Glastonbury Festival Supports Sudan Emergency Appeal
20 Aug 2004People in stricken Sudan are receiving £100,000 of aid thanks to the Glastonbury Festival. Festival organiser Michael Eavis presented a cheque to Oxfam representative Paul Sherlock for the charity's Sudan Emergency Appeal.
Mr Sherlock, a senior humanitarian representative who has returned from the country, received the cash from Mr Eavis at Worthy Farm, Pilton, the home of the Glastonbury Festival.
Roger James of Oxfam SW said: "I would like to say a big thank you to Michael for this fantastic amount, it will save thousands of lives. The aid agencies need £27M to meet the needs of families suffering in violence-torn Darfur.
"This sum will make a real difference - even £5 enables Oxfam to provide a family shelter from the sun and rain - £10 buys a water container and purification tablets; clean water for a family and £44 feeds a family of five for two months."
Mr Eavis said: "There seems to be differences of opinion about the scale of the disaster in the Sudan, but one sure thing is that these people need masses of help, and for that reason Glastonbury is giving an extra £100,000 above Oxfam's normal donation of £200,000."
Oxfam has had a long and productive partnership with the Glastonbury Festival over the past ten years, which has raised more than £1M with its work. Last week Oxfam's sixth aid flight arrived in the Sudan, bringing equipment needed to provide 1,000 toilets to help keep deadly diseases at bay.
Mr James said: "Disease and diarrhoea are serious problems and cholera could break out at any time.
"The regular torrential rain washes the excrement into the camp and leads to dangerously unsanitary conditions. Water supplies and sanitation are at breaking point. Over the last three weeks the Kalma camp in Darfur has doubled in size from 30,000 to 60,000 people. The camp infrastructure is unable to cope with such a boom in numbers."
To give to the Oxfam appeal, donations can be paid into local Oxfam shops, by phoning 0845 300 7070 or by sending a cheque to Oxfam Sudan Appeal, Room BAA, Freepost (SCE13851) Oxford OX2 7BR.
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