The devastation caused by the multiple Turkey-Syria earthquakes has taken thousands of lives, demolished homes and villages and left many in turmoil.
Emergency services are still relentlessly searching, hoping to find citizens clinging to life amidst the wreckage.
As we search for ways to support the relief effort with aid, it can be hard to distinguish what websites and online posts are genuine.
Being cautious and making the relevant checks can help financial donations and essential items get to where they are needed and not lining the pockets of those with ill intentions.
We are extremely saddened by this News; natural disasters can happen at any moment, anywhere and we hope as a country we can support them in their time of need.
Giving Through Social Media
Local newly formed relief groups often appear in a time of crisis and may be supported by a local charity. Ask questions, make sure they are being visually transparent and able to account for what they receive.
The Charity Commission for England and Wales and the Fundraising Regulator are urging the public to ‘give safely’.
Established charities with experience of responding to disasters are usually best placed to reach people on the ground. Giving financial aid through humanitarian aid organisations, rather than sending donated goods directly to regions, is also often more practical and sustainable.
While most fundraising is genuine, the Charity Commission and Fundraising Regulator warn that fraudsters and criminals can take advantage of public generosity at times of increased giving. This includes using various methods such as fake appeal websites, email appeals that falsely use the name of genuine charities, or appeals from groups claiming to be charities.
The regulators therefore encourage people to ensure they support genuine relief efforts by following a few simple steps before giving:
- check the charity’s name and registration number on the Charity Register at www.gov.uk/checkcharity – most charities with an annual income of £5,000 or more must be registered.
- make sure the charity is genuine before giving any financial information.
- be careful when responding to emails or clicking on links within them.
- contact or find out more online about the charity that you’re seeking to donate to or work with to understand how they are spending their funds
- look out for the Fundraising Badge – the logo that says ‘registered with Fundraising Regulator’ – and check the Fundraising Regulator’s Directory of organisations which have committed to fundraise in line with the Code of Fundraising Practice.
20,000 PEOPLE
have died and many thousands are injured in Turkey and Syria, with numbers expected to rise
17 MILLION
people in the affected area, many of them in urgent need of shelter, food and medical aid.
Visit the website for a list of DEC Member charities: www.dec.org.uk