MONTREAL — British celebrities are taking to Twitter for the Wake Up Call campaign, which is being touted as a successor to the Ice Bucket Challenge.
According to Unicef, there are 6.5 million children affected by the conflict in Syria, and they all need urgent humanitarian aid.
“At the moment donations have only just started to come in but they’re already in the thousands of pounds,” a spokesperson from Unicef UK told Global News.
“We really hope the public get behind the campaign and make a donation – the more money we raise through fundraising initiatives such as this, the more Syrian children we will be able to reach.”
Watch: Humanitarian crisis looms with Syrian refugees
The Wake Up Call campaign is asking Twitter users to post a photo or video of themselves first thing in the morning, as they wake up in bed and make a donation to Unicef’s Syria Emergency Fund.
The campaign hashtag #wakeupcampaign is already trending in the UK.
READ MORE: A look at the success behind the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge movement
The campaign was kicked off on Sunday by UK Unicef Ambassador Jemima Khan, the associate editor of the New Statesman and European editor-at-large for Vanity Fair.
She launched it in order to help Syrian refugee children, after a recent visit to Jordan’s refugee camps.
READ MORE: Inside Azraq, Jordan’s prefab refugee camp
Jordan is a small country of about 6.6 million people and roughly 9 per cent of the population is now Syrian refugees.
Khan nominated BBC’s Top Gear co-presenter Jeremy Clarkson, actor Hugh Grant and musician Lily Allen:
Most of whom have responded on Twitter.
Others soon got on board, offering a tantalizing glimpse into British celebrity’s bedrooms.
The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge raised more than $53.3 million from 1.1 million new donors, in what has been described as one of the most viral philanthropic social media campaigns in history.
Although donations to Unicef UK are just starting to come in, if the Ice Bucket Challenge is any indication, #WakeUpCall will not only raise awareness, but also much-needed funds.
In Canada, you can text SYRIA to 45678 ($10) or make a donation by clicking here.
Photo gallery: Inside Azraq Camp
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