Scottish Government gives £500,000 to Ukraine Appeal

SCIAF’s Ukraine appeal has received a major donation from the Scottish Government. This will go directly towards helping people in Ukraine as they continue to face attacks from Russia.  

The Scottish Government’s £500,000 donation will provide immediate assistance to people who have been forced to flee their homes and are in urgent need of food, water, safe accommodation, transport and information.  

This will also go towards providing families and children with psycho-social support and child support services.  

As a member of Caritas Internationalis, the international Catholic humanitarian network, we are able to able to provide direct assistance through Caritas partners in the region who have a long track record of providing humanitarian services to their local communities.

Funding will go to Caritas Ukraine which is supporting people displaced by the conflict inside Ukraine. Caritas Ukraine’s work has expanded from eastern Ukraine to helping people country-wide. Caritas is also assisting people at Ukraine’s borders as they wait to leave the country.  

Within the span of a week, the invasion of Ukraine by Russia has forced over a million people to flee their homes, with latest reports suggesting over 100,000 people are now internally displaced in their own country but this number is expected to rise. 

We are in close contact with its Caritas partners and is receiving regular updates on the urgent and ongoing needs in the region.  

We are a member of the Scottish Government's Humanitarian Emergency Fund which has played an important role in facilitating this support. 

Alistair Dutton, Chief Executive of SCIAF, said: 

We are appalled to see the brutal invasion of Ukraine and we stand in friendship and solidarity with its people.  We are very grateful for the Scottish Government’s donation which is a great start to our much-needed appeal.

This will provide immediate assistance to Ukrainians who have been forced to flee their homes in the face of war and are in urgent need.

Scottish Government International Development Minister Neil Gray said: 

It is vital that aid reaches the people of Ukraine as quickly as possible, and is targeted to the most vulnerable.

We continue to pray for restraint, peace and security. This crisis is a reminder of the suffering people face at the hands of conflict. We are proud to help people in times of need around the world.