On 28 September 2018, a series of earthquakes struck the Indonesian island of Sulawesi, the strongest of which was magnitude 7.4. The results were devastating: in some places the earthquake led to liquefaction, a phenomenon where soil behaves like liquid, with entire villages becoming buried under deep mud. The earthquake also triggered a tsunami which reached up to three metres, striking the regional capital Palu and nearby coastal settlements of Donggala and Mamuju and leaving a trail of destruction in its wake. At least 4,340 people were killed.

Within just 24 hours of launching the appeal, £6 million had been raised; six months later when the appeal closed, the total had reached £29.6 million, including £2 million matched by the UK Government. This report provides an overview of how funds donated directly to the DEC (£20.3 million) were spent between October 2018 and the end of September 2020.

DEC funds allowed DEC member charities to reach thousands of people, including with emergency shelter, food, clean water and household items in the immediate aftermath of the disaster, and help to restore livelihoods, rebuild houses and rehabilitate schools in the longer-term.