Nepal Earthquake Appeal

The Disasters Emergency Committee in Scotland has announced its appeal to help survivors of the devastating Nepal earthquake.

All 13 DEC member agencies have joined the appeal and are starting to get life-saving aid to those most in need. Donations are already being accepted via the DEC website and the 24-hour donations line: www.dec.org.uk or 0370 60 60 900.

A Scottish media launch will be held in Edinburgh this morning and TV appeals fronted by actress Joanna Lumley will air tonight. 

Money raised will support DEC members to reach families affected by Saturday’s 7.8 quake which struck west of the capital Kathmandu. The death toll has risen above 3,600 and is expected to increase further, with 5.3 million people living in areas hit by severe tremors. 

Aftershocks have been felt and remote villages are still to be reached after being cut-off by landslides and the loss of communications. 

Neil Mathers, Chair of the DEC Nepal Earthquake Appeal in Scotland, said: “The pictures and stories coming out of Nepal show families ripped apart by this disaster. The sheer scale of this emergency and the effort required to help the people of Nepal recover is only now becoming clear. 

“Survivors are in need of medical help, shelter, food and water. In many cases they have lost everything and our members are ready to help them rebuild. We urgently need the financial support of the public in Scotland to fund our emergency response. 

“This donation from the Scottish Government is therefore hugely welcome.” 

The DEC Appeal in Scotland has received a major boost with a £250,000 donation from the Scottish Government – the cash will help kick-start the fundraising push. 

Nicola Sturgeon MSP, the First Minister of Scotland, said: “On behalf of the Scottish Government and the people of Scotland, I would like to send our deepest condolences to everyone affected by the earthquake and offer them our support as they work through this devastating disaster.  We have been consulting with Scottish organisations over the last few days to keep abreast of developments and responses. 

“We stand with the international community and will do what we can to help, which is why we will donate £250,000 to the Disasters Emergency Committee in Scotland’s Nepal Earthquake Appeal. 

“The funding will be allocated to Disasters Emergency Committee members in Nepal who will provide immediate support to people affected by the earthquake and in time, will help the people of Nepal rebuild their shattered lives. 

“I would urge people across Scotland to donate to the appeal, whatever they can afford, to help people rebuild their homes and their lives.” 

In addition to the Scottish Government’s donation, the first £5 million of public donations to the Appeal will also be matched by the UK Government’s Department for International Development. 

Mrs Sunita Poddar, the Honorary Consul of Nepal – based in Glasgow – said: “Time is of the essence for the search and rescue operations in Nepal. The actions of the Government of Nepal and local communities themselves have already saved many lives. Teams from UK, India, Pakistan, China and Israel have started work, and more are on their way from the US, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates, the European Union and elsewhere. 

“I urge the people of Scotland to support the Disaster Emergency Appeal to help with disaster relief, humanitarian support and longer term recovery and development. People affected by the earthquake are in need of food, water, emergency shelter and healthcare, with many sleeping in the open in makeshift tents." 

The DEC Nepal Earthquake Appeal, fronted by Joanna Lumley, will be shown by all major UK broadcasters including the BBC, ITV, Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky tonight. 

Joanna Lumley said: “Like so many others watching the shocking images from Nepal over the last few days, I’m deeply saddened by events and my thoughts are with all those struggling to survive. 

“The Nepalese are a resilient people but this catastrophe has hit them very hard. They’re desperately in need of life-saving help and I hope British people will support us.” 

The TV appeals will be broadcast primarily at the end of the evening news programmes. 

What your money will buy: 

£25 Water purification tablets for ten families for a month 
£50 Feed a family for two weeks 
£100 Emergency shelter and bedding for one family 

To make a postal donation make cheques payable to ‘DEC and mail to ‘PO Box 999, London, EC3A 3AA’.   
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 Nepal Earthquake Appeal. Donors must be 16 years or over and have bill payers permission. Texts are free and donations will be added to the bill. 
Stay up to date with developments in Nepal, the emergency response and the DEC’s fundraising efforts on twitter: http://twitter.com/decappeal or on Facebook via http://www.facebook.com/DisastersEmergencyCommittee