AN IDEA which accountant Richard Searle had while walking his dogs could raise money for millions suffering in Sudan. The Final Hour appeal urges people to donate the last hour of their pay on 27 August to add to aid efforts in the troubled region.
Mr Searle, 35, was inspired to act when his sister, Amanda, a paediatric nurse, signed up to carry out aid work for a charity in the crisis-torn African country.
The money raised will be donated through the Bailiff’s Fund to the UK Disasters Emergency Committee, which then distributes it to UK charities working in the region.
The Guernsey Press and Island FM are backing the effort.
‘In my mind it’s less important what the cause is because it can be dealt with politically, the thing to focus on is the effect,’ said Mr Searle, highlighting figures in the national media that a million people in Sudan could be dead by the end of the year.
‘That’s the population of Birmingham wiped out. That kind of hits home.’
Amanda has worked at a Romanian orphanage and a Tanzanian refugee camp and is set to go out to the Sudan with Swiss charity Medair in the next few weeks.
‘She’s going out doing these things and I had a guilt trip. Sitting in Guernsey is a relatively comfortable, nice environment, so you feel a bit helpless in a way and think what can you do,’ said Mr Searle, a director at BDO Guernsey, which is administering the appeal.
‘This idea struck me when I was walking the dog that if people donate one hour’s pay, it’s an easy way to help out that’s relatively painless.’
The United Nations has said that the world’s worst humanitarian crisis is unfolding in Sudan’s western region of Darfur.
One million people have fled their homes and up to 50,000 have been killed as pro-government Arab militias have been accused of ethnic cleansing and genocide against the black African population.
Locally, employers are being asked to send a form to their staff who can then sign up to give either an hour’s pay or a donation.
‘It’s the number to me that is the striking bit. There are 32,000 in employment in the island, according to 2001 figures,’ he said.
‘Also accepting figures from last year that the average wage is £14 an hour, multiply that and that’s £448,000, which is quite a big figure for a relatively little effort.’
Mr Searle added that signing up to support the appeal was easy.
‘The concept is if you’re not receiving the money in the first place, it’s less painful then getting the wallet out and handing over cash.’
He came up with the idea just over a week ago and things have moved very quickly since then.
‘The way I see it is we’re dealing with big charities now. The more that goes out there the better.’
By asking people to download a sponsorship form, he is trying to keep the appeal as efficient as possible.
‘What woke me up to this was my sister going out there. Everybody needs a wake-up call now and again.’
Article posted on 9th August, 2004 - 12.00am
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