I'm raising money for the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) are a group of well known aid agencies that get together at times of emergency to provide humanitarian aid as rapidly as possible and on the necessary scale. As you are know doubt aware, the East Asia region has just been hit by three natural disasters in about a week. Typhoon Ketsana swept through the Philippines and onto Vietnam; then in Indonesia an earthquake struck western Sumatra, followed by an aftershock a day later; before a second typhoon, Parma, came along. Thousands have died, millions have been affected, either injured or made homeless, while diseases are spreading fast amongst the survivors. Schools, hospitals and infrastructure have all been badly affected and many areas remain underwater.

DEC agencies are responding in all three countries, rescuing survivors, giving first aid, and distributing prepositioned relief stocks including clean up kits, shelter items, water trucking, water filters and containers and disbursement of cash grants.