British goodwill and generosity shine as donations to DEC Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal tops £60 million in just three days

Press release 12 February 2023

People come together in football stadiums, high streets and at work, boosting donations to the DEC Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal to £60.3 million. 

The total includes £5 million in UK Aid Match from the UK government. 

Across the UK, people are raising urgently needed funds so that DEC charities and their local partners can support the many people in Turkey and Syria whose lives have been devastated by the deadly earthquakes. 

More than 28,000 people are now known to have been killed in the disaster. Freezing conditions continue, with hundreds of thousands homeless and many injured.  

Support for the DEC Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal includes: 

  • Premier League players and PGMOL officials wearing black armbands during their weekend matches, fans donating to the appeal, and the Premier League donating £1m. 
  • Liverpool and Everton players in tomorrow’s Merseyside Derby (Monday) signing their shirts and auctioning them to raise funds 
  • Bucket collections at Greggs stores and outside underground stations with Transport for London  
  • Schools, universities, different faith groups and community groups organising collections and fundraisers like cake and book sales.  
  • Staff at Royal Mail raising money from activities like fun runs and cake sales, with the company set to match fund up to £50k 
  • Natwest Group £100k match funding for colleague and customer donations 
  • BT Sport sharing how viewers can support their appeal during coverage of live sport  
  • A £100,000 donation from the Co-operative group 
  • Morrisons and the Co-operative Group offering customers the opportunity to make a donation at checkouts across all their stores 

DEC Chief Executive Saleh Saeed said: “The support across the country in stadiums, high streets and communities is testament to the incredible compassion and generosity of the British public and we’re incredibly grateful. The images we have all seen and heard from Turkey and Syria has shocked us all, and the desire to help is shining through. 

“DEC charities are stepping up aid delivery, knowing they have the support of the British public to do all they can to help. We are all determined to do all we can to support those affected both in the short and longer term and it’s inspiring to have the backing of the British public.” 

For more information, please visit the DEC website.

ENDS

Notes to editors:  

Media enquiries please call 020 7387 0200 or 07734 653616 (out of hours).  

A collection of images and video footage of the aftermath of the earthquake and DEC charities responding is available here.

About the DEC: The DEC brings together 15 leading UK aid charities at times of crisis overseas to raise funds quickly and efficiently. In these times of crisis, people in life-and-death situations need our help and our mission is to save, protect and rebuild lives through effective humanitarian response. The DEC’s 15 member charities are: Action Against Hunger, ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide UK, International Rescue Committee UK, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam GB, Plan International UK, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision UK.     

Fourteen of the DEC’s 15 members are either responding or planning to respond in Turkey and Syria and will receive funds from this appeal. Some may work through trusted local partners. They are Action Against Hunger, ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide UK, International Rescue Committee UK, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam GB, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision UK.    

Through UK Aid Match the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) gives the British public the opportunity to have a say in how the UK aid budget is spent whilst boosting the impact of the very best British charities to change and save the lives of some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.   

UK Aid Match has increased the impact of a number of DEC appeals to help those in need around the world, including most recently Pakistan Floods Appeal and Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, both in 2022.  The UK matched up to £25 million of public donations to DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal - the largest commitment ever made to a DEC appeal through UK Aid Match.  

Enquiries about UK Aid Match and UK Government support for Turkey/Syria should be directed to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Newsdesk. Please email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk.

How to donate:      

  • Online: dec.org.uk    
  • Phone: 0370 60 60 610   
  • Text to give/SMS: for press releases: text SUPPORT to 70787 to donate £10. Other partners should use the specific text codes they have been provided with by the DEC.   
  • Donate over the counter at any high street bank or post office, or send a cheque by post to: DEC Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal, PO Box 999, London EC3A 3AA.