UK Aid match funding has announced more than £66 million to 25 charities for life-changing projects in 20 different countries around the world. The programmes have helped save lives and create new opportunities for thousands of people across some of the poorest parts of the world.
It has helped vaccinate children against preventable killer diseases, given people clean drinking water and food, stopped infectious diseases from reaching our shores and helped to create jobs so people can earn a living.
Prime Minister Theresa May made the announcement at a reception for Soccer Aid for UNICEF which has raised £24 million in the last 12 years to support vulnerable children around the world since it started.
She said, “These charities do vital work improving the lives of some of the world’s poorest people and so I am pleased that the Government is able to double the impact they can have, bringing the total raised to more than £60 million. We could not have done this without the extraordinary generosity of people in the UK and their determination to support others in need.”
UNICEF UK Executive Director, Mike Penrose said, “We are incredibly grateful to the Prime Minister for hosting this important celebration of UK aid and the huge impact it has for children around the world. Soccer Aid for UNICEF is a prime example of the power of the British public – digging deep and showing their generosity time and time again. And with the UK government matching public donations for Soccer Aid for UNICEF pound-for-pound this year, together we can make double the difference for children.”
Through UK Aid Match for every £1 donated, the government will contribute £1, giving the British public a say in how aid is spent, helping these projects to go even further. Government funding of more than £30 million by UK Aid Match is the largest annual contribution by the programme since 2013.
