EMERGENCY fundraisers swung into action with incredible speed in response to the January earthquake that struck Haiti, killing more than 200,000 people and affecting two million lives.

UK supporters raised more than £12m as part of the $60m Save the Children response, enabling the charity to reach 554,000 people to date; among them at least 330,000 are children.

It has been no mean feat to raise so much and I know that no small amount of personal sacrifice has been involved. I just want to thank everyone who supported the relief effort. But rest assured - the hard work continues. Save the Children aims to reach 800,000 children and families during the arduous recovery process.

From April 25 to May 1, 2010, Save the Children runs its biggest nationwide fundraising week to raise money to help children survive in the world's poorest countries.

Whether we are responding to the worst imaginable disasters like that in Haiti, or helping children and families living in poverty, we are on the front line getting help to the people who need it most.

In 2009 we reached more than seven million people. Earlier this month I visited Sierra Leone and witnessed some of our lifesaving work supported by fundraisers here in the UK.

I found it truly awe-inspiring to meet a mother and her newborn baby, both of whom might have died were it not for the care received at our maternal and newborn unit.

I met children receiving treatment to help them recover from diarrhoea, avoiding death because Save the Children is funding basic healthcare like oral rehydration salts that cost just 50p for a course of 10 sachets.

These are just a few examples out of millions - but the impact of our work is real. Shockingly, nearly nine million children aged under five die each year of preventable diseases like pneumonia, measles, diarrhoea, malaria, HIV and AIDS. We want to save everyone.

Together we can save the lives of more innocent children.

That's why I'm appealing to your readers to take part in Save the Children Week 2010.

For more information about our work and how to raise funds during Save the Children Week visit www.savethechildren.org.uk.

TANYA STEELE

director of supporter relations and fundraising, Save the Children