Typhoon Haiyan: UK Government will match public donations
The Department for International Development (DFID) will match the first £5 million donated by members of the public to the Philippines appeal.
The British Government will match pound for pound public donations to leading UK charities raising funds for the Philippines, International Development Secretary Justine Greening has announced.
Under a new agreement with the Disaster Emergency Committee (DEC) which represents 14 major UK charities, the Department for International Development (DFID) will match the first £5 million donated by members of the public to the Philippines appeal.
This new support from the UK will double the impact of the public’s own donations and ensure the charities can reach even more people in need. The new £5 million commitment will increase the UK’s support for the Philippines disaster to £15 million in total.
Announcing the support, Justine Greening said:
The British Government will double the first £5 million worth of donations to the Philippines relief efforts. This will ensure leading charities have the resources they need to help victims of the typhoon. By matching pound for pound the money given to this appeal we will ensure that the public’s generous donations go even further.
Saleh Saeed, Chief Executive of the Disasters Emergency Committee said:
The UK Government has been swift and generous in its response to the needs of people whose lives have been devastated by the typhoon in the Philippines. It has already provided funding through DFID for emergency relief and critical logistical support through the armed forces. Now the UK government is taking an important further step by pledging to match the first £5 million raised by the Disaster Emergency Committee through our public appeal. This is a strong commitment which we believe will encourage the public to give even more generously.
Funding to the appeal will be spent on vital supplies and emergency assistance. A £25 donation could pay for water purification tablets for 10 families for a month, £50 will feed a family for two weeks and £100 will help to provide emergency shelter and bedding for one family.
The Department for International Development’s funding will go directly to the Disasters Emergency Appeal. DEC members are already delivering much needed relief in the Philippines, however much more support is required to help the hundreds of thousands who are homeless and in need of clean water, shelter, food and medicine.
Latest assessments suggest 6.9 million people have been affected by Typhoon Haiyan across 39 provinces and more than 580,000 have been forced from their homes.
For full details of the UK’s humanitarian response in the Philippines, please visit: Typhoon Haiyan: latest updates on UK aid
Notes to editors
- The latest updates on DFID’s response to Typhoon Haiyan is available on DFID’s website: www.gov.uk/government/news/typhoon-haiyan-latest-updates-on-uk-aid
- For more information about the Disasters Emergency Committee, see their website: www.dec.org.uk
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