Press release: Government to double £2 million of UK support to Indonesia Appeal

International Development Secretary, Penny Mordaunt, has today (Thursday, 4 October) announced that the UK will provide further assistance to those affected by the earthquake and tsunami, by aid matching the Disasters Emergency Committee’s appeal.

During a visit to the headquarters of DEC, Ms Mordaunt announced that the UK Government will match pound-for-pound the first £2 million raised by the generous British public to the Indonesia Tsunami Appeal.

International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt said:

The British public have been very moved by the plight of so many people hit by these terrible events.

Aid Match is a chance for the British public to help directly to support people in desperate need. As well as our support through UK aid, the UK government will match pound for pound all public donations up to £2 million.

Your help will make a genuine difference, ensuring that lifesaving aid reaches those in dire need in Indonesia right now.

This new support will double the impact of the public’s own donations and will ensure that charities working on the ground can reach the men, women and children who have been left homeless and are in urgent need of food, water and temporary shelter.

DEC Chief Executive Saleh Saeed said:

We are delighted that the next £2 million donated by the British public will be matched by the UK Government.

We are deeply grateful for the generosity of people in the UK and we hope that this announcement will inspire even more people to give, knowing that whatever they donate will be matched pound for pound.

The situation in Indonesia is truly desperate. People have now gone several days without food, many are still believed to be trapped under the rubble, and we have heard stories of children becoming separated from their families.

DEC member charities are on the ground doing everything they can to help, but more funds are urgently needed to ensure we can reach as many people as possible.

The UK has been swift to respond to this crisis and this latest package of support comes less than 24 hours after the Government increased its direct support by £1 million to a total of £3 million.

The Aid Match support to the DEC appeal takes the initial commitment to the disaster relief to-date to up to £5 million.

This is on top of substantial existing support that the UK is already providing through its core funding to partners on the ground, including the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations and UN Central Emergency Response Fund.

The Indonesia Tsunami Appeal brings together 14 leading UK aid charities all collectively raising money to reach those in need quickly.

Notes to editors

Two charities under investigation by the Charity Commission, Save the Children and Oxfam, voluntarily withdrew from bidding for new funding for the duration of that investigation. The only circumstances where DFID would consider there to be an exception to this would be if due to the scale, remoteness and complexity of a humanitarian situation beneficiaries would suffer as a consequence of not using these organisations. Save The Children and Oxfam are members of DEC and have a considerable presence in Indonesia. Given the challenging nature of the relief effort following the tsunami the Secretary of State has granted an exception in this case. We have no concerns about either organisations’ ability to work to the standard we require in this crisis.