Devastating earthquakes have hit Turkey and Syria, killing thousands of people and reducing buildings to rubble. People need urgent aid to survive. Donate now to help save lives
Doante: https://donation.dec.org.uk/turkey-syria-earthquake-appeal
Ukraine Appeal
More than 5 million people have fled Ukraine and another 7 million have left their homes to escape the conflict, leading to a huge humanitarian crisis.
Heavy fighting, shelling and air strikes across the country have had devastating consequences for civilians. Homes have been destroyed. Families have been separated. Lives have been lost.
At Ukraine’s borders with Poland, Romania, Hungary, Slovakia and Moldova, huge numbers of people are arriving with only what they can carry.
DEC charities and their local partners are in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries providing food, water, shelter and medical assistance.
DEC Coronavirus Appeal: £5 million donated in first day to help protect people fleeing from conflict and instability who now face deadly Covid-19
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Coronavirus Appeal for people in some of the world’s most fragile places has raised over £5 million at the end of the first day.
Appeals fronted by presenter Anita Rani for BBC and award-winning actor and musician Riz Ahmed for ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky were broadcast following last night's news bulletins. Iconic singer-songwriter Annie Lennox has also presented an appeal for DEC Scotland, as well as further appeals being shared widely across commercial radio.
The DEC Coronavirus Appeal was launched on Tuesday 14 July to raise funds to help the most vulnerable communities in the world fleeing from conflict and instability who now face the new deadly threat of Covid-19.
Saleh Saeed, DEC Chief Executive, said: ?Here in the UK we have all had to make unprecedented sacrifices to protect each other and save lives, so it is deeply humbling to also see the British public responding so generously to those in the world’s most fragile places who desperately need our help. I thank too the UK Government which is matching pound for pound the first £5 million donated by the public, as well as our broadcast partners for airing our appeal, reaching millions of viewers and listeners.”
“We are very fortunate here to have an incredible National Health Service which has cared for those who have fallen ill. The money so generously donated to the DEC appeal will help people in countries where there is no NHS; families who have fled conflict and hunger – and who are now living in overcrowded refugee and displacement camps with few hospital beds or medical supplies.” Donate
The DEC Appeal aims to protect people from the virus in the world’s five most fragile states (Yemen, Syria, Somalia, South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of Congo) plus Afghanistan, the most fragile state in Asia, and the world’s largest refugee camp, in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
Riz Ahmed, whose appeal was aired on ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky last night, said: “Coronavirus is now threatening refugee camps and displaced people in countries like Syria, Yemen and South Sudan. Families who have already fled conflict and persecution are facing a deadly new and silent threat. People like the Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar have little access to running water or soap to protect themselves. Hospitals and clinics in these communities don’t have the staff or equipment to cope with the kind of outbreak we have experienced here. DEC charities are working hard to help stop the spread of Covid-19. These communities, who have already suffered so much, urgently need our support and solidarity.”
It is the first time that the DEC has launched an appeal for a disaster that has simultaneously affected both the UK and internationally. DEC appeals fund international disasters and the 14 DEC member charities are already present and working in refugee and displacement camps in the world’s most fragile states, despite the many challenges presented by the pandemic. But they urgently need more funds to scale up their operations and save lives.
John Herriman, CEO of the National Emergencies Trust, which launches appeals for domestic disasters, said: “There remains much uncertainty around what lies ahead for the UK. The need within many communities has not gone away and will continue to evolve as the longer-term impacts of this pandemic become clearer and more keenly felt.
“However, we can be very certain that the global crisis is intensifying and it will have devastating effects on people all over the world. The launch of the DEC’s international appeal at this time is therefore absolutely vital.”
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