The Arsenal Foundation has committed a donation of £50,000 to its global charity partner, Save the Children, to assist its efforts in fighting the Ebola outbreak.
More than 5,000 people have died in west Africa, and so far Save the Children has reached and helped almost 145,000 people, including 48,000 children.
As part of the club’s support for the crisis, Band Aid 30’s track, ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas? (2014)’ will be played at Arsenal’s Premier League match against Manchester United on Saturday, November 22. The single was downloaded over 200,000 times in 24 hours from launch, meaning it is on track to be No 1 in the official charts. The track, which features One Direction, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay, is raising money to help tackle the Ebola outbreak. You can download the song here.
Sir Bob Geldof, who has rounded up top talent from the British entertainment industry to join the line-up for Band Aid 30, said: "What can I say? I'm a Chelsea man myself and I thought we had great supporters but you have blown me away with doing this. It is through actions like this that many, many people who we will never see or know get to be alive or well or die with less pain and more dignity this Christmas. I never thought I'd ever in my life say this but b****y hell (gulp)...go Arsenal!"
Justin Forsyth, chief executive at Save the Children, said: “We’re so grateful that the Arsenal Foundation is supporting our Ebola Crisis Appeal, as we urgently need funds to provide the necessary equipment and expertise to treat those affected by the Ebola outbreak.
"With over eight million children living in areas affected by the Ebola virus, we must take urgent action to stop the spread of this deadly disease before this epidemic destroys the futures of an entire generation. Save the Children is planning to reach millions more families and children in West Africa, but we simply couldn’t do this without the support from partners like Arsenal Football Club.”
The Arsenal Foundation continues its talks with Save the Children on how the club can help the Ebola Crisis Appeal. At our upcoming dedicated charity matchday on Saturday, December 13, funds raised through bucket collections will support Save the Children’s Ebola Crisis Appeal.
For more information visit: www.savethechildren.org.uk/Ebola
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