Disasters Emergency Committee’s (DEC) Middle East Humanitarian Appeal raises £8.8 million in first day

The UK public have rallied to support the DEC’s Middle East Humanitarian Appeal as artists Adjoa Andoh, David Morrissey, Myleene Klass and Ruth Wilson help raise vital funds for the humanitarian response in the Middle East. 

Within 24 hours of the launch the Disasters Emergency Committee’s (DEC) Middle East Humanitarian appeal has raised £8.8 million. This total includes generous donations from the UK public, DEC corporate partners and longstanding supporters. Donations to this appeal from the UK public are still being matched pound for pound by the UK government, as part of its aid match scheme.  

This follows nationwide television and radio broadcast appeals fronted by Adjoa Andoh, David Morrissey, Myleene Klass and Ruth Wilson, which aired last night calling for support from the public.

Their Majesties The King and Queen were among the first to donate to the appeal. TRHs The Prince and Princess of Wales have also donated. All are regular supporters of the DEC.

Over the past year, conflict in the Middle East has devastated lives across the region, and millions have fled their homes in search of safety. Right now, millions of people across Gaza, Lebanon and the wider region are in urgent need of food, shelter and medical care.  

The DEC brings together 15 leading aid charities at times of crisis overseas where there is significant unmet humanitarian need. Despite extraordinary challenges and risks, 14 DEC member charities are responding right now in Gaza and Lebanon, and 8 in the West Bank, including the International Rescue Committee, British Red Cross, Oxfam and Save the Children.  

In Gaza, the scale of need is overwhelming, with people already dying of hunger and disease, as well as injuries caused by the conflict. Food and clean water are desperately scarce and ninety percent of the population have been displaced, most multiple times.  

In Lebanon, more than a million people have had to leave their homes in recent weeks. Shelters are overwhelmed, and hospitals are struggling to treat the thousands of people injured.  

In the West Bank, vital water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure has been damaged by ongoing violence and families have been displaced from their homes.  

In Israel, families of those held hostage desperately await news of their loved ones, tens of thousands of people are displaced and many more are dealing with trauma caused by the conflict. The DEC is monitoring the evolving situation and a number of DEC charities are ready to expand their response to include Israel.  

Adjoa Andoh, Actor and International Rescue Committee Ambassador said:  

“It is almost impossible to imagine daily life for families living through conflict. Parents unable to provide their children with enough food to eat or a safe place to sleep at night-time. DEC member charities are working tirelessly to support people with food, shelter, medicine and more, but they urgently need our support to continue to reach all families in desperate need.”  

David Morrissey, actor and director, said:  

“Life for people in Gaza was already desperate by any standards – now it is becoming dangerously close to unsurvivable. DEC member charities are working against all the odds to get the most basic of supplies – clean water, food, somewhere to sleep – to thousands of vulnerable people. But they can’t hope to meet the shocking levels of need without our help. I would urge anyone who can to please donate now.”  

Myleene Klass, musician, host and Save the Children UK ambassador said:  

“In Gaza, pregnant women and new mothers are facing desperate conditions. There are limited health facilities remaining, leaving women with the terrifying prospect of giving birth to their babies without the medical care they need. After labour, many mothers struggle to breastfeed because of lack of food or medicine. With our donations DEC member charities can urgently provide food and water, and support midwives to conduct home births and check ups – a lifeline for mothers to be and newborn babies.”  

Ruth Wilson MBE, actor, said:  

“Millions of people across the region have been forced to leave their homes – many displaced multiple times. This mass displacement has separated children from their families, left behind the elderly and those with disabilities, and increased the risk of violence for women and girls. Donations to the DEC will not only help member charities and their local partners to provide shelter for people who no longer have homes to go to, but will also fund protection and support to the most vulnerable.”

For more information on the Appeal, please visit the DEC website  

Stay up to date with the appeal with the DEC on  X  or on Facebook.  

ENDS   

Notes to editors:  

Media enquiries please call 07930 999 014 or 07871 309253 (out of hours).  

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. The DEC’s 15 member charities 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, Plan International UK, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision UK.      

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.      

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 this appeal, every pound donated by the British public will be matched by the UK Government through its UK Aid Match scheme, up to the value of £10 million.      

UK Aid Match has increased the impact of a number of DEC appeals to help those in need around the world, including most recently the Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal in 2023.  In 2022, the UK matched up to £25 million of public donations to DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal - the largest commitment ever made to a DEC appeal through UK Aid Match.      

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: for press releases: 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.