07.02.03

Zimbabwefund.org

It's more than cricket
Let's take moral stand, say £1m appeal organisers

Following the ICC rejection of the ECB request to move the England match from Zimbabwe to South Africa, Zimbabwefund.org urges the country to support the team in its moral stand. "We congratulate the players for taking a stand on this," says campaign initiator Dr James Smith. "Let's show we stand with them. They have made it very clear they want to know what we the public think about the situation, and Zimbabwefund.org gives the people of England the means to do so. Let's get behind the team – and show the suffering people of Zimbabwe that we care about them too.

"It would be utterly unacceptable for us to play cricket in a country being starved to death by its own leadership, even if player security could be guaranteed. The Zimbabwean authorities responsible for providing security are the same authorities abusing the human rights of their own people."

Zimbabwefund.org was created to raise £1million from the UK public to remove any financial barrier the ICC may impose against a moral decision by the ECB and the players to pull out of the Zimbabwe match. The campaign has drawn backing from high profile celebrities such as Sir Bob Geldof, and has the full support of the PCA and a cross-party group of MPs led by Shadow Foreign Secretary Michael Ancram.

Whatever the outcome regarding the cricket match, Zimbabwefund.org will continue to assist the people of Zimbabwe who are being threatened with rape, torture and starvation. Their fate remains the foremost issue.

Interviews available. Details of the campaign can be found at zimbabwefund.org
For more information contact Aegis Trust press officer, David Brown.
Tel: 01623 836627, Mobile: 07812 640873, Email: david.brown@aegistrust.org