FT seasonal appeal raises £1.4m for World Child Cancer

This year’s FT Seasonal Appeal has raised £1.4m for World Child Cancer, the London-based charity that helps treat sick children in some of the poorest countries.

This total includes matching funds from the UK government, the Vitol Foundation, Celgene, the biotech company, and money raised from a charity dinner hosted by Christie’s, the auction house.

Over the past few weeks, FT correspondents have reported on WCC’s work in Malawi, Ghana, Colombia and Myanmar. It is estimated that about 100,000 children a year die of cancer, the vast majority of them in the developing world, where palliative care and treatment are often rudimentary. WCC believes that many of these deaths can be prevented with sufficient funds and expertise.

Since 2006, the FT’s seasonal appeals have raised more than £14m for charities chosen by the staff.

Lionel Barber, editor of the FT, said: “Once again, I have been struck by the generosity of our readers and the dedication of our staff in supporting a wonderful cause.”

Allison Ogden-Newton, WCC’s chief executive, thanked FT readers for their support and said the additional funds would make a real difference to the lives of children with cancer in some of the poorest countries in the world.

“Money raised from the seasonal appeal will enable WCC to expand our work in Malawi, Ghana and Bangladesh and even extend our project work to Myanmar, which is a new country for us with a desperate need for help with treating children with cancer,” she said.

Justine Greening, secretary of state for international development, said: “By matching pound for pound all public donations to World Child Cancer’s appeal we will help them improve diagnosis, treatment and care for thousands of children in Bangladesh and Ghana who would not otherwise get help.

“This means their families can focus on earning money and lifting themselves out of poverty for good.”

The British government’s matching funding remains open until February 22.