DEC passes ten million pound milestone in Ebola fundraising

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) has announced that it has raised more than ten million pounds in donations towards Ebola crisis relief efforts in west Africa.

Despite the fact the appeal was only launched on October 30th 2014, the fundraising efforts have already passed this impressive milestone, with five million pounds of contributions from the public being matched by the UK government.

DEC member agencies are aiming to scale up their aid efforts in west Africa in response to the escalating public health emergency, having already helped more than 2.5 million people to date in some of the worst-affected and most remote areas of Sierra Leone and Liberia.

The assistance has included providing protective clothing, educating communities and supporting safe and dignified burials.

Saleh Saeed, chief executive of the DEC, said: "We have been humbled by the extraordinary generosity of the UK public in response to our unprecedented appeal for the Ebola crisis in west Africa."

The DEC consists of 13 leading UK aid charities, including Action Aid, Age International, the British Red Cross, Christian Aid, Islamic Relief, Oxfam, Save the Children, Tearfund and World Vision.