The amount raised by the Disasters Emergency Committee make the UK the largest charitable donor to the Ukraine humanitarian response in the world
(Picture: AFP via Getty Images)Britons have donated over £400 million to UK charities in order to help those suffering from the war in Ukraine.
According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, the staggering amount raised by the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) would make it the largest charitable donor to the Ukraine humanitarian response in the world.
The DEC brings together 15 UK aid charities in order to pool together donations to be distributed quickly to those in need.
The UK Government match-funded £25 million of public donations to the DEC's Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, its largest ever commitment through UK Aid Match.
Donations from the fund have been used to provide food, generators for bomb shelters and has delivered 75,000 trauma kits for civilian use and 34 incubators for premature babies.
More than £400 million has been donated to UK charities to help people in Ukraine.
— Good Morning Britain (@GMB) February 2, 2023
It means the Disasters Emergency Committee bringing together 15 leading UK charities, has become the biggest charity donor for the country.@BenChapmanITV reports. pic.twitter.com/4NRYWBdAbM
DEC chief executive Saleh Saeed said: “Throughout each phase of the crisis, and each new challenge that's arisen, DEC charities and their local partners have been there to help people get through this – and that wouldn't have been possible without the support of the UK public, businesses, governments and other organisations that have made this appeal such a success.
“The crisis has been so huge, so widespread and so devastating that we wanted to take the time to detail how donations have helped different people at every stage of the year.
“What's more, the level of funds raised mean that we can keep providing that support, as we know that this crisis is far from over with needs developing and changing all the time as the situation unfolds.”
Foreign Secretary James Cleverly said: “Through our work with the DEC, the UK Government has matched, pound for pound, £25 million in generous donations from the British public - our largest ever commitment through UK Aid Match.
“This funding is a life-line for those Ukrainians who have lost everything. Thank you for your remarkable support.”
The majority of DEC funds spent in the first six months of the conflict (59 per cent) were used inside Ukraine, with the rest spent on the refugee response in Romania, Poland, Moldova and Hungary.
Going further, the DEC provided 1.9 million people with access to clean water, 392,000 people with food and 338,000 people with cash payments.
It also provided 114,000 people with legal help and support, 71,000 with access to primary healthcare services and 10,000 with temporary accommodation.
