WASHINGTON, D.C. and NEW YORK, N.Y. - Just in time for the Holiday season, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), Ad Council, and MTV Act have partnered to launch a celebrity auction to raise awareness and money for the crisis in Horn of Africa.

The auction, running until December 18, features exclusive items and experiences from MTV artists and show talent. Snooki, Rob Dyrdek, Nick Jonas and Kelly Clarkson are a few of celebrities that have donated items to be auctioned off. Proceeds of the auction will go to a group of eight organizations working to provide humanitarian relief to the crisis. To view the auction visit: http://is.gd/mtvactauction.

Today in East Africa, in a region known as the Horn, more than 13.3 million people are in crisis - that's more than the populations of New York City and Los Angeles combined. The worst drought the world has seen in 60 years is devastating farmlands, uprooting families and killing tens of thousands in four countries: Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Somalia.

The auction is part of USAID and Ad Council's Famine. War. Drought (FWD) Campaign. Launched on September 19th, the FWD campaign aims to raise awareness of the crisis in the Horn of Africa and link Americans to actions that can help those in need.

To learn more about the crisis in the Horn of Africa, visit www.usaid.gov/what-we-do/working-crises-and-conflict/crisis-response/where-we-work/horn-africa.

About USAID: The American people, through the U.S. Agency for International Development, have provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for over 50 years.

About MTV Act: Launched in February 2011, Act is a MTV blog where fist pumping and lending a helping hand collide. Act is all about celebrating the actions of young people, celebs, musicians and organizations that are improving their lives and the lives of others.

About The Ad Council: The Ad Council is a private, non-profit organization that marshals volunteer talent from the advertising and communications industries, the facilities of the media, and the resources of the business and non-profit communities to deliver critical messages to the American public. The Ad Council has produced, distributed and promoted thousands of public service campaigns on behalf of non-profit organizations and government agencies in issue areas of health & safety, community and education.