23 January 2012
One of the ways you can help some of the world’s poorest people help themselves out of poverty is to donate to a charity that works in developing countries.
If you donate to one of the charity appeals listed here, your donation will be matched pound for pound by the UK Government, allowing these organisations to double their results and change even more lives.
This is because these appeals have been awarded UK Aid Match funding, which means that any donation received during the appeal from a UK individual will be doubled by UK aid, in response to the generosity shown by the public.
Currently match funded appeals
Soccer Aid for UNICEF
The British government will be matching every pound the public donates to Soccer Aid, ITV1's celebrity football match at Old Trafford on Sunday 27 May, which raises money for UNICEF's lifesaving work for children around the world.
International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said:
"By matching pound for pound all public donations to Soccer Aid, we will help UNICEF to ensure hundreds of thousands more children under the age of five get better healthcare and more nutritious food in some of the poorest countries in Africa."
Read more about the match, what UNICEF achieves, and donate at http://www.unicef.org.uk/soccer-aid/
Christian Aid Week 2012
Britain’s longest running door-to-door fundraising week, organised by Christian Aid (13-19 May 2012) will this year have its first £5million matched funded, enabling the charity to help more people in poor communities around the world work their way out of poverty. The money will be used to support poor communities in Sierra Leone, Sudan, South Africa, Ghana, Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia and Burma to improve access to healthcare and build sustainable livelihoods.
Andrew Mitchell, Secretary of State for International Development, said: "For over half a century, the British public has shown its support for Christian Aid’s work to ensure people in poor communities around the world get a chance to work their own way out of poverty. In recognition of that fantastic generosity, we’re looking to match pound for pound the first £5 million donated during Christian Aid Week to help the charity reach over one million more people.
"In Gbap in Sierra Leone, for example, that means working with local organisations to provide seeds and farming tools so people can grow and sell their own food, help in getting a fair price for their produce and a new school for their children. Our match funding means that Christian Aid can multiply that life changing support to reach some of the poorest people in Africa and South East Asia."
To find out more and donate, visit http://www.caweek.org/
Trócaire Northern Ireland Lenten appeal
This year, your gifts are worth double to Trócaire’s Lenten campaign which focuses on communities in northern Uganda who are trying to rebuild their lives after 20 years of war. On match funding donations from UK individuals to the appeal, International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell said,
"Matching public donations to Trócaire’s appeal means tens of thousands more people will get help in securing their land rights, along with ploughs, seeds, training and support to help them grow enough food to feed their families, get a fair price for their produce and ensure a brighter future for their children. This is also an extremely good deal for the UK taxpayer - by matching the generosity of the Northern Irish public in its support for Trocaire, we can ensure that the impact of UK aid goes twice as far."
To find out more and donate, visit http://www.trocaire.org/lent
CAFOD Give it up! for Lent appeal
From 17 February to 17 May 2012 public fundraising activities and donations for CAFOD will have double the impact. So this year, £33 could provide not just one, but two families with clean water.
One in eight people in the world still don’t have access to clean water. Every twenty seconds a child dies because of dirty water. With your support and UK aid, CAFOD aims to provide clean water for thousands more people. They will provide water in places where women and girls are being held back by the burden of fetching water. Providing clean water frees up their time so that girls can attend school and women can earn a living, which in turn, helps their communities thrive.
To read more and donate, visit CAFOD's website.
Previously matched appeals (closed)
Sport Relief 2012
The £10m raised this Sport Relief by the public towards its work in African slums was matched pound for pound by the UK Government.
This means that Sport Relief will now have £20m to spend on the vital work needed to improve the lives of people living in African slums. They will provide clean water, toilets and basic health care; make sure kids get a better education; create real jobs, especially for women; and help slum dwellers get the legal rights they need to build or rent their own houses instead of living in tin shacks.
To find out more, visit the Sport Relief official website.
Opportunity International / City AM Christmas appeal 2011
The total funds raised by the City AM appeal for Opportunity International will provide basic financial services to people in rural areas of Malawi – bank accounts, microloans – enabling them to start small businesses to support their families. To find out more about their work and donate, visit Opportunity's website.
Sightsavers / Financial Times Seasonal appeal 2011
The Sightsavers appeal raised funds to help them provide treatment and operations to improve or restore sight in developing countries. The appeal was also match funded by Standard Chartered, meaning that for every £1 given by a UK individual, the charity received £3! Sightsavers’ work featured in the Financial Times as its chosen charity for its 2011 Seasonal appeal, and became the FT's most successful ever appeal, raising a record £3.3m, meaning that even more vulnerable people can be reached.
Save the Children / ITV Born to Shine appeal, Summer 2011
Last year, the Born to Shine ITV series raised over £2.1 million for Save the Children's charity work with the help of UK aid and the generous British public. Born to Shine was the first charity appeal to receive UK Aid Match funding. The money raised throughout the series will help save thousands of children's lives around the world by treating and preventing childhood diseases.
This page will be updated as new appeals open and existing ones close.