DEC Ebola Crisis Appeal raises £12 million

A staggering £12 million has now been raised  for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) appeal to help people affected by the devastating Ebola crisis in west Africa through web and phone donations, and UK government support, the organisation said today.
 
This total has been raised after 6 days of an appeal for an unprecedented outbreak. The DEC said they are “extremely pleased” to see how “sustained” the level of giving has been by the British public.
 
Saleh Saeed, Chief Executive of the DEC, said: 
 
“We are extremely pleased to see the sustained level of giving by the UK public in response to our unprecedented appeal for the Ebola Crisis in west Africa, and want to thank each and every person who has given”
 
“We are also extremely grateful for the kind support of the UK Government for the aid match funding which has been a significant boost to the Appeal.”
 
“Our member agencies are already doing so much– Providing food packages for people in quarantine, handing out life saving hygiene packs including soap, bleach, and a bucket and providing information and advice to help people be better aware of signs and symptoms – but there is still so much more to do.”
 
DEC member agencies are scaling up their aid efforts in west Africa where they have already helped over 2.5m people affected by the Ebola crisis, including with information from wide scale information campaigns . They are reaching some of the worst-affected and most remote areas of Sierra Leone and Liberia.  
 
So far, almost 5,000 people have been killed by the virus and more than 13,000 have been infected. But experts say the real figures could be far higher due to under-reporting 
 
The £12m figure raised includes £5m aid match from the UK Government. 
 
To make a donation to the DEC Ebola Crisis Appeal visit http://www.dec.org.uk, call the 24 hour hotline on 0370 60 60 900, donate over the counter at any high street bank or post office, or send a cheque. You can also donate £5 by texting the word SUPPORT to 70000.
 
Stay up to date with developments on the Ebola crisis, the emergency response and the DEC’s fundraising efforts on twitter: http://twitter.com/decappeal or on Facebook via http://www.facebook.com/DisastersEmergencyCommittee
 
ENDS
Notes to editors
 

• The DEC brings 13 leading UK aid charities together in times of crisis: ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, Care International, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Islamic Relief, Merlin, Oxfam, Plan UK, Save the Children, Tearfund and World Vision; all collectively raising money to reach those in need quickly.
• All of our members will support the appeal and 12 of our 13 members are responding either directly or through partner organisations.
• Donations can be made at any high street bank and at post office counters.
• To donate £5 by text send the word.  The full £5 will go to the DEC Ebola Crisis Appeal. Donors must be 16 years or over and have the bill payer’s permission. Texts are free and donations will be added to the bill.
• Donations can be made at www.dec.org.uk or 0370 60 60 900
• DEC press office 020 7387 0200 or 07930 999 014 (out of hours)