The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge paid a visit to the Disasters Emergency Committee’s London headquarters on Thursday to learn more about the ongoing Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal, which has closed in on £300 million in donations.
During their visit, William and Catherine met with the DEC’s Chief Executive Officer, Saleh Saeed, and aid workers who have been in Ukraine and surrounding countries to support the five million refugees who have fled the country. This included speaking via video link with support staff in Ukraine to learn how the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal funds are supporting people in the country.
The Health Lead for Save the Children Ukraine told the royal couple, via video link, “What the DEC funds have meant is that we’ve been able to significantly scale up our existing work in the country. We’re building our response to providing mobile health units, trauma kits, pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, nutrition support and safe drinking water to respond to this crisis. We’re particularly concerned about the devastating effect on children and these funds mean that we can ensure that children receive high quality care and support now, and in the months ahead.”
Speaking to humanitarian workers at the London headquarters, William said: “We need less disasters in the world.”
After the royal couple left, Saeed told reporters that the royals “were very keen to hear how the appeal was going and thrilled to hear that we’d raise over £300 million and solidified in their minds the goodwill and the response and the generosity of the British public,” and were so enthused by their visit that they planned to give a second donation.
The Duke and Duchess made a private donation to the Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal when the conflict in Ukraine first began.
The Disasters Emergency Committee is a large organisation that brings together 15 charities in the United Kingdom focused on aid work that can quickly raise funds and deploy them in the event of large-scale disasters. Some of the charities involved with the DEC include the British Red Cross, Oxfam GB, World Vision UK, and Action Against Hunger.
In a tweet following their visit, William and Kate wrote: “With more than 11 million people having had to flee their homes to escape the conflict in Ukraine, we heard from the @decappeal about the support they are providing to those who have been displaced.
“Here in the UK, people have been enormously generous with their donations which make this work possible.
“In just seven weeks, the appeal has raised an incredible £300 million — providing food, water, shelter and medical assistance to those who need it most across Ukraine.”
