General Chat

Teletext News: "A massive £20m has poured in from the British public to help the victims of the Asian Tsunami disaster. The sum surpasses the £15m from the UK government as aid workers and military ships and planes struggle to get food, water and medicine to survivors. The current toll is as high as 87,000 but with thousands still missing and the risk of disease rising, the final count is likely to exceed 100,000."

I've forwarded the following information to everyone in my address book, I'd encourage everyone to do the same if you can. The Disasters Emergency Committee - www.dec.org.uk - is an umbrella group of UK aid organisations - including ActionAid, British Red Cross, Oxfam - working to provide clean water, food and shelter to thousands. To call from the UK dial 0870 60 60 900. The United Nations World Food Programme - www.wfp.org - is seeking donations to feed victims of the earthquake. Medecins Sans Frontieres - www.msf.org - is sending aid workers to the region, focusing on medical care for survivors and displaced people after the rescue operations. Islamic Relief - www.islamic-relief.com - has also launched an appeal to provide medical supplies, tents and sanitation facilities for those affected. The United Nations Children's Fund, Unicef - www.unicef.org.uk - is working to meet the "urgent needs of hundreds of thousands of people" affected by the tsunami disaster. The UN refugee agency, UNHCR - www.unhcr.ch - which has been helping victims of conflicts in Indonesia and Sri Lanka, is delivering relief supplies to tsunami survivors in both countries. Save the Children - www.savethechildren.org.uk - has already flown a plane out to Sri Lanka carrying plastic sheeting for temporary shelter, tents to run children's services from, and essentials such as clothing and cooking utensils. Anti-poverty organisation Care International - www.care.org - has already provided food for thousands of affected people in Sri Lanka. Cafod, the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development - www.cafod.org.uk - is working with partners across Asia to provide shelter, food aid and medical assistance, and assessing what further relief is needed. The Red Cross, and its sister charity the Red Crescent, is supplying blankets, cooking utensils and other crucial goods. It has had to set up a new site - www.ifrc.org - because of the unprecedented demand from people wanting to make donations. Christian Aid - www.christianaid.org.uk - has already allocated £250,000 from its emergency fund to help the victims of this disaster but says more money is needed. Christian charity Tearfund - www.tearfund.org - and its partners in Sri Lanka and India are helping devastated fishing communities and coastal villages get back on their feet. The Islamic Aid Emergency Relief Fund - www.islamicaid.org.uk - aims to provide immediate relief and long-term support to people in the affected areas. Another Islamic charity, Muslim Hands - www.muslimhands.org- is collecting money and sending volunteers to help in Indonesia and Malaysia. Medair - www.medair.org - is providing emergency support to agencies with a long term presence in Sri Lanka and its medical experts are assessing the likelihood of malaria and diarrhoea. World Vision - www.worldvision.org.uk - has also launched an appeal and has already delivered relief goods to thousands. Concern - www.concern.net - is working with local partners to meet the needs of families in the devastated coastal villages of Tamil Nadu, the worst affected state in India. The International Rescue Committee - www.theirc.org - is providing emergency supplies and materials to "people most affected by the crisis". The Salvation Army - www.salvationarmy.org.uk has local teams working in a number of affected areas and is sending a team from its international headquarters on Wednesday evening. Muslim Aid - www.muslimaid.org - has already donated £100,000 towards the purchase of food, clothing and medicine in the region but wants to raise more. Action Aid - www.actionaid.org - is the biggest charity working in south India. It is focusing its relief work on the coast of Tamil Nadu, where 7,000 people died. It is working on providing medical assistance and sanitation for the survivors. Asia Quake Relief Appeal UK, a UK-based Sri Lankan organisation, is also raising money and can be emailed at [email protected]

Thanks for this list Bec, it's quite humbling to think of so much donated in such a short time.

Well done you Brits. Love Debs.

Nudge