Philippines, 12 Nov – MapAction has launched a matched giving appeal to support our emergency efforts in the Philippines in the aftermath of Typhoon Haiyan. Every £1 you donate through the Big Give will be matched, thereby doubling the value of your donation (up to a limit of £1,000 per donor).

Typhoon Haiyan swept through the Philippines on 8 November. Its severity was unprecedented, with gusts of wind recorded at up to 235 mph. Official estimates are that more than 9.6 million people have been affected by the disaster. Many have lost loved ones and everything they own. They have no food, clean water, medicine or shelter. Bodies have been left in the fields and by the sides of roads, which add to the risk of disease. It is feared that some 10,000 people may have died in one province alone.

MapAction is working around the clock to help identify the needs of survivors, so they get the help they need as quickly as possible. We deployed a team of volunteers to the Philippines before the typhoon struck, so they could set to work as soon as it had passed. As the full scale of the emergency becomes apparent, we now need to deploy more skilled mapping experts to the region to help the millions of people affected.

Please give what you can today and make your donation go further through this fantastic matched giving opportunity. https://secure.thebiggive.org.uk/projects/view/20847