Government will match further £2 million of public donations as DEC emergency appeal reaches £9 million
People in the UK are being urged to donate to the emergency appeal for people fleeing Myanmar after the Government pledged to match pound for pound a further £2m of donations from the public, in addition to the £3m already announced.
The announcement of additional funding for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) emergency appeal was made by Priti Patel, the Secretary of State for International Development, during a visit to DEC headquarters in central London earlier today (Thursday 12 October).
DEC Chief Executive Saleh Saeed said:
We are delighted that the next £2m donated by the British public will be matched by the Government, in addition to the £3m already donated.
We have been overwhelmed by the generosity of people in the UK during this emergency appeal and hope that this announcement will inspire even more people to give, knowing that whatever they donate will be matched pound for pound.
The situation facing those fleeing Myanmar is truly desperate. We are hearing stories of small children separated from their families and of mothers giving birth in appalling conditions. DEC member charities are on the ground right now but they urgently need more funds to reach as many people as possible.
The DEC emergency appeal is enabling its member charities to continue to help the estimated 519,000 men, women and children who have fled to Bangladesh.
Oxfam has reached 180,000 people with clean drinking water, portable toilets and other essential supplies; Concern Worldwide are on the ground providing 48,000 people with food rations with two nutrition centres up and running and a third under construction, and more than1,000 people have been reconnected with their families through the Red Cross.
To make a donation to the DEC Emergency Appeal visit www.dec.org.uk, call the 24-hour hotline on 0370 60 60 610, 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.
The UK Government will match pound for pound the first £5 million donated by the public to the DEC Emergency Appeal.
Stay up to date with developments in Bangladesh, the emergency response and the fundraising efforts with the DEC on twitter: www.twitter.com/decappeal or on Facebook via www.facebook.com/DisastersEmergencyCommittee.
