Selena Gomez has urged her fans to donate $10 to the latest United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) campaign to help starving African children.

The Disney star has served as an ambassador for the organisation since 2009, and she's filmed an emotional appeal for help in the Sahel region, which is experiencing severe drought and leaving families without food.

In the video, she says, "Right now more than a million children could die in the Sahel region of West and Central Africa.

"Crops have failed in eight drought-hit countries, leaving families with almost nothing to eat. Children are especially vulnerable when they don't get the nutrition that they need.

"UNICEF urgently needs your help to buy therapeutic food and medicine to treat the most sick and malnourished children. It can save their lives. Please help right now. I did - will you?"

Linking to the video on her Twitter.com page, she asks her fans to retweet the clip and adds, "We must save kids in the Sahel NOW!"