NPR

Social Media Star Has A 'Crazy Idea' To Help Somalia

Jerome Jarre wanted to raise $1 million, buy 60 tons of food and get Turkish Airlines to fly it in for free. How's he doing?
Fatun Mohamed Sareye, 30, sits with her family at a camp for internally displaced people in Garowe, Somalia.

A viral social media campaign to fight the looming famine in Somalia has already raised more than $2 million. The goal is to send 60 tons of food to the country. But as the campaign has unfolded, it's become clear that it's still a work in progress. With the distribution set for March 27, some critical details are changing or not yet available.

The unlikely man behind the plan is French social media celebrity Jerome Jarre (who had 8 million followers on Vine and is now on Snapchat). In a he posted on social media platforms on March 15, he says he got the idea for the campaign after a volunteer in Somalia

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