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Christian Aid's Nepal Earthquake Appeal Raises £145,000 in less than 48 hours

Países
Nepal
Fuentes
Christian Aid
Fecha de publicación

Christian Aid supporters are responding quickly and generously to the plight of victims of the Nepal earthquake following the launch of an appeal on Saturday evening.

By midday Monday, online and telephone donations had amounted to £145,000 with the amount growing steadily by the hour.

Christian Aid’s immediate to concern is to ensure communities have shelter and fresh water. The price of water in Kathmandu has trebled in the last two days.

Actions so far undertaken include the dispatching of 74,000 sachets of a water purification agent that can treat up to 740,000 litres of water. Ten water filtration units – each of which can provide 1,500 litres of purified water per hour per unit – are also en route to make-shift camps and villages in the worst hit areas, and approximately 5,000 tarpaulins are being procured, the first of which should arrive within the day or two.

Medical aid has also been provided to affected people in Gorkha District, close to the epicentre of the earthquake midway between the capital Kathmandu and the major tourist town of Pokhara.

Christian Aid’s Head of Emergencies Nick Guttmann said today: “The speed of the response is virtually unprecedented. We are extremely gratified that people have reacted so quickly. The lives of some 5.3 million people have been badly affected by the earthquake, with many now homeless. Meanwhile, the situation in some of the more remote areas is still unknown.

“Nepal is already one of the poorest places on the planet. Helping people rebuild their lives is going to be a major, long-term endeavour.”

Anyone wishing to donate to the Christian Aid appeal should go here online, or call 08080 004 004.

More than 3,700 people were reportedly killed and 6,500 injured in the earthquake, which struck on Saturday. The death count is expected to rise as many bodies are believed buried under rubble. Hospitals have been overwhelmed, while volunteers continue to dig around the clock looking for signs of life.

An appeal by the Disasters Emergency Committee, of which Christian Aid is a member, will be launched tomorrow on major UK Broadcasters including the BBC, ITV Channel 4, Channel 5 and Sky. If you would like further information please contact Andrew Hogg on 07850 242950

Notes to Editors:

  1. Christian Aid works in some of the world's poorest communities in around 40 countries at any one time. We act where there is great need, regardless of religion, helping people to live a full life, free from poverty. We provide urgent, practical and effective assistance in tackling the root causes of poverty as well as its effects.
  2. Christian Aid’s core belief is that the world can and must be changed so that poverty is ended: this is what we stand for. Everything we do is about ending poverty and injustice: swiftly, effectively, sustainably. Our strategy document Partnership for Change www.christianaid.org.uk/images/partnership-for-change-summary.pdf explains how we set about this task.
  3. Christian Aid is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global coalition of more than 130 churches and church-related organisations that work together in humanitarian assistance, advocacy and development. Further details at http://actalliance.org
  4. Follow Christian Aid's newswire on Twitter: http://twitter.com/caid_newswire
  5. For more information about the work of Christian Aid, visit http://www.christianaid.org.uk