Four of the DEC charities launch the Middle East Humanitarian Appeal in Belfast. Pictured left to right: Jackie Trainor, Concern Worldwide, Chris Thompson, Tearfund, Alison McNulty, British Red Cross and Peter Bryson, Save the Children.
Northern Ireland charities unite to launch Disasters Emergency Committee Middle East Humanitarian Appeal
Four charities in Northern Ireland have united with other leading UK aid charities, to launch the Disasters Emergency Committee Middle East Humanitarian Appeal to raise urgent funds to end the humanitarian catastrophe in the Middle East.
British Red Cross, Concern Worldwide, Save the Children and Tearfund alongside 11 other UK aid agencies are responding right now in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank, providing lifesaving food, water, shelter, medicine and much more.
Over the past year, conflict in the Middle East has devastated lives across the region, and millions have fled their homes in search of safety. Right now, millions of people across Gaza, Lebanon and the wider region are in urgent need of food, shelter and medical care.
DEC member charities are coordinating closely with each other and with local partners to provide lifesaving food, water, shelter, medicine and more.
In Gaza, the scale of need is overwhelming, with people already dying of hunger and disease, as well as injuries caused by the conflict. Food and clean water are desperately scarce and ninety percent of the population have been displaced, often multiple times.
In Lebanon, more than a million people have had to leave their homes in recent weeks. Shelters are overwhelmed, and hospitals are struggling to treat the thousands of people injured.
In the West Bank, vital water, sanitation and hygiene infrastructure has been damaged by ongoing violence and families have been displaced from their homes.
In Israel, families of those held hostage desperately await news of their loved ones, tens of thousands of people are displaced and many more are dealing with trauma caused by the conflict.
The DEC brings together 15 leading aid charities at times of crisis overseas where there is significant unmet humanitarian need. Despite extraordinary challenges and risks, 14 DEC member charities are responding right now in Gaza and Lebanon and 8 in the West Bank.
Alison McNulty, Director of the British Red Cross in Northern Ireland said: “Millions of people have been displaced multiple times and have no homes to return to. Entire communities and essential infrastructure is destroyed. As the British Red Cross and other DEC member charities respond in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank, providing food, water, shelter and medicine we are asking the Northern Ireland public to support this appeal and help us meet this catastrophic need which is growing by the day. We are asking people to please donate now to save lives.”
Peter Bryson, Director of Save the Children in Northern Ireland said: “This is a humanitarian crisis that is beyond our comprehension. An estimated 20,000 children in Gaza are unaccompanied or separated or missing in the last 12 months, and those missing are presumed dead. We are doing all we can to respond to children’s needs and are urging people in Northern Ireland to donate to the DEC appeal, so we can deliver the vital aid to children and their families, who have lived through this brutal conflict.”
Jackie Trainor, Director of Concern Worldwide in Northern Ireland said: “People like us are living through a conflict that has completely devastated their lives during the past year. They want somewhere safe to go and look after their families, but they cannot even meet their most basic needs. In Northern Ireland we have counted on the generosity of people in the past, to help us raise vital funds and get help to people who need it most. We need support now more than ever as funds are running out but the need is growing.”
Chris Thompson, Northern Ireland Director at Tearfund said: “Aid agencies like Tearfund have been on the ground in the region during this past year and beyond, helping people who are desperately trying to survive. Despite these huge risks and a situation that changes rapidly, they have remained there to save lives. Joining with other aid agencies to launch this appeal, we know that all funds raised will go to where they are needed most. By working together, we hope to reach millions more across the region who urgently need shelter, food and basic supplies to survive.”
Saleh Saeed, Chief Executive of the DEC, said: “The DEC brings together the 15 leading humanitarian organisations to respond in desperate need, and tragically now is one of those times. Over the past year, conflict in the Middle East has devastated lives across the region, and millions have fled their homes in search of safety. Right now, millions of people across Gaza Lebanon and the wider region are in urgent need of food, shelter and medical care.”
DEC member charities are responding in Gaza, Lebanon and the West Bank are providing lifesaving food - hot meals, food kits, fresh vegetables – as well as water, hygiene kits, shelter, core relief items like blankets and mattresses, medicine, and mental health support.
People can donate
Online at dec.org.uk
£10 could provide blankets for two people
£50 could provide emergency food for five families for one week
£100 could provide emergency shelter for five families
For more information on the Appeal, please visit the DEC website.
Stay up to date with the appeal with the DEC on X or on Facebook.
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.
All 15 of the DEC’s members are either responding or planning to respond in the Middle East 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.
DEC member charities are committed to the principles of neutrality, impartiality, humanity and independence – it guides all of the lifesaving work we do. As humanitarian aid agencies, we have an obligation to give aid wherever it is needed, prioritising the most urgent needs of the most vulnerable people.
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 the Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal in 2023. 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.
UK Aid Match enquiries should be directed to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office. Please call 020 7023 0600 (24-hour).
How to donate:
Online: dec.org.uk
Phone: 0330 123 0333 [Standard network charges apply]
Text to give/SMS: for press releases: text SUPPORT to 70676 to donate £10. Other partners should use the specific text keywords they have been provided with by the DEC. [Texts cost £10 plus your standard network rate]
Send a cheque by post to: DEC Middle East Humanitarian Appeal, PO Box 999, London EC3A 3AA.