The United Nations Children's Fund is asking donors for $136 million in emergency funds to help an estimated 48 million women and children who are suffering due to recent natural disasters and outbreaks of war around the world, the Associated Press reports.

UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy is asking for the donations as part of this year's United Nations Consolidated Appeal. The money is designated for emergency relief efforts in 20 countries, AP reports.

War is the cause of most of the humanitarian problems in such African countries as Angola, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Sierra Leone and Sudan. Women and children in Afghanistan and Kosovo face similar problems, Bellamy says.

Countries in the Caribbean and Central America suffer from extensive damage due to recent hurricanes. North Korea and Tajikistan also need assistance, Bellamy says.