UK Charities Launch Bangladesh Cyclone Appeal

22 November 2007 The DEC Appeal will provide desperately needed relief to people suffering after one of the most ferocious cyclones to hit Bangladesh in decades.

More than five million people have been affected. Families have been left without enough food, water, or shelter, while an estimated million homes have been destroyed or damaged and around a million acres of cropland devastated.

For donations, please log on to the DEC website at www.dec.org.uk or phone 0870 6060900.

The Disasters Emergency Committee agencies are Action Aid, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Help the Aged, Islamic Relief, Merlin, Oxfam, Save the Children, Tearfund and World Vision.

Public donations will be used for immediate needs such as food, clean water, medicines and shelter. But the scale of the devastation is so immense that a huge relief and reconstruction effort will be needed over the coming months.

Brendan Gormley, DEC chief executive said: “Our member agencies are already working in Bangladesh providing humanitarian aid and we know that funds are urgently needed to be able to continue this work. This is a terrible tragedy and the sheer scale of devastation and suffering means we must help in every way we can.”

Ends

Notes to Editors

1. For press information please call 020 7387 0200 or 07930 999014 (out of hours).

2. The DEC criteria to launch an appeal are:

The disaster must be on such a scale and of such urgency as to call for swift

International humanitarian assistance.

The DEC agencies, or some of them, must be in a position to provide effective and swift humanitarian assistance at a scale to justify a national Appeal.
There must be sufficient public awareness of, and sympathy for, the humanitarian situation so as to give reasonable grounds for concluding that a public Appeal would be successful.

Please donate to the DEC Darfur and Chad Crisis Appeal online at
www.dec.org.uk. The DEC urgently needs your support to help millions survive. Please give what you can!

The DEC launches and co-ordinates national fundraising appeals for public donations on behalf of its member agencies. Registered Charity No 1062638