Give to Yemen appeal now, conveniently and securely, by text

[28 February 2017, London, UK] Yemen continues to be in crisis. Malnutrition is still widespread and water scarce. Almost 19 million people in Yemen – 70% of the population – are now in need of humanitarian assistance, including 10 million people who are in acute need.

Ever since the crisis began in Yemen, you have been able to visit the Disasters Emergency Committee website (www.dec.org.uk) to give via credit card. You can also give simply by sending a text, and your donation will appear on your phone bill.

• To give £5 text YEMEN to 70970

• To give £10 text YEMEN to 70191

The convenient text giving option is the DONATE™ platform, operated by UK charity the National Funding Scheme. Funds will be collected via DONATE™ on behalf of the Disasters Emergency Committee.

What your money could buy:

• £25 could provide a month’s supply of life-saving peanut paste to a malnourished child
• £60 could provide clean drinking water for two families for a month
• £100 could provide supplies to a clinic treating severely malnourished children for a week

-ends -

Disasters Emergency Committee notes to editors

1. Media enquiries please call Karen Garvin on 07971 576917, Nicola Peckett on 020 7255 9111, or outside office hours 07930 999 014.

2. Recent photos, footage and spokespeople are available

3. The DEC brings 13 leading UK aid charities together in times of crisis: ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam GB, Plan International UK, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision UK; all collectively raising money to reach those in need quickly. ActionAid UK, Plan International UK and World Vision UK are not responding in Yemen.

4. The Yemen Crisis Appeal has now raised a total of £20 million from the British public, corporate supporters and the UK Government through its Aid Match contribution. Donations from the UK nations break down as follows: Scotland £ 1.7 million, Wales £ 690,000, Ireland £ 455, 823 and England £17 million.

5. Examples of how DEC funding from the Yemen Crisis Appeal will be spent in the next six months:

• Age International’s partner is vaccinating 12,960 children against polio and measles and screening 2,000 children and older people for malnutrition.

• British Red Cross is continuing to improve water facilities for over 1.3 million people, distributing food parcels to 35,000 people and other essential supplies to 21,000 people.

• CAFOD’s partner is distributing food vouchers to 520 people and screening and treating 2,262 children.

• CARE is giving cash transfers and vouchers to 2,730 people and improving access to water for 10,500.

• Christian Aid’s partner is screening and treating 43,535 children and pregnant and lactating women.

• Concern Worldwide’s partner is giving cash transfers and vouchers to 12,320 people.

• Islamic Relief will provide food parcels and household kits, access to safe drinking water and hygiene promotion and hygiene kits to 4,000 people.

• Oxfam is distributing cash or vouchers to more than 33,600 people, distributing hygiene kits, doing hygiene promotion, collecting waste and improving water supply to 155,300 people.

• Save the Children is training and supporting health workers, treating communicable diseases and improving health facilities for over 102,000 people, improving access to water in schools and in the communities, distributing hygiene kits for 51,570 people and training health workers and screening and treating 95,278 children for malaria.

• Tearfund’s partners are providing access to safe drinking water, distributing water filters providing hygiene kits, sanitation and doing health promotion with over 6,000 people.

7. The figure of 1.5 million people that will be reached has been calculated by totalling the number of projected beneficiaries as reported by all DEC’s member charities working in Yemen using funds raised from DEC’s Yemen Crisis Appeal. While there should be very little or no double counting of the same aid deliveries, in some cases unavoidable double counting will occur where different organisations have supported the same people..

The National Funding Scheme (www.nationalfundingscheme.org), operating under the DONATE™ brand, provides a range of free mobile fundraising tools for charitable organisations to maximise fundraising campaigns. Launched in 2013, DONATE™ (www.easydonate.org) is a platform that allows the UK public to conveniently and effortlessly donate to charitable organisations and campaigns via SMS text or online. It is so simple to use that case studies show increases of 17x the amount raised. Charities wishing to use DONATE™ should register at http://www.nationalfundingscheme.org/become-a-partner-organisation/

The DEC brings 13 leading UK aid charities together in times of crisis: ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam GB, Plan International UK, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision UK; all collectively raising money to reach those in need quickly. ActionAid UK, Plan International UK and World Vision UK are not responding in Yemen.

To give any amount to the Disasters Emergency Committee Yemen appeal by web via DONATE™ visit

www.easydonate.org/yemen

DONATE from National Funding Scheme contacts:

Simi Belo, Communications Consultant: Simi.belo@nationalfundingscheme.org / 07966 170875

William Makower, Founder Trustee of the National Funding Scheme: William.makower@nationalfundingscheme.org / +44 (0) 20 3174 2276