DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal reaches a staggering £350 million as cycle couriers deliver food to some of the most vulnerable inside Ukraine. 

The DEC’s Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal has now raised over £350 million to help families affected by the crisis over the weeks, months and years ahead.    

DEC charities are working with local people on innovative projects including a bicycle delivery team in Kharkiv to ensure food gets to the hardest to reach elderly and people with disabilities, many of whom can’t leave their beds.   

Download still images and the film of cycle couriers delivering food to most vulnerable   

The DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal has now raised more than £350 million, it was announced today. With the funds raised, DEC member charities and their local partners are working hard and finding innovative ways to ensure that the millions affected by the conflict, and in desperate need, have food, cash, water, shelter, medical assistance, protection and trauma care.    

DEC member charity CAFOD is supporting a mass food distribution project, through funding a local partner Depaul Ukraine and has already supplied regular food baskets to 21,000 people, which each cost £10 and last five days. As part of this, a team of cycle couriers are delivering food to elderly and people with disabilities, and those who struggle to leave their homes. This is just one example of the innovative ways DEC funds are supporting local people to get aid to where it is most needed.  

Father Vitaliy, from Depaul Ukraine, who is leading the cycling initiative in Kharkiv, said: “The humanitarian crisis in this part of the city is huge. What I do see is that the poor people of Ukraine are now much poorer. In these three months we have been feeding more than 21,000 people from around Ukraine. We are focusing on those who are not able to move because of their physical health.   

“Love is inventive until infinity. We now have a big problem with petrol, but our work to distribute aid will never stop because of human energy. There are so many young people who want to help others and together they started this great initiative. One of the co-ordinators saw how her friend was paralysed and needed someone to bring him food.  Her friend offered to deliver food to him on his bicycle – it was 30 kilometres away – and an idea was born.    

“Today I was surprised to learn from the cycle group that they are now feeding more than 700 people. They have a list of disabled and elderly people, some of them who aren’t able stand up from their beds. Everything is destroyed, and people are coming to us asking for aid.”   

Aleksander, 50, an engineer-designer of radio equipment and now one of the vital cycle couriers said: “I have a wife and two daughters – all of them except the youngest daughter were against escaping the city. But after the first week of war, it became obvious that Kharkiv would not be left in peace, so I insisted on my family's evacuation. It was the hardest decision of my life. Saying goodbye to them at the train station felt unreal. Afterwards, I returned home and just lay on my bed, emotionless.    

“I want to be useful and to be an example to my kids for the future. As bicycle delivery volunteers, we are united by a common goal - to help. We live without making plans for the future. We simply wake up, make our deliveries, spend a couple of hours of free time, and repeat. We are alive, and that is enough to be happy.”    

Saleh Saeed, CEO of the DEC said: “It has been incredible and humbling to watch this outstanding wave of generosity and warmth from the British public to the people of Ukraine.  In spite of the impact of Covid-19 and the growing cost-of-living crisis here in the UK, families, schools, community groups and individuals across the country have given what they can and given so generously.   

“Seeing this help in action has been truly inspiring. I am in awe of the aid workers and volunteers in Ukraine and neighbouring countries who are selflessly putting their needs aside to help others to cope with this devastating conflict. There are so many examples, but one project that has particularly impressed me is the team of cyclists in Kharkiv, who with DEC funds, are working together to deliver food to very vulnerable elderly and disabled people who otherwise would be without. Their tireless energy and ingenuity is astonishing. I am deeply moved and grateful to the British public, the UK government, companies and trusts for making it all possible. Thank you.” 

DEC charities have so far budgeted £74.5 million to spend over the first six months of the response. Funds from the appeal, which includes £25 million in matched funding from the UK government, the largest commitment ever made to a DEC appeal through UK Aid Match, will be spent over a period of at least three years to meet the ongoing needs of people affected by the conflict, both inside Ukraine and in the neighbouring countries of Hungary, Moldova, Romania and Poland.     

Below is a summary of planned expenditure in these first 6 months, although these plans may be adjusted to meet changing needs on the ground.    

