Luxury holidays throughout Asia and Australia will be up for grabs this Saturday night when Sheraton Mirage Port Douglas hosts the Unite for Children UNICEF charity ball in the Glade Pavilion.

The auction will see bidders vie for accommodation packages at luxurious Starwood Hotel properties in Kuala Lumpur, Bali, Tokyo, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Phuket and Chiang Mai, as well as Sydney and Melbourne.

But it will be starving children in East Africa bidders will be thinking of when they raise their hands at the auction.

According to UNICEF, famine has been officially declared in South Somalia with 11 million people affected – the equivalent of almost half the Australian population. The Horn of Africa food crisis has seen two million children become malnourished, with 500,000 suffering such severe malnutrition that urgent medical aid is required to avoid death.

Watch the UNICEF video (top left)

Coupled with that, drought, on-going armed conflict and inflation causing escalating food prices have triggered one of the sharpest refugee outflows in a decade.

Hosted by Channel Seven’s Rahni Sadler, the charity ball will also see a lucky door prize winner awarded two night’s accommodation at the Westin Melbourne, return air tickets for two people courtesy Virgin Airlines and tickets to the theatre, courtesy of Marriner Theatre.

There will also be prizes with local tour operators and restaurants, as well as the chance to take home a flat screen TV, a famous Sheraton “Sweet Sleeper” bed, a signed Richmond AFL jumper and two surprise autographed jerseys.

A four-course menu created by executive chef, Klaus Keller, will be served, with live entertainment from the band “Vibe”.

Tickets to the Unite for Children UNICEF charity ball are $139 per person which includes dinner, drinks and entertainment and must be booked in advance. Enquiries can be made to Chelsea Burke on 4099 0881 or email cscoordinator.00370@sheraton.com.