DEC Philippines Typhoon Appeal reaches £60 million

Donations to the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Philippines Typhoon Appeal have topped £60m since the launch two weeks ago. Over 13 million people have been affected by the devastating typhoon.

Praising the response, the DEC Chief Executive Saleh Saeed said: “The support of the British public over the last two weeks has been astounding in helping us reach another milestone figure.  People across the UK have dug  deep into their pockets to help some of the millions of people affected by this terrible tragedy.

“Such generosity is enabling our member agencies to respond quickly and effectively with immediate aid in some of the worst hit areas, supplying food, water and medical care, and also to begin planning their recovery efforts over the next few months.

“But whilst we are hugely grateful for such widespread support, the scale of need remains enormous and I would urge people to keep donating.  Millions of people are in need of immediate help, lives and livelihoods have been destroyed and efforts to rebuild the worst affected areas could take years.”

ENDS

DEC press office 020 7387 0200 or 07930 999 014 (out of hours)

To make a donation to the DEC Philippines Typhoon 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.

Notes to editors

• The DEC brings 14 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.
• Donations can be made at any high street bank and at post office counters.
• To donate £5 by text send the word SUPPORT to 70000.  The full £5 will go to the DEC Philippines Typhoon 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