Health:  28% will be spent on provision of primary healthcare services, providing items like trauma kits and first aid kits, as well as supporting healthcare facilities with oxygen compressors and vital pharmaceutical products.     

Cash:  23% will support affected populations needs (internally displaced people, refugees, as well as members of the host communities) through multi-purpose cash delivered using a variety of approaches: pre-paid cards, digital transfers etc to meet vital basic needs    

Food:  16% will be spent by members and their local partners to deliver food provisions (sugar, salt, oatmeal, canned sardines, white rice, and black tea), hot meals or using cash transfers like supermarket vouchers.      

Water, sanitation & hygiene: 11% will be spent on safe drinking water, hygiene information and hygiene kits.    

Protection: 11% will be spent on psychosocial support for women, children, older people and people with disabilities, stress management training sessions.    

Shelter: 2% will be spent on bed linen, blankets, towels, kitchen sets, jerry cans, buckets for displaced people and host communities.    

ENDS    
     
Notes to editors:    

Media enquiries please call 020 7387 0200 or 07930 999 014 (out of hours).    
    
Spokespeople available in Ukraine, Poland, Romania, Hungary, Moldova and the UK.  For more information or to request interviews in advance please contact: kgarvin@dec.org.uk;    

A collection of images and footage of people affected by the conflict and DEC member charities responding both inside Ukraine and, on its borders, is available here.     
    
About the DEC: The DEC brings together 15 leading UK aid charities at times of crisis overseas to raise funds quickly and efficiently. In these times of crisis, people in life-and-death situations need our help and our mission is to save, protect and rebuild lives through effective humanitarian response. The DEC’s 15 member charities are: Action Against Hunger, ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide UK, International Rescue Committee UK, Islamic Relief Worldwide, Oxfam GB, Plan International UK, Save the Children UK, Tearfund and World Vision UK.     
    
Thirteen of the DEC’s 15 members are either responding or planning to respond in Ukraine or in neighbouring countries and will receive funds from this appeal. Some may work through trusted local partners. They are Action Against Hunger, ActionAid UK, Age International, British Red Cross, CAFOD, CARE International UK, Christian Aid, Concern Worldwide UK, International Rescue Committee UK, Oxfam GB, Plan International UK, Save the Children UK and World Vision UK.     
    
CAFOD is the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development and is one of the 15 DEC member charities. It works with communities across Africa, Asia, Latin America and in Europe to fight poverty and injustice. The agency works with people in need regardless of race, gender, religion or nationality (cafod.org.uk). In Ukraine, CAFOD are working in partnership with Depaul Ukraine, who are providing life-saving food, shelter and medication to vulnerable people. Depaul Ukraine was established in 2007 in response to the growing numbers of homeless people in the country. The organisation went on to support displaced people following the 2014 invasion. Depaul Ukraine is responding to the current crisis - using its local knowledge and networks to get humanitarian aid to where it is most needed - Depaul Ukraine.   

The UK Government match funded up to £25 million of public donations to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. This is the largest commitment ever made to a DEC appeal through UK Aid Match and will double the impact of public donations, ensuring that charities working on the ground can reach those in urgent need.     
    
Through UK Aid Match the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) gives the British public the opportunity to have a say in how the UK aid budget is spent whilst boosting the impact of the very best British charities to change and save the lives of some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people.    
    
UK Aid Match has increased the impact of a number of DEC appeals to help those in need around the world, including most recently to support people in Afghanistan through DEC’s Afghanistan Appeal in 2021.     
    
Enquiries about UK Aid Match and UK Government support for Ukraine should be directed to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Newsdesk. Please email newsdesk@fcdo.gov.uk.     

24/02/23 Update: Find out how donations are helping one year on from the start of the conflict here.

 How to donate:      

Online: dec.org.uk     

Phone: 0370 60 60 900     

SMS: To donate £10 text SUPPORT to 70150. Texts cost £10 plus the standard network charge and the whole £10 goes to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. You must be 16 or over and please ask the bill payer's permission. For full terms and conditions and more information go to www.dec.org.uk     

Or donate over the counter at any high street bank or post office or send a cheque by post to Post: DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, PO Box 999, London EC3A 3AA.