The British government have been urged to provide critical support for charities such as Oxfam and Christian Aid as they reveal the huge financial impact of Covid-19 outbreak and how it has jeopardised their future. Tara Pilkington reports.
Due to the closure of charity shops, lack of face-to-face fundraising and the cancellation of key events like music festivals and the London Marathon, many charities are reporting a dramatic loss of funding, and have called on the UK government for greater support.
Oxfam has stated how they are losing roughly £5m a month from the closure of its shops alone, with roughly two-thirds of its UK workforce being furloughed due to shop closures caused by government lockdown measures.
In a statement, Nicola Tallett, director of engagement for Oxfam, has said: “Many charities have seen their income hit hard because of the crisis. Oxfam is no exception. It’s too early to say what the overall impact will be, but the closure of the shops alone means we are losing £5m a month.”
Similar reports are coming from Christian Aid, who have had to furlough 20% off their UK staff in order to protect country programmes and international staff. Those who haven’t been furloughed are moving to four-day weeks, with leaders taking temporary salary cuts to help ensure the future of the charity.
The UK international development network, Bond, wants the government to establish a stabilisation fund to ensure that organisations can survive the pandemic and can continue to deliver critical aid to those living in refugee camps or in extreme poverty.
Bond’s chief operating officer, Graham MacKay, has said that UK charities will need £4bn to cover the funding that has been lost because of the pandemic.
He added: “Nobody should be left behind during this humanitarian crisis… but who is going to help get society’s most vulnerable people through this if charities collapse?”
- Visit the Bond website at: https://www.bond.org.uk/
- For Oxfam coronavirus updates, visit: https://www.oxfam.org.uk/shop/help/coronavirus-update
- For Christian Aid coronavirus updates, visit: https://www.christianaid.org.uk/appeals/emergencies/coronavirus-emergency-appeal
