Vodafone has given £150,000 to Oxfam to help avert a crisis in Africa.

Vodafone Group Foundation, based in Newbury, has given the cash to help the Cowley-based charity to provide food and water to people in Kenya, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Somalia. Currently 11m people are suffering after the region was hit by drought followed, in some places, by torrential rains.

Oxfam has launched its biggest ever appeal to raise £20m to provide emergency relief.

Paul Smith-Lomas, Oxfam regional director, said: "Millions of people across east Africa are suffering from one of the harshest droughts the region has ever faced. Young children are most at risk, and there are already reports of child deaths as a result of malnutrition.

"Oxfam is helping over half a million people carrying out food distributions, providing water and helping people to carry on making a living. Donations like this will help to fund this vital work."

Foundation director Nigel Thorpe said: "The work that Oxfam is doing to raise awareness of the desperate situation faced by many people in east Africa, and the practical benefits their work delivers is inspiring."