British public show support for Sudan Emergency Appeal

21 July 2004

£2.5 million pledged on first night of appeal

The DEC Sudan Emergency Appeal, launched by Natasha Kaplinksy and Joanna Lumley yesterday (20th July) has got off to a flying start, raising £2.5 million on the night of the appeal. The appeal, which brings together 11 of the UK’s leading aid agencies, is raising funds to provide desperately needed food, water shelter materials, sanitation and medical care to hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people forced to flee their homes in the Darfur region of Sudan. DEC Chief Executive Brendan Gormley has been moved by the early response to the appeal. “The appeal has got off to an exceptionally good start” he said. “The British public have obviously been touched by the plight of the refugees and have responded by donating generously. The average donation has been £44 – enough to feed a family for two months.” However, he warned that much more money is needed. “The aid agencies are doing all that they can but they all need to scale up their work to reach as many people as quickly as possible. A million people are on the move in Darfur and Chad and conditions for them will only get worse as the rainy season continues and disease speads. I urge the public to keep the donations coming in so that lives can be saved.” A report just in from a DEC spokesperson in Kalma camp in South Darfur confirms the urgent need for more funds. “Children are walking barefoot through sewage. The smell is terrible and there are flies everywhere. The buckets and jerrycans that people use to carry water are not clean……we’re on the brink of a major health crisis.”

What your donation could buy:
• £15 will provide a family with plastic sheeting a water container and purification tablets
• £44 will feed a family of five for two months
• £84 will buy two household kits including a mosquito net, blanket, and kitchen utensils

Notes to Editors: • The DEC charities benefiting from the Sudan Emergency are: British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern, Help the Aged, Merlin, Oxfam, Save the Children, Tearfund and World Vision. • To make a donation or find out more information about the DEC visit our website at www.dec.org.uk, send a cheque/postal order to made payable to the: DEC Sudan Emergency, PO BOX 999, London EC3 or call 0870 60 60 900

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