Congo volcano relief effort underway

Aid agencies are helping thousands of people made homeless by the eruption of Mt Nyriagongo. Please give generously to the national appeal co-ordinated by the Disasters Emergency Committee.

60,000 people in Goma have had their homes and livelihoods destroyed by the lava flows from Mount Nyiragongo, and the town, which has already lost one-third of its residential area, is now threatened with new tremors and a fresh eruption nearby.

Donations have started to come in for the Disasters Emergency Committee Goma Crisis Appeal. DEC Chief Executive, Brendan Gormley, said: "We know how generous the British people are, and the people suffering in Goma need that generosity now. Aid is starting to get through to some of those most desperately in need, but we need to make sure that the money keeps flowing, so that those people who have had their homes and livelihoods destroyed have a chance of picking up the pieces of their lives."

What is Tearfund doing?
Tearfund is responding to the disaster through its local partners in DRC and Rwanda. Activities are concentrated around Goma and Bukavu, especially the lake shoreline to the north of Bukavu. Support around Goma is likely to be mainly re-stocking of health posts following their destruction in the lava flows. In Bukavu and the Lake Kivu shoreline to the north we are likely to offer support for IDPs (internally displaced people) with food/Non Food Items in conjunction with WFP and other NGOs. Tearfund's regional advisor, who is based in Kigali, and a representative of the Disaster Response Team have completed an assessment visit to Goma.

The DEC represents most of the well-known aid agencies in the UK, who come together at times of crisis to ensure that money raised in this country goes directly to those agencies working in the area, so that they can use it immediately to help those affected.

Donations to the appeal can be made online at the DEC website by telephone on 0870 60 60 900, or by post to DEC Goma Crisis Appeal, PO Box 999, London EC3A 3AA.