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Prince of Wales to attend 50th Anniversary reception of the Disasters Emergency Committee

The Prince of Wales will attend the 50th Anniversary reception of DEC on 4 December.

The Prince of Wales will attend the 50th Anniversary reception of DEC on 4 December.

On 4 December, The Prince of Wales will be in attendance at the 50th anniversary reception of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) at Lancaster house in London where he will meet patrons, volunteers and aid workers who are involved with DEC.

According to the DEC website it is comprised of 14 of the UK’s foremost agencies that provide aid including: Action Aid, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, Care International, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide, Islamic Relief, Merlin, Oxfam, Plan UK, Save the Children, Tearfund and World Vision.

These charities are all connected in assisting with disaster associated issues such as delivering clean water, humanitarian assistance and medical treatment.

Created in 1963, the DEC combines a coalition of the UK’s aid agencies as well as corporate and public funding. The monies raised are given to the 14 agencies where assistance is most needed.

“The DEC has run 63 appeals and raised more than £1.1 billion since its launch in 1963 – helping to save millions of lives and rebuild communities devastated by disasters. So far the DEC has raised over £60m for its Philippines Typhoon Appeal, £20m for its Syria Crisis Appeal and £79m for the 2011 East Africa Crisis,” according to Clarence House.

Guests in attendance will view an address at the start of the reception which will show DEC benefactors what the DEC does in disasters and emergencies such as the typhoon in the Philippines this month, the ongoing crisis in Syria, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti and the 2004 tsunami in the Indian Ocean.

Hosting the reception will be Baroness Warsi. In 2012, Baroness Warsi was selected as Senior Minister of State at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and Minister for Faith and Communities at the Department for Communities and Local Government. Prior to that, she was Chairman of the Conservative Party and Minister without Portfolio.

In March 2013, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall lent support to DEC’s Syria Crisis Appeal through a monetary donation.

A Clarence House spokesman commented on the donation: “The Prince of Wales and The Duchess of Cornwall learned first hand about the plight of Syrian refugees when they visited the King Abdullah Park refugee camp in Jordan. During their visit they heard directly from some of the refugees about the terrible situation in their country, and they were especially moved when told of the traumatic experiences so many children had been through before and during their flight from the conflict in Syria.”

photo credit: UK in Spain via photopin cc