The Disasters Emergency Committee has launched a new emergency fundraising appeal for the people fleeing Myanmar.
The DEC, a collaborative group made up of 13 humanitarian charities including the British Red Cross, Save the Children and Islamic Relief, has launched a new emergency fundraising appeal for the 500,000 Rohingya people fleeing Myanmar.
The Rohingya people have been fleeing Myanmar’s Rakhine state for the neighbouring country of Bangladesh since 25 August, following a military offensive in the region. The United Nations have since described Myanmar’s military operations in the region as “ethnic cleansing”, accusations Myanmar has rejected.
Antonio Guterres, secretary-general of the United Nations, told the UN’s Security Council last week that the situation in Myanmar and Bangladesh had “spiralled into the world’s fastest developing refugee emergency”.
The appeal, which launched yesterday, includes direct TV advertisements which will be shown across all major UK broadcasters, including the BBC, ITV and Channel 4.
The DEC said that its member charities are “already on the ground” in Bangladesh, and have “come together to call for funds to respond to the severe humanitarian needs of those affected. Money raised will support their efforts to reach people fleeing Myanmar as well as their host communities in Bangladesh”.
It also said that “more than half of all new arrivals [in Bangladesh] are children and one in every ten are pregnant or lactating mothers. The vast majority are living in makeshift shelters made from bamboo and thin plastic”.
Saleh Saeed, chief executive of the DEC, said: “People are arriving exhausted and traumatised into already overcrowded camps in Bangladesh. This is one of the fastest movements of people we have seen in recent decades.
“Families are living in makeshift shelters or by the side of the road with no clean drinking water, toilets or washing facilities. This humanitarian catastrophe is unfolding in a country that is already reeling from the worst floods in decades.
“Without urgent support, the risk of disease and further misery is alarmingly high.”
The UK government has pledged to match the first £3m worth of funding donated to the appeal by the public.
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