The Disasters Emergency Committee and its members have raised £85m to provide aid in Nepal following an earthquake six months ago, according to figures published today.
But more money is needed to make sure people have the resources to see out the coming winter, the DEC said.
The earthquake struck the country on 25 April, killing over 8,500 people and making thousands more homeless.
The DEC Nepal Earthquake Appeal, which was launched in the days following the quake, has raised a total of £85m, which has been used by member aid agencies to reach more than 900,000 people with food, water, shelter, and healthcare across the worst-affected areas of the country.
Remaining funds are to be spent on relief and recovery in Nepal over the next 18 months.
The appeal recieved the first £65m in under a month. The majority of funds were donated by individual members of the UK public, with early donations boosted by £5m in UK Aid Match from the Department for International Development.
However, the DEC has expressed concerns over more than 400,000 people in the high mountains of Nepal who are facing a “winter of sub-zero temperatures without adequate shelter and supplies”.
Saleh Saeed, chief executive of the DEC, said: “We’re overwhelmed by the generosity of the UK public to the DEC’s Nepal Earthquake Appeal. They have enabled our member agencies and their partners to overcome tremendous challenges and reach some of the most remote and worst-affected people and villages in the country. They’re continuing to work alongside Nepali organisations to provide clean water, shelter and emergency relief, already reaching more than 900,000 people.
“Despite these achievements, we are frustrated that the current crisis risks deepening the suffering of earthquake survivors, especially the 400,000 people in high altitude areas who desperately need better shelter, clothes, blankets and food supplies before temperatures drop below zero. Millions of people are still recovering from one of the worst disasters the country has ever faced – nothing must get in the way of urgent help they need.”
Nepal facing fuel shortage
The DEC, which is made up of 13 UK member aid organisations, has said that the country is facing a shortage of fuel, making the deployment and delivery of winter supplies such as shelter, blankets and food almost impossible.
The DEC estimates that its agencies have only been able to deliver half of their planned work designed to help families prepare for winter, while civil unrest and political uncertainty, prompted by opposition to the country’s new constitution, has “blocked aid and fuel supplies at the border and threatens to deepen the humanitarian crisis for the millions affected by the earthquake”.
Work funded by the DEC and its members includes Action Aid providing close to 93,000 people with food such as rice, oil and baby food; Care International reaching more than 45,500 people with seeds and 16,250 people with super grain storage bags to help families safely store their seed stock for the next season; and Islamic Relief providing more than 5,760 people with transitional shelters and pit latrines.
The DEC Ebola Crisis Appeal, which is also still ongoing, recieved £37m in the first six months, while the Syria Crisis Appeal raised £25m in 12 months.
