Huge £3.2M WEE BOX appeal will change lives

By supporting the WEE BOX BIG CHANGE Lent appeal this year you've raised a fantastic £3,198,056 for SCIAF's life-changing work with people devastated by hunger, poverty, war and natural disasters in some of the poorest countries in the world.

The appeal benefitted hugely from UK Aid Match funding from the British government, which meant that every pound donated was doubled. Schools, parishes and individual supporters throughout Scotland raised a fantastic £1,663,918.

Lord Bates of the Department for International Development (DFID) visited Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral Primary School in Motherwell who raised over £1,000 for the appeal by running Crazy Hair Days, Pyjama Parties and other fundraising activities. The school has been supporting SCIAF for 26 years and raised £35,500 in total.

We’re delighted Lord Bates has joined us to help announce the fantastic total raised by our WEE BOX BIG CHANGE appeal, hear more about our life-changing work around the world and the tremendous support from the staff and pupils at Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral Primary School and others.

We’d like to thank everyone, including those in schools and parishes throughout Scotland, for taking part in the appeal and being so generous. The money raised will go a long way, and make a huge difference in the lives of many thousands of people who struggle every day due to poverty, conflict or natural disasters.

Minister for International Development Lord Bates said:

“SCIAF's WEE BOX appeal will make a positive change to people’s lives by protecting the rights of fishermen and farmers in Cambodia and giving them the tools they need to boost their incomes and support their families. It has been great to visit Our Lady of Good Aid Cathedral Primary School today to hear about their fundraising efforts and see the enthusiasm the pupils have to make a difference.

“Every donation made by the public across Scotland has been matched pound for pound by the UK Government, meaning we have doubled the difference the public have made to those in need."

This year’s WEE BOX appeal told the story of SCIAF’s work supporting poor Cambodian families to provide for themselves. The money from DFID will help 19,000 indigenous and vulnerable people in rural Cambodia to increase their income, grow more food, improve their access to clean water, protect their natural resources such as rivers and forests and be better able to deal with disasters if they arise. The money given by supporters will help people in Africa, Asia, Latin America whose lives have been devastated by hunger, poverty, war and natural disasters.