ALTHOUGH the public’s generosity towards appeals for Asian tsunami aid seems to know no bounds, the knock-on effect may devastate the income of UK charities that are not involved in international aid, the Directory of Social Change says.

In Third Sector (Jan 12) Debra Allcock, its chief executive, says that unprecedented public donations would mean a record year for the sector as a whole, but will damage causes that have nothing to do with the disaster.

“I have a feeling that a lot of charities are going to die this year because of the tsunami appeal, particularly local and smaller ones,” she says. “A lot of the donations are from people who don’t normally give, but a lot will be from people who would normally donate to UK charities and a large number of these people can be expected to give less over the course of the year.”

Riders for Health confirms that it has already been notified of fund cuts for its long-term development work in Africa, because money has been diverted to tsunami relief.

The Charity Commission also issued a warning about scam fundraising on the back of the disaster. Some collectors are distributing misleading leaflets in London, East Anglia, Lincolnshire and Essex, asking for clothes and cash.

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