Almost £6.5m raised in Wales for Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal

The Welsh public has helped raise almost £6.5 million in just four days in a continued outpouring of support towards the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal.

The figure includes a Welsh Government of donation of £4 million, which coincided with the Disaster Emergency Committee’s (DEC) appeal launch.

Donations from right across the UK to the appeal have now reached £100 million – the equivalent of more than £1 million an hour since the official launch on Thursday 3 March.

More than 1.5 million people have been forced to flee Ukraine due to the conflict, and many more have fled their homes inside the country.

Most of the refugees are women and children, forced to abandon their homes and loved ones to find sanctuary in neighbouring countries. Some have friends and families they can stay with.

But many have no-one and nowhere to go. The UN estimates up to 4 million people may be forced leave the country and 7 million may lose their homes inside Ukraine.

DEC charities and their local partners are in Ukraine and across the border in neighbouring countries, working to meet the immediate needs of all people fleeing with food, water, medical assistance, protection and trauma care.

Thanks to the public’s generosity, £25 million in match-funding from the UK Government, and £4 million in funding from the Welsh Government, DEC charities have already started to use funds to deliver vital aid and scale up their response.

The DEC brings together 15 leading UK aid charities to save, protect, and rebuild lives through effective humanitarian response in times of overseas crisis. In Wales, it is supported by the British Red Cross, Save the Children, Oxfam, Tearfund, CAFOD and Christian Aid.

‘Amazing show of support’

DEC Cymru Chair Melanie Simmonds said: “This amazing show of support for people fleeing the conflict has meant that we have been able to start spending money straight away to help more people. Save the Children is working in neighbouring countries to help provide children
and families with immediate aid: food, water, hygiene kits, psychosocial support, cash assistance.

“As the conflict continues, we are seeing more and more people having to flee their homes to keep themselves safe. The speed of the exodus from Ukraine has meant that experience in the region and the ability of DEC charities to scale up operations has been invaluable.

“We’re expecting the numbers crossing the border to keep increasing in the coming days. I want to thank everyone who has donated to help us support them in their moment of greatest need.”

Charities on the ground have urged people to show their support through cash donations rather by giving specific items, which although well-meaning are often not what people need and are expensive to transport.

Welsh actors and influencers have also been keen to show their support for the appeal on social media, including Radio presenter Huw Stephens, actor Iwan Rheon, actress and singer Carys Eleri, TV Presenter Mari Lovgreen, and BBC Apprentice winner Alana Spencer from Aberystwyth.

Actors Adrian Lester, Kit Harington, and David Tennant have filmed or recorded appeals, and social media films have been made by Hugh Bonneville and Simon Pegg.

The £25 million donated by the UK Government is the largest commitment ever made to a DEC appeal through the UK Aid Match scheme and amplified impact of the public’s donations, ensuring that charities working on the ground can reach those in urgent need.