DEC Syria Crisis Appeal hits £5 million

Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal 
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Public donations to the DEC Syria Crisis Appeal have now reached £5 million. The 14 leading UK charities that are the DEC’s members will use the funds in Syria and the neighbouring countries, to which over one million refugees have fled. The money that has come in since the first appeals were broadcast on Thursday will enable the DEC members to provide more vital aid such as food, clean water, emergency shelter and medical care.  
 
Fundraising will continue for the DEC Syria Crisis Appeal as the fighting intensifies and the number of people fleeing their homes and the country continues to increase. There are huge and urgent unmet needs, both in Syria and the surrounding countries, as civilians continue to bear the brunt of the conflict.
 
DEC Chief Executive, Saleh Saeed, said:
 
“The British public have shown great generosity and a clear willingness to help the many Syrians who have been forced to leave their homes. The humanitarian crisis inside Syria is a catastrophe and it is vitally important that we continue to fundraise as the needs of the people are immense. 
 
“We are dealing with a volatile and constantly changing situation on the ground: families face great challenges as they flee to neighbouring countries and the fighting inside Syria is making the delivery of aid there very difficult - but not impossible.”
 
The DEC Syria Crisis Appeal was launched on Thursday, 21 March with appeals from actor Rufus Sewell as well as actor, writer, comedian and broadcaster Michael Palin, journalist John McCarthy and actress Juliet Stephenson.
 
More than three million people have been forced to leave their homes by fighting in Syria. Two million have fled to other parts of the conflict-torn country. A further one million have escaped across the border to seek safety in neighbouring countries.  
 
The number of refugees fleeing the country has increased from 1,000 a day at the beginning of the year to more than 8,000 a day.
  
The DEC tries not to compare either disasters or the appeals we run for them.
 
To make a donation to the DEC Syria Crisis 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.
 
Stay up to date with developments in Syria, the emergency response and the fundraising efforts with the DEC on twitter:http://twitter.com/decappeal or on Facebook via http://www.facebook.com/DisastersEmergencyCommittee. 
 
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