Around 20 people are reported to have been killed and dozens injured in a shopping mall in Kremenchuk, central-eastern Ukraine, as the conflict continues to devastate lives and put a strain on Ukraine's healthcare system.

Even before the conflict, health facilities in Ukraine were already under strain from the Covid-19 pandemic and years of under-investment. The urgent need to treat trauma patients is disrupting the provision of basic essential services, with the conflict driving shortages of staff and medical supplies at the same time as it creates a spike in public health risks due to displacement and poor shelter. 

DEC charities and their local partners are supporting primary healthcare services, providing trauma and first aid kits, surgical training, medicines, drugs, as well as supporting healthcare facilities with equipment such as incubators and oxygen compressors and vital pharmaceutical products. 

In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second largest city, DEC funds are supporting an innovative project that delivers regular food baskets to people's homes, thanks to a network of volunteer cyclists. 

The idea was born after fuel shortages threatened to impact aid deliveries. One volunteer, desperate to find a way to send food to her friend, put out a message on social media that spread among friends who remained in Kharkiv with their bicycles.

The cycling team's efforts are now a lifeline for 700 housebound people.

Three months after it was launched, the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal has raised £350 million. 

Donations to the appeal are continuing to fund work by DEC charities and their local partners in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries, meeting people's immediate and longer term needs. 

The UK public response to the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal has set a new Guinness World Records title for the most money raised by an online campaign in one week. Following the incredibly generous support from the British public a staggering £61,997,547 was donated online between 3-10 March 2022.  

This is the second time the DEC has achieved a Guinness World Records title - the first being in 2004, following the Boxing Day Tsunami when £10,676,836 was raised online in just 24 hours.  

Simon Beresford, Director of Fundraising and Marketing for the DEC said: “At the DEC we have been overwhelmed by the incredible generosity and outpouring of support from the UK public to the people of Ukraine. It has been heart-warming to see the inspiring fundraising efforts which are ongoing, with donations flooding in from individuals, companies, schools and arts organisations across the UK.  

“We are of course proud and delighted to have taken a part in setting a new world record. However, most importantly what this means is that with the help of the generous UK public DEC charities and their local partners can scale up to respond to help the people of Ukraine.”  

The DEC welcomed the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to its London offices today as it was announced that the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal has raised over £300 million. 

The Duke and Duchess met aid workers who have recently returned from Ukraine and neighbouring countries. They also spoke to staff in Ukraine via video link to get a clearer picture of the current situation and hear about how aid is helping people in need.

The visit came as the 13 member charities of the DEC that are responding to the crisis laid out plans for their response over the first six months.

It's been one month since the launch of the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal and the response has been incredible.

Thank you for your generosity, and for putting your trust in us.

The DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal has raised a total of £260 million following the Concert for Ukraine in Birmingham on 29 March, which raised over £13.4 million.

The concert, featuring artists including Ed Sheeran, Camila Cabello, Paloma Faith, Gregory Porter, Emeli Sandé, Nile Rodgers and Chic, and Ukrainian singer and former Eurovision winner Jamala, was broadcast live on ITV and STV, and streamed on ITV Hub.  

The event raised funds for the DEC and saw a surge in donations as 3.6 million people tuned in. Profits from ticket sales and an estimated £3 million in advertising revenue from ITV will also be donated to help DEC charities provide emergency aid to people fleeing the conflict Ukraine.

On Tuesday 29 March 2022, a line-up of presenters and artists will come together for a live concert at Resorts World Arena, Birmingham.

ITV, STV, Livewire Pictures and the media and entertainment group Global will stage a two hour concert raising money for the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

Ed Sheeran, Camila Cabello, Emeli Sandé, Snow Patrol and Gregory Porter will be among those performing at the televised fundraiser.

The Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal has reached £200 million in the two weeks since it was launched - the equivalent of £3 for every person in the UK.

The staggering total reflects the hugely generous response of the UK public towards people affected by the conflict in Ukraine, where the devastating conflict continues to force people to flee their homes and cross the border into neighbouring countries.

The number of refugees has passed 3 million, with almost 2 million more people displaced inside Ukraine as 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. 

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. 

“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," said Sue Inglish, DEC Chair of Trustees. "Thank you so much to everyone who has leant their support to this appeal."

An Afghan family who escaped violence in Afghanistan last year have been forced to flee for a second time after conflict broke out in Ukraine.

When the conflict escalated in Afghanistan in July 2021, 14-year-old Samad* and his family fled from Afghanistan to Ukraine, where they were rebuilding their lives.

“It was a very big thing for me to come from war, and live in a peaceful place,” says Samad about his experience of resettling in Ukraine. “This was very good for me and my family. I made friends... I came to school. And the people were very kind.”

The family could never have imagined that just months later their new lives would be shattered by war for a second time. Once again, they were forced to abandon everything they owned and flee – this time to Romania.

They drove for more than 30 hours on crowded roads before waiting for three days at the border, sleeping in their car while temperatures plummeted outside.

The overwhelming feeling of relief when Samad and his family crossed the border was sadly all too familiar. “Just like when I came to Kyiv, the feeling was the same when I came to Romania.”

DEC charity Save the Children is working at the reception centre where Samad and his family are staying and is supporting them with information and guidance, clothes, and shoes. You can help support families like Samad's fleeing the conflict in Ukraine by donating below.

*Name changed to protect identity