DEC Syria Crisis Appeal hits £7.4 million
Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal
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Public donations to the DEC Syria Crisis Appeal have now reached £7.4 million. The 14 leading UK charities that are the DEC’s members will use the funds in Syria and to help refugees in the neighbouring countries.
The funds that have come in since DEC appeals were first broadcast on Thursday 21 March will enable the DEC member agencies to provide more vital aid such as food, clean water, emergency shelter and medical care.
Fighting is continuing to intensify 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 UK public have been very generous in their support for the Appeal. The funds raised so far will make a huge difference for thousands of families in Syria and for those who have been forced to flee to neighbouring countries.
“With the fighting continuing to escalate, the situation for many families caught up in the war is getting increasingly desperate. Although delivering aid inside Syria is hugely challenging, as the public continue to donate our members can provide help to more people.
The DEC Syria Crisis Appeal was launched with broadcast appeals on 21 March from actor Rufus Sewell (ITV, Sky, Channel 4 and Channel 5) as well as actor, writer, comedian and broadcaster Michael Palin (BBC TV), journalist John McCarthy (BBC radio) and actress Juliet Stephenson (independent radio).
Fundraising for the DEC Syria Crisis Appeal will continue until 20 September 2013. Funds from the appeal are already available to allow member agencies to scale up their work. Under DEC rules, all funds must be spend by April 2015 but with humanitarian needs continuing to increase, most members are likely to use their share of appeal funds well ahead of that date.
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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