The DEC – what is it and how can you donate?

The Disaster Emergencies Committee – or DEC – is an umbrella organisation combining 15 leading aid charities in the UK. When there is a crisis overseas that requires financial help – like the Ukraine war for example – the DEC can pool their resources and get help to those who need it fast. You can donate to the DEC on their website or through GoFundMe.

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What does the DEC do?

As mentioned above, the DEC combines 15 of the leading aid charities in the UK. When help is required fast, these charities can pool their resources to get help on the ground exactly where it is needed. They were launched in 1963 and since then have launched 77 appeals for major overseas disasters, including the Turkey-Syria earthquake, the Ukraine war and the Pakistan floods appeal.

Which charities are members of the DEC?

The 15 charities that are members of the DEC are trusted experts in their areas, each providing different aspects of help where it’s needed. The charities are:

Action Against Hunger
Age International
Action Aid
The British Red Cross
Catholic Agency for Overseas Development
Care International
Christian Aid
Concern Worldwide
International Rescue Committee
Islamic Relief
Oxfam
Plan International
Save The Children
Tear Fund
World Vision

How funds are distributed to charities

The 15 members of the DEC can deliver aid when it is needed through themselves or trusted partners. The DEC uses a formula to work out how to distribute these funds to their charities, which involves looking at how each organisation spends money on aid overseas and also how they fundraise in the UK. No one agency gets more than 20% of the funds available and no less than 3%.

DEC appeals

The DEC works to get the aid needed fast to people who need it amid humanitarian crises. This involves raising awareness of what is going on to people in the UK through appeals.

Turkey-Syria Earthquake Appeal

DEC member charities were among the first to respond to the catastrophic earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria in February 2023. The DEC helped coordinate the response to the earthquakes and helped fund vital aid, such as food, blankets, and shelter for those affected by the crisis. You can read more on how to help victims of the Turkey-Syria earthquake here.

Pakistan Floods Appeal

The DEC has raised £48 million to aid the impact of the historic Pakistan floods which happened in Summer 2022. This money goes to helping people with emergency shelter, healthcare, clean water, food and access to cash, as well as livelihood support. Their work went towards making sure people had adequate shelter in the first six months after the flood, including during winter, and going forward will help people caught up in them to rebuild their lives.

Ukraine

The DEC raised £400 million to help those caught up in the Ukraine war – looking at everything from bomb shelters to access to food and helping children overcome the trauma that goes hand in hand with being in a warzone. They worked with local aid agencies to get food to people who were struggling to access it, providing food baskets to those who were displaced. They provided generators and undertook winter repairs on bomb shelters and gave out warm blankets for the winter.

How can you donate to the DEC?

There are a number of ways that you can donate to the DEC. You can donate to specific appeals online (including Gift Aid), via PayPal, on the phone, by post or by text. You can also leave the DEC as a legacy in your will and the DEC has also partnered with some banking apps so you can make donations directly through there, too. You can read more about how to donate to the DEC here.

You can also donate to the DEC through GoFundMe – or start your own GoFundMe to raise money for them.
We’ve got tips on how to start charity fundraising here.