His Majesty The King thanks aid workers and volunteers for the Disaster Emergency Committee’s (DEC) Middle East and Ukraine Humanitarian Appeals
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** Images from the event here
**Aid workers who met with His Majesty The King are available for interview**
His Majesty The King visited St Peter’s Church in Notting Hill today to meet and thank Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) staff, volunteers, aid workers and humanitarian experts, fundraisers and those who have worked on the DEC’s Middle East and Ukraine Humanitarian Appeals.
Since the launch in October, the Appeal has raised more than £35 million in aid of people across the Middle East whose lives have been devastated by conflict. Their Majesties The King and Queen were among the first to donate to the Appeal.
During the visit, The King was greeted by Saleh Saeed, CEO of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC), and Pat Allerton, vicar of St Peter’s Church – a Notting Hill based church that has supported the Middle East humanitarian cause through Tearfund, one of the DEC member charities.
Also present at this morning’s event was Myleene Klass, Save the Children ambassador and DEC supporter who recorded the launch appeal film for the DEC’s Middle East Humanitarian Appeal, which was broadcast across commercial television on October 17.
Over the past year, millions of people across the Middle East have fled their homes in search of safety. The appeal is already providing support enabling DEC charities and their local partners to reach some of the most vulnerable with lifesaving aid.
Preparing for this winter in Gaza, in the coming weeks and months DEC member charities and their local partners will be distributing shelter kits and bedding to families living in tents and providing warm and comfortable clothes. They are also distributing hot food and cash assistance – allowing people to access essential supplies from local markets, which have skyrocketed in price. Providing sanitation and hygiene support, medical aid and psychological care for the many dealing with ongoing trauma, also remain vital priorities.
In Lebanon, DEC charities and their local partners continue to support displaced people who have lost so much. After months of living in crowded shelters, and with many homes and essential facilities destroyed, humanitarian aid remains critical to meet people's most urgent needs. With temperatures dropping, DEC charities are providing shelters with fuel and blankets and distributing warm clothing and other winter relief items to those in need.
This morning, His Majesty met with individual and community volunteers who have supported the DEC’s appeal, including: 14 year old Amelia Nichols who organised a cake sale and raffle, Dominic Vickers who did an ultra 10k challenge and Barney Guiton who grew a moustache to raise money. Also, Maya Mohammed, Anika Kyrdalen and Rebecca Im, medical students from UCL who did a London to Brighton sponsored walk, Sharron Callaghan and Emma Phillips, supermarket workers from Morrisons in Leeds and Leicester who have been doing bucket collections, and Rev'd Chris Fox Vicar & Lead Pastor and colleagues at St Paul’s Church in Ealing which raised £6,000 in the first week of the appeal.
His Majesty also met with humanitarian workers and experts from DEC member charities, including aid workers who have recently returned from Gaza. These included Becky Platt, a paediatric nurse working with Save the Children, Michelle Farrington, a specialist in public health working for Oxfam, Katie Roxburgh Christian Aid’s IoPt Programme Manager, and Sayeeda Salam Executive Director of Concern Worldwide (UK).
Dr Unni Krishnan, Global Humanitarian Director for Plan International and Marion Saunter, Protection and MHPSS Advisor from HelpAge International, a partner of DEC member charity Age International, spoke about their ongoing response work with the millions of people displaced due to the Ukraine conflict.
The Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal is the DEC’s longest running appeal and has raised more than £440 million for the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and neighbouring countries. DEC charities and their local partners supported an estimated 8.2 million people in the first 2 years of the response, providing basic supplies and a wide range of support to communities living through conflict, as well as refugees who have fled to surrounding countries.
Saleh Saeed, Chief Executive of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) said:
“It has been wonderful to see the Royal Family support the DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal. This morning, we welcomed His Majesty the King to St Peter’s Church, to hear first-hand from aid workers who have recently returned from Gaza, as well as some volunteers.
With winter now worsening the already dire humanitarian conditions across the region, the needs are vast and urgent. We are so grateful to the UK public for their support to this appeal, and to all of our amazing volunteers who are continuing to raise money to support the most vulnerable.”
Among the volunteers and aid workers who spoke with His Majesty The King were:
Fundraiser Amelia Nichols, 14 years old, who said:
“When I watched the DEC’s appeal for the Middle East crisis on television I was so moved, particularly seeing babies and young children suffering and felt I must do something to help. Together with my sister and some of my friends we organised a cake sale and raffle and raised an amazing £600!”
Becky Platt, a paediatric nurse who was working in Gaza with Save the Children earlier this year said:
“As a nurse, I’ve witnessed pain and suffering, but nothing could have prepared me for what I saw in Gaza. So many children are in desperate need. I’ve seen the horrific physical injuries from blasts, but their unimaginable suffering in this conflict run even deeper. The psychological trauma I observed in children and young people was unlike anything I have ever encountered. Thousands are left in appalling conditions, many completely alone.
“One of the most heart-wrenching things I saw was children, alone and vulnerable, rummaging through piles of rubbish for food because they had no other option - this is not just heartbreaking, but unacceptable. I was able to help provide care for children in the field hospital and support in the opening of the maternity services in Gaza. This type of support is critical for children now and for their future and will only be secured if the fighting stops.”
Michelle Farrington, Public Health Promotion Lead at Oxfam said:
“In the Middle East, not only are people struggling to feed and keep themselves and their families healthy, but the onset of winter also makes life even more difficult as people struggle to keep warm, especially with large numbers living in temporary shelters.
“Thanks to our partners and colleagues on the ground, we have been able to provide life-saving support, despite the immense challenges of getting aid into Gaza. To date, we have supported over a million people in Gaza by rehabilitating damaged water networks, installing toilets, and providing much needed hygiene items, including soap and sanitary pads.
“The funding from this DEC appeal is a lifeline in helping us to continue providing food and water to people in desperate need as well as providing sanitation and hygiene products which are crucial to help prevent the spread of water borne and skin diseases.”
Dr Unni Krishnan, Global Humanitarian Director at Plan International said:
"It was great to meet The King today and have the opportunity to share the stories of children I’ve met through my humanitarian work, in places like Ukraine and Gaza. Wars, conflicts and disasters leave scars on young minds in ways we cannot always see and it’s crucial that the long-term emotional needs of children are prioritised during any conflict or crisis. Thanks to those supporting the DEC’s Middle East and Ukraine appeals, member agencies have been able to provide life-saving mental health support to tens of thousands of children across Ukraine, Gaza and Lebanon.”
ENDS
Notes to editors
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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 be used to support people in Syria, where hundreds of thousands have fled from Lebanon since September, and in the West Bank, where the recent escalation in violence has forced many 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.
For the Middle East Humanitarian Appeal, £10 million of donations from the UK public have now been matched by UK Aid Match.
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.
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
