A street collection on the Isle of Man for the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal for East Africa has raised more than ?9,200 from members of the public.

The money, collected by One World Centre volunteers and supporters, has gone directly to the DEC to be distributed to aid agencies working in East Africa helping the 16 million people who are on the brink of starvation in South Sudan, Somalia, Kenya and Ethiopia.
Despite some of the challenging conditions and restricted access in these countries, more aid is now getting through.

DEC CEO Saleh Saeed says: “Thanks to the bravery and resilience of both local aid workers and community volunteers, life-saving food aid, medical assistance and vital water supplies are reaching the people who need it most.

“We have reports about aid delivery making an immediate difference to the lives of affected communities; for example Concern Worldwide is supporting children at the Weydow nutrition centre just outside Mogadishu in Somalia; Save the Children is supplying food, water and medical care to 40 of the most drought affected communities in Ethiopia and Somalia; Oxfam is providing water and sanitation to hundreds of thousands of people in Kenya and British Red Cross has delivered emergency food supplies to thousands of people in South Sudan.

“We are so incredibly grateful to all who have supported the appeal for their kindness and for their generosity to people who are thousands of miles away.”

The One World Centre would like to thank all the people who helped with the street collection in towns across the Isle of Man and the various groups such as Cafe Lingo, Trinity, Dalby, Laxey and Kirk Michael churches and Peel Cathedral who held their own collections. People also donated through collecting boxes in Shakti Man in Ramsey and the Oxfam shop in Douglas.

Further donations can be made direct to the DEC through their website www.dec.org.uk.