DEC Nepal Earthquake Appeal reaches milestone £50m

Press release 11 May 2015

The UK public has donated £50 million to the DEC Nepal Earthquake Appeal since it opened, helping aid agencies to reach an estimated 310,000 people. 
 
DEC member agencies are working in some of the worst-affected parts of the country, providing aid in more than 60 villages, camps and towns across 17 districts in Nepal.
 
An estimated 8 million people have been affected by the devastating earthquake, which struck on Saturday 25 April. Hundreds of thousands of people, many in remote villages, have had their homes damaged or destroyed and are in urgent need of food, water, shelter and medical care.
 
DEC Chief Executive Saleh Saeed said: “We are extremely grateful for the extraordinary generosity of UK public. Despite the immense challenges facing those affected and relief efforts, the response continues to grow day by day. We are now delivering more aid to some of the worst-affected areas, and our members are expanding their efforts into remote regions.
 
“Our members’ teams are working around the clock to provide essential aid. A huge amount of work remains to be done before the monsoon rains make the response even more difficult and the risk of disease outbreaks increase. The overwhelming generosity of the UK public will help families get through the next few months and rebuild their lives over the coming years.” 
 
The vast majority of DEC funds came from individual donations from members of the public but the UK government also contributed £5m through UK Aid Match.
 
The number of people reached by aid increases every day. Highlights so far include: 

  • Action Aid has provided hygiene and medical kits, including disposable gloves and soap for 5,750 people in Panga.
  • The Red Cross has health teams working in 12 locations.
  • Tents and food have been delivered to 10,460 people in three districts of the Kathmandu valley by CAFOD and its partners in the Caritas network.
  • CARE has provided more than 5,300 people in Gorkha with shelter, water and sanitation kits.
  • Christian Aid has provided ten water filtration units – each which provide 1,500 litres of purified water per hour for 10,000 people in Gorkha, Dhading and Sindhupalchok.
  • Islamic Relief has distributed food for 5,135 people in Sindhupalchowk district.
  • Oxfam has distributed 925 hygiene kits for 4,625 people and 1,245 bottles of chlorine solution for 6,225 people.
  • Save the Children has distributed shelter kits, baby kits and relief supplies to more than 25,000 people in Gorkha.
  • Plan has distributed more than 1,290 education kits in Sindhuli.
  • Tearfund has reached 3,300 people with tarpaulins and food in Makwanpur and Lalitpur districts.
  • World Vision is running ten child friendly spaces.

To make a donation to the DEC Nepal Earthquake Appeal visit: http://www.dec.org.uk, call the 24 hour hotline on 0370 60 60 900, donate over the counter at any high street bank or post office, or send a cheque. You can also donate £5 by texting the word SUPPORT to 70000.

  • £25 can provide clean water for four families for one month 
  • £50 can feed a family for two weeks 
  • £100 can provide emergency shelter for five families

Notes to editors:

  • The fundraising total includes funds raised by the DEC secretariat and also funds raised by member agencies as part of the appeal.  The DEC will regularly update the fundraising total on its website: www.dec.org.uk.
  • The DEC is already publishing regular updates on the work of its members in Nepal:  http://www.dec.org.uk/appeals/nepal-earthquake-appeal. The first major update on how DEC funds have been spent will be produced six months on from the earthquake on or just before 25 October 2015. 
  • The DEC brings 13 leading UK aid charities together in times of crisis: ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, Care International, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Islamic Relief, Oxfam, Plan UK, Save the Children, Tearfund and World Vision; all collectively raising money to reach those in need quickly.
  • All DEC agencies will support the appeal and are responding in Nepal.
  • To make a postal donation make cheques payable to ‘DEC’ and mail to ‘PO Box 999, London, EC3A 3AA’. 
  • Donations can be made at any high street bank and at post office counters. To donate £5 by text, send the word SUPPORT to 70000. The full £5 will go to the DEC Nepal Earthquake Appeal. Donors must be 16 years or over and have bill payers permission. Texts are free and donations will be added to the bill.
  • Aid delivered by DEC members and their partners has been paid for with DEC funds and money from other sources. Some people will have received different kinds of help from more than one DEC agency. For example it is likely that separate schemes - one providing shelter assistance and another providing food packages - will have reached some of the same people.