Bilal Hasna, Maisie Richardson-Sellers and Shabaz Ali pay tribute to local aid workers in Gaza, as the DEC’s Middle East Humanitarian Appeal reaches £25 million milestone
The amount raised for the Disasters Emergency Committee’s Middle East Humanitarian Appeal is now over £25 million. For the first time, the milestone total is being announced in a specially released video on social media.
Actors Bilal Hasna and Maisie Richardson-Sellers and content creator Shabaz Ali have lent their support to the appeal, and applauded the incredible dedication of local aid workers in Gaza.
In a new video posted to the DEC’s social media channels, they hear the powerful stories of a teacher, a doctor and a humanitarian aid worker, who are all working with the DEC’s member charities and their local partner organisations.
Their stories are just a snapshot of the immense personal and professional pressures that local responders are dealing with every day, as they deliver lifesaving aid to the millions of people in urgent need across Gaza, Lebanon and the wider region right now. They also highlight the varied range of humanitarian support being provided by DEC charities and their local partners.
Saeed, an Emergency Coordinator in Gaza, said:
“I still remember when I decided to become a humanitarian aid worker. More than anything I wanted to help my community; to help my people in Gaza during times of crisis and conflict. Every day we speak to people who mourn their loved ones, mothers who worry their children won't survive the next night because of illness, and children who have stopped speaking because what they have endured has left them withdrawn and shattered. At the same time, us aid workers are also deeply affected by this war.”
Bilal Hasna said:
"For families trying to survive the indescribable hardships of daily life in Gaza, people like Saeed mean everything. He spends long days providing shelter kits, bedding and support to the millions of Palestinians who have been forced to flee their homes, first solid and since makeshift, over and over again. When he returns to his own family in the evening, he must help them too to find food and medicine, which continue to be in catastrophically short supply. No family should have to live without proper shelter or nutritious food. Our donations can make a real difference to help DEC charities support as many people as possible.”
Dr Amal, a doctor in Gaza, said:
“Unfortunately, I lost contact with my family for a long time. During this period, there was a communications outage. The news might come back that there was shelling near a staff member’s family or they might be displaced and you don’t know; because you are working in the hospital. After that, when you arrive home, you discover that your family’s condition has changed and you have to adapt to whatever situation they are now facing.”
Maisie Richardson-Sellers said:
“Doctors and nurses in Gaza are working in the toughest conditions, and under unimaginable stress, whilst dealing with their own personal trauma. With the healthcare system stretched far beyond its limits, doctors like Dr Amal are working around the clock to treat as many people as they can. But right now they simply can’t meet the huge levels of need. DEC charities are providing a range of medical aid including essential supplies and trained staff. More funds can allow them to save more lives.”
Raja, a teacher working in Gaza, said:
“I ask many children about letters of the alphabet and they do not know anything about letters or words. The simplest thing - they don’t know the alphabet! They have forgotten so much. There is a lot of damage; now all schools are being used as shelters for the displaced. The impact of the absence of education on children is very tragic.”
Save the Children supporter Shabaz Ali said:
“Teachers like Raja are the only hope many children in Gaza and Lebanon have right now of receiving an education. Hundreds of thousands of children across the region are displaced and can’t go to school. In Gaza, it’s been over a year since schools shut, and an entire generation is losing out on essential life skills, and falling further and further behind. By supporting teachers and setting up education spaces, DEC charities are working hard to make sure as many children as possible have a temporary place to learn. They need our help to increase this support.”
Notes to editors
Media enquiries please call 07930 999 014 or 07890 839 270 (out of hours).
Interview requests: For spokespeople, pictures and b-roll please contact: sgard@dec.org.uk
About the DEC: The DEC brings together 15 leading UK aid charities at times of crisis overseas to raise funds quickly and efficiently. In these times of crisis, people in life-and-death situations need our help and our mission is to save, protect and rebuild lives through effective humanitarian response.
All 15 of the DEC’s members are either responding or planning to respond in the Middle East and will receive funds from this appeal. Some may work through trusted local partners. They are Action Against Hunger, ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide UK, International Rescue Committee UK, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam GB, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision UK.
DEC member charities are committed to the principles of neutrality, impartiality, humanity and independence – it guides all of the lifesaving work we do. As humanitarian aid agencies, we have an obligation to give aid wherever it is needed, prioritising the most urgent needs of the most vulnerable people.
The majority of funds from this appeal will be spent in Gaza and Lebanon, where millions of people are displaced and desperately need humanitarian support. Some of the funds will also be used to support people in the West Bank, where the recent escalation in violence has forced many more to flee their homes, and had a devastating economic impact.
In Israel, families of those held hostage desperately await news of their loved ones, tens of thousands of people have been displaced, and many more are dealing with trauma caused by the ongoing conflict. We will continue to monitor the situation and needs in Israel. A number of DEC charities are in a position to expand their response to include Israel should the situation change.
Through UK Aid Match the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) gives the British public the opportunity to have a say in how the UK aid budget is spent whilst boosting the impact of the very best British charities to change and save the lives of some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.
For the Middle East Humanitarian appeal, donations by the UK public are still being matched pound-for-pound by the UK Government up to £10 million, as part of its Aid Match scheme.
Although the appeal has raised £20 million, Aid Match continues to accrue until donations from the public reach £10 million.
UK Aid Match enquiries should be directed to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Please call 020 7023 0600 (24-hour).
How to donate:
Online: dec.org.uk
Phone: 0330 123 0333 [Standard network charges apply]
Text to give/SMS: text SUPPORT to 70676 to donate £10.
Other partners should use the specific text keywords they have been provided with by the DEC. [Texts cost £10 plus your standard network rate]
Send a cheque by post to: DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal, PO Box 999, London EC3A 3AA
