KEIRA KNIGHTLEY has lent her support to an Irish aid agency helping those affected by the recent Philippines’ Typhoon.
The British actress, who witnessed the charity’s lifesaving work first hand while on a trip to Ethiopia for Comic Relief, said she was delighted to highlight the worthy cause.
“I’m very familiar with GOAL, having visited a number of their projects in Ethiopia a few years ago with Comic Relief,” the Love Actually star said.
“It is a wonderful organisation that has helped better the lives of millions of vulnerable people. I’m delighted to be able to support their response to the typhoon in The Philippines and help highlight the fact that 11million people over there urgently require humanitarian aid.”
The Hollywood actress attended a special reception at the House of Commons, where she was joined by her musician husband James Righton of Klaxons fame.
At the event GOAL CEO, Barry Andrews warned the gathering of politicians and leading business people that the humanitarian situation and devastation caused by Typhoon Haiyan is as bad as any of the natural disasters the charity has responded to since its foundation 36 years ago.
Mr Andrews, who flew to The Philippines last Sunday, noted the swiftness of GOAL’s response but said the challenges the team faced were “immense”.
“GOAL was one of the first agencies operational on the ground and we have already distributed aid to 15,000 people,” he said.
“However the challenges over there are immense. Some of our most experienced staff are telling us that the destruction and humanitarian impact of the typhoon is as bad as anything they have experienced before, including the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti.
“We must do everything we can to keep the crisis, and the plight of the Filipino people, firmly on the international agenda.”
To donate to GOAL’s Philippines appeal call 020 7631 3196 or go to www.goal-uk.org.
