Charitable organizations have reported continued support from the Danes in the form of donations to Ukraine, This is reported by TV2.
The Red Cross alone has received DKK 693 million since the outbreak of the war on 24 February 2022. That figure includes donations from both companies and private benefactors.
“We have never experienced such massive support in a disaster,” said Red Cross Secretary General Anders Laderkal.
In the first week of the war alone, the charity received DKK 200 million. “The amounts have dropped quite a bit since then,” Laderkal continued. “But they are still very high compared to what is normal for wars and disasters. Last week we received 10 million more from Lego.”
Generosity across the board
Other charities report similarly high figures. Susanne Dahl of Unicef says that the organization received 70,000 donations from private donors in 2022 and that there is no sign of this generosity drying up in the near future.
Save the Children’s fundraising manager Merete Gotsæd Falkenstrøm has never seen such a stream of donations: “It beats everything I can remember being a part of. The interest was of course greatest at the start of the war, but we continue to experience a renewed interest from the Danes.”
Unicef has collected 195 million kroner since the start of the war: 155 million from companies and the rest from private donors. Save the Children has received 40 million, of which the vast majority was donated in the first three months.
Close to home
So why has this war drawn more donations than other disasters? According to Laderkal, the fact that the war is taking place relatively close to Denmark is a factor. In addition, “big business interests” have motivated companies and foundations to shell out for Ukraine.
Professor Michael Bang Petersen, behavioral researcher at Aarhus University, believes that the Danes tend to see the fighting in Ukraine as something more personal than other conflicts or disasters.
“We know that war is really something that activates a willingness to get involved and help,” he said.
“Even when media attention has been less intense, citizens have continued to be willing to bear the costs associated with the war. The persistent desire to help is an expression of the fact that ordinary Danes also see it as their conflict.”