DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal reaches £200m in two weeks as conflict continues to drive refugee crisis

The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal has reached £200 million in the two weeks since it was launched, it was announced today, as the devastating conflict continues to force people to flee their homes and cross the border into neighbouring countries.  

The staggering total raised is the equivalent of around £3 for every person in the UK and reflects the hugely generous response of the UK public towards people affected by the conflict in Ukraine. The total also includes £25 million matched by the UK Government.

Donations to the appeal are funding work by DEC charities and their local partners inside Ukraine and in neighbouring countries. They are helping people with their immediate needs while also planning to support refugees and displaced people over the coming months and years.

More than 3 million people have fled the country since the conflict began, around half of whom are children, with an almost 2 million more estimated to be displaced inside the country. Intense fighting, shelling and air strikes continue across Ukraine, affecting many civilian areas and destroying homes and vital infrastructure such as hospitals, schools and water supplies.  

This conflict continues to force more people from their homes and hamper aid efforts inside Ukraine, but many aid workers continue to help civilians in incredibly difficult circumstances. On Ukraine’s borders with Poland, Romania, Moldova, Hungary and Slovakia, refugees continue to arrive, many with nowhere to go.

Sue Inglish, DEC Chair of Trustees said:  

“The response to this appeal has been absolutely phenomenal. We’ve seen hundreds of thousands of donations from individuals and fantastic fundraisers being held up and down the country. We’ve also seen a truly amazing response from companies who have helped get the word out far and wide and mobilise the goodwill of their customers and staff.

“This amazing total shows what’s possible when we all come together as charities, as communities, as a country, to help people who are facing unimaginable hardships. Thank you so much to everyone who has leant their support to this appeal. Your donations will help meet people’s immediate needs now, and help support them in the months and years ahead.”

Natasza Bogaza, an aid worker supporting Caritas Poland, local partner of DEC member charity CAFOD, is helping people crossing the border from Ukraine. She said:

“In the first week, many of the people crossing had family in Poland - many Ukrainians who fled the conflict in 2014 settled here. But now we’re seeing people who have stayed in Ukraine until they really had no choice but to run; people who evacuated in a matter of minutes. And they very often have no onward destination, nowhere to go.

“People tell us the journey out of Ukraine has been horrible. After hiding in shelters for days with the sound of bombing, they’ve taken trains that are so full you can’t move and can barely breathe. The trains stop for many hours with no explanation and you can’t sleep or go to the bathroom. And they’re all so scared the trains will be hit.

“As aid workers, we’re doing what we can to respond to people’s urgent needs as they arrive here in Poland and in other countries – giving them something to eat and drink, finding them a place to stay, getting them medical attention if they need it. But what's unfolding here is a human tragedy that will take years to overcome.”

ENDS
 

Notes to editors

Media enquiries please call 020 7387 0200 or 07734 653616 (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: bguiton@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.  

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.  

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.