RECENTLY I attended a great local fundraiser — all proceeds went to Save the Children.

This remarkable charity raises £300-million a year. Its work in 120 countries is vital. In 2014 Save the Children responded to 84 humanitarian crises in 54 countries. Much of the charity’s work is focused on emergency aid and this has included assisting children in West African countries afflicted with Ebola and those in war-torn Syria.

The Ebola virus has infected 30,000 people in West Africa resulting in over 10,000 deaths and 5,000 children have lost one or both of their parents as a consequence. The challenge on the ground has been enormous with often limited resources – in Liberia for example in early 2014 there was only one doctor per 100,000. That’s the equivalent of a single doctor covering the whole of our constituency.

The effect of Ebola is not just one of health but also education. It has resulted a vast number of school closures with around three and a half million children in West Africa affected. And, as we know, education is one of the key ways in which people can navigate their way out of poverty.

In Syria more than ten million people have been displaced due to civil war. Save the Children are running support services in a number of countries including Jordan, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt and within Syria itself. ‘Back to school’ campaigns are encouraging a re-engagement with education. Last year food was distributed to more than 84,000 people in Za’atari camp. Much has also been done to provide blankets, mattresses and tarpaulins for shelter – vital in winter.

The Save the Children Fund was created in London in 1919 by Eglantyne Jebb and her sister Dorothy Buxton. It was good to see their work continuing to be supported here in Devon today.