Ukraine
Humanitarian
Appeal
Ukraine
Humanitarian Appeal
Your donations are a lifeline for millions of people affected by the conflict in Ukraine, and refugees in neighbouring countries.
DEC charities are supporting the local aid effort to provide cash assistance, food, healthcare, clean water, shelter, protection, and so much more.
An incredible response from the UK
£420 million
raised by the generous UK public, including businesses and foundations
£25 million
The UK Government match funded £25 million of public donations to the appeal
DEC charities are reaching millions of people WITH VITAL AID
The DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal has raised over £420 million including £25 million matched by the UK Government, making it the biggest charity donor to the Ukraine humanitarian response in the world, according to the UN OCHA Financial Tracking Service.
From providing food to families in bomb shelters to helping refugee children overcome traumatic experiences, DEC charities are supporting the local aid effort in five countries to deliver a fast, effective and flexible response.
A Rapid Response Team of the Ukrainian Red Cross training in Odesa, Ukraine. Photo: Maciek Musialek/DEC
Tap segments to see a breakdown
How funds have been spent in the first six months
- Cash: including multi-purpose cash and vouchers for 338,900 people to meet their vital needs
- 47%
- Food: including hot meals and food baskets for 392,000 people
- 17%
- Health: including primary healthcare for 71,000 people and mental health support for 37,000
- 15%
- Other essential support: including protection, education and shelter
- 12%
- Water, sanitation and hygiene: including access to clean water for over 1.9 million people
- 9%
GETTING FOOD TO PEOPLE IN UKRAINE
Access to food has been one of the most pressing needs for people in Ukraine. As parts of the country came under attack, many of those who did not flee, including older people and those with disabilities, had to remain in their homes or move to underground shelters or subways.
DEC funds are continuing to help local aid workers and volunteers get food to housebound people in very challenging conditions. When fuel ran out, one charity began delivering food and essential aid using a network of volunteer cyclists, while others ran soup kitchens and set up food distribution points.
“This humanitarian aid helps during this challenging time. It is crucial. The volunteers are doing an amazing job,” - Ivanna, Kharkiv.
Ivanna receives a food basket delivery from a volunteer with DEC charity CAFOD's local partner. DEC funds are ensuring hundreds of vulnerable people in Kharkiv are not being forgotten. Photo: Dmytro Minyailo/DEC
Ivanna* is a therapist from Kharkiv, Ukraine. She and her family were lucky to escape when shells hit their house and it was engulfed in flames. Since becoming homeless, Ivanna has been staying with friends. She is one of the many people who rely on regular food baskets from Depaul Ukraine, the local partners of DEC charity CAFOD. Funded by the DEC, each food basket costs around 12 euros and lasts five days, with its contents approved by a nutritionist.
In the first six months of the humanitarian response, 392,000 people were provided with food.
KEEPING PEOPLE SAFE IN BOMB SHELTERS
Over six million people are displaced in Ukraine, having left behind their homes, belongings, jobs, businesses and loved ones. Some are hosted by local residents, while others have sought refuge in more rudimentary shelters such as basements and subways.
DEC funds are providing generators for electricity, carrying out winter repairs, and providing warm blankets to bomb shelter residents. From their moment of first arrival to a year later, DEC charities have continued to support displaced families with cash assistance, food, healthcare, and other essential aid through local charities like Depaul Ukraine, run by local priest Father Vitaliy.
"When we couldn’t go outside they would bring us what we needed through the bombings. They risked their lives to provide us with food, water and other necessary items," - Yulia, Kharkiv.
Schoolteacher Yulia and her son, Kolia* sit on a bed in a public bomb shelter in Kharkiv. Her children are able to study online and Yulia is able to teach through her mobile phone, thanks to the DEC funded generators providing electricity. Photo: Maciek Musialek/DEC
When Yulia and her family first fled their home they hid in cold, damp basements for days with no lights or electricity, surviving on just water and cookies. Now they are in a public bomb shelter where DEC charities are working through a local partner to meet people's basic needs.
"We know that we're not forgotten," says Yulia. "It's not just about the help; it's about the understanding and compassion. Words cannot describe how grateful we are."
SUPPORT FOR REFUGEE FAMILIES
The conflict forced millions of people to flee Ukraine and seek refuge in neighbouring countries. DEC charities are working in Poland, Romania, Moldova and Hungary to meet their needs through access to vital aid, cash assistance and psychological support to help. Many of those supporting the aid effort are refugees themselves, keen to help those who arrived later.
In Poland, DEC funds are supporting schools where children from Ukraine are able to continue the Ukrainian curriculum in their own language. Save the Children's local partner Unbreakable Ukraine Foundation is ensuring children have a sense of normality whilst learning to adapt to their new environment.
"The cash vouchers are very convenient and so important to us. We come to the supermarket and buy what our hearts desire. It feels like home. I have only words of gratitude," - Elena, Moldova.
Elena and her husband Victor receive cash support from a DEC-funded cash vouchers programme run by Age International and its local partner HelpAge International in Moldova. Photo: Age International/DEC
Elena had only recently retired when conflict broke out in Ukraine. For the first six weeks she and her husband Victor stayed in their apartment, sleeping in the hallway, but the local shops soon ran out of food, pharmacies no longer had the medicine her husband needed and they struggled to get money from their bank.
Now living in Moldova, the cash vouchers they receive allow them to meet their needs with dignity and independence. DEC charity Age International works with local government departments in Moldova to identify those most in need, many of whom are older people who have lost access to their life savings and are unable to work.
In the frst six months of the humanitarian response, DEC charities provided multi-purpose cash and vouchers to 338,900 people.
MEDICAL AID AND MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT
Since the start of the conflict, physical and mental health needs have spiked. Thousands of people have needed treatment for injuries, while those with existing health conditions have struggled to access medication and treatment. The conflict has also taken a heavy toll on the mental health of children and adults.
DEC charities are providing lifesaving aid including trauma kits for civilians help keep injured people alive until they receive medical treatment. DEC funds are also providing critical equipment to keep hospitals running including generators and medicine. In the community, mobile primary health clinics are ensuring patients have access to medicines for common conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure.
“The doctors said: ‘we are really saving lives with this... a little piece of plastic and metal is really changing the story,’” - Tania from Crown Agents in Kyiv, Ukraine, on lifesaving incubators.
High-tech incubators supplied by DEC charity Christian Aid via Crown Agents are just one of the many lifesaving ways that funds from the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal are providing medical assistance for those caught up in the conflict. Photo: Christian Aid
Doctors in Ukraine say ill health and physical strain have led to a rise in the number of premature births over the last year, and increased complications for newborns, while health facilities have been damaged or destroyed in some areas.
These high-tech incubators are just one example of the many ways that DEC funds are providing lifesaving medical aid for people caught up in the conflict. “Most of these children need special equipment to support life,” said one doctor (who cannot be named for security reasons). “Incubators are one of the key elements of the equipment [that] ensures the microclimate necessary for a baby to survive.”
In the first six months of the response, DEC funds enabled 71,000 people to access primary healthcare, while 37,000 received mental health support including children traumatised by the conflict.
How donations are helping
