UK Aid Match takes CAFOD Lent Appeal to £18.6 million
Winfreda Malilave holding a glass of clean water from the CAFOD-funded borehole.
Tens of thousands of families in the developing world will have clean water, safe sanitation, and improved health, thanks to your amazing generosity, matched by the UK government during Lent 2012.
You donated a total of £9.4 million between February 17th and May 17th for our Lent water campaign. Nearly all the money you raised – £9.2 million in total – is eligible for match funding, raising the total value of the Lent appeal to £18.6 million, and shattering previous records.
“Our supporters usually donate around £2 million to our Lent appeal,” said Director Chris Bain, “so – at a time when budgets are tight – it’s wonderful to see so many schools, parishes and individuals respond with compassion and generosity to the simple needs of those in the world without access to clean water.
“The donations we have received will make a massive difference to those poor communities, whether it’s building dams, boreholes and new sanitation facilities, improving the management of water resources, or helping women to have a greater say in the decisions affecting their lives.
“We’ve valued working in partnership with the government on the UK Aid Match scheme, and we’re delighted that they are matching the donations of the Catholic community – a huge shared effort to help those in the world who have the least.”
We’re already working with our local partners around the world to start new projects and expand existing ones. The work you’ve enabled so far includes
- Increasing access to clean water and sanitation in South Sudan: 35,000 people will benefit from new and mended boreholes, training in hand pump mechanics and new toilets;
- Expanding CAFOD’s work in Kenya: establishing water associations in local communities so they can agree how their water supplies should be managed, distributed and secured for the long-term. More than 40,000 people will benefit
- Empowering women in Ethiopia: we’ll now be able to help 10,000 women access the support and resources they need to take more control over their own lives, including establishing saving and lending groups so they can get credit to start or grow their own businesses.
Secretary of State for International Development Justine Greening also praised the unprecedented effort, saying: "The record-breaking response to this year’s appeal shows the extent of support for CAFOD’s work. And UK taxpayers through DFID are helping this go even further by matching pound for pound all public donations. This will allow CAFOD to double its impact working to improve water access, sanitation and hygiene for some of the world's most vulnerable and neglected people, including those affected by war, climate change and disease.
"CAFOD can now continue its work to help tens of thousands more families have access to clean water and sanitation, providing life-saving items such as water purification kits and soap. I am particularly pleased that CAFOD's work will continue to help girls attend school rather than having to fetch water, and help all children learn about hygiene and waterborne diseases."
We’re also increasing our emergency response work across the world, especially tackling those 'silent emergencies' where communities are living in a state of constant crisis owing to shortages of water and other basic needs. In Darfur, for example, an extra £300,000 will be now be invested over the next year to reach the hundreds of thousands of vulnerable people still living in refugee camps in the region.
A huge thank you to everyone who donated to CAFOD and for continuing to support our work. You really are changing lives.
