia. Just £25 could help save the lives of 50 children suffering from dehydration caused by cholera or diarrhoea, while £31 pays for enough vaccines to protect 70 children from killer childhood illnesses.

Donations, in the form of cheques made payable to UNICEF, can be sent to UNICEF UK's Liberian Children's Appeal, PO Box 1800, Sheffield, South Yorkshire, S6 4UG.

Louis Coles,

Regional Fundraising Manger (North East),

Loxley Road, Sheffield.

Updated: 10:47 Monday, August 11, 2003