One Year On from the Asia Quake
6 October 2006
The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has raised a total of £60m since the massive earthquake in Pakistan and India a year ago this weekend.
Andrew Marr, Presenter of the BBC’s Sunday AM programme, who made the original television appeal last October, said: ‘I was struck at the time by the immense scale of the disaster in an area of the world that had seen its fair share of trouble in recent years. I have since been overawed by the response from people in the UK and the way their kind donations have helped people in Pakistan and India deal with the aftermath of the earthquake.’
The total ‘pooled‘ income – the amount donated directly to the DEC – was over £40m, one of the largest amounts raised in the DEC’s forty year history. This money was disbursed among the DEC’s member agencies so they could provide aid to people in the affected areas. A further £20m was also raised directly by the individual DEC members.
Of the members with the largest operations on the ground, Oxfam received £6.8m, the British Red Cross received £6.7m and Save the Children received £4.3m.
Brendan Gormley, Chief Executive of the Disasters Emergency Committee, said: ‘A year ago, when a strong earthquake hit the people of India and Pakistan, the Disasters Emergency Committee and its Rapid Response Network swung into action. People across the UK responded generously, to the extent that the DEC and its members raised a total of £60m. The money raised provided humanitarian aid to the people and families who needed it most - to buy tents, blankets, food and water for people in severe distress. We would not have been able to do this without overwhelming public support - for which, one year on, we'd like to voice our thanks.'
ENDS
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