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Overseas aid charities in the UK

There are 4,018 registered charities in England and Wales working on overseas aid. 2,591 of them (64%) are small, with an income under £100,000 a year.

Updated from the Charity Commission register.

Overseas aid charities bring clean water, healthcare and schooling to communities abroad, help people make a living, and respond when disaster strikes. Alongside the big names are thousands of small UK charities, often with close links to one village, school or hospital.

A small charity can often tell you exactly who your gift helped and how. If you find one you trust, stay with it, so they can plan ahead and keep working with the same community for years.

Find the overseas aid charities that fit you

Answer a few short questions and we'll pick the few that really fit what matters to you, with the reasons why. It takes a couple of minutes, and we never ask for any contact details.

Get my personal shortlist

Clean water and health

1,012 of these charities say this is part of their work. Here are a few of them.

  1. Project Hope, United Kingdom

    HP16 · Income £100k to £1m

    Project HOPE UK works in developing countries and with communities in crisis wherever they may be, to reduce the impact of poverty by improving health, through targeted health education, strategic health-related…

    Their website Charity Commission record

  2. Healing Little Hearts

    LE2 · Income £100k to £1m

    Healing Little Hearts sends teams of Doctors and Nurses to a Hospital from all over the world to developing countries of the world to perform heart surgery and other types of paediatric surgery on children upto 18 years…

    Their website Charity Commission record

  3. Goal (International)

    EC2N · Income £100k to £1m

    To work towards ensuring the poorest and most vulnerable in our world and those affected by humanitarian crises have access to the fundamental rights of life, including but not limited to adequate shelter, food, water…

    Their website Charity Commission record

  4. Christian Response

    EX9 · Income £100k to £1m

    The Charity supports needy families and individuals through churches and other reliable organisations in Moldova, Ukraine and Romania. This is accomplished through regular financial support to families, churches, soup…

    Their website Charity Commission record

Schools and education

1,627 of these charities say this is part of their work. Here are a few of them.

  1. Convoy of Mercy

    NW9 · Small charity, income under £100k

    Educational, medical & shelter projects humanitarian disaster aid and assistance donations to charitable organisations (all the above activities overseas only).Charity is currently operating in Gambia, West Africa.

    Their website Charity Commission record

  2. Computers for Charities

    BN27 · Small charity, income under £100k

    Computers for Charities provides IT / Educational support to UK and Overseas Charities and Voluntary organisations. Primarily as developers of educational and vocational initiatives to aid registered organisatons.…

    Their website Charity Commission record

  3. Ishirini

    SE1 · Income under £10k

    Giving choral concerts and music education workshops worldwide. Raising money for music-and education-related causes, particularly in developing countries.

    Their website Charity Commission record

  4. Traderelief

    RG8 · Income under £10k

    TradeRelief works in developing countries to support sustainable enterprise, employment and social benefits (such as education, vocational training and working with support groups). We provide tailored financing and to…

    Their website Charity Commission record

Emergency relief

486 of these charities say this is part of their work. Here are a few of them.

  1. Disaster Aid UK & Ireland

    SK22 · Small charity, income under £100k

    Provision on a worldwide basis of humanitarian relief and aid in the form of equipment and materials that provide shelter, warmth and comfort to people displaced by natural or other disaster.

    Their website Charity Commission record

  2. Lci Md 105 Foundation

    BA16 · Income £100k to £1m

    The Foundation supports the Lions Clubs in England and Wales to provide Humanitarian aid, Disaster Relief, and Youth programmes.

    Their website Charity Commission record

  3. Rafah International

    IG11 · Income £100k to £1m

    Rafah International provides humanitarian aid to the impoverished people of Yemen and the victims of conflict and natural disasters. It also supports teachers students and educational institutes.

    Their website Charity Commission record

  4. International Relief Foundation

    NW9 · Income under £10k

    International Relief Foundation is a registered charitable organisation established in 2011. The IRF provides humanitarian relief by responding to emergencies and empowering societies through education and training,…

    Their website Charity Commission record

Farming, jobs and livelihoods

117 of these charities say this is part of their work. Here are a few of them.

  1. Bicton Overseas Agricultural Trust

    EX11 · Income under £10k

    Provides advice, training and other assistance to farmers and their immediate trainers and advisers in developing countries, also runs courses on college administration in Devon and overseas for foreign nationals of…

    Their website Charity Commission record

  2. The Mywalit Foundation

    WD23 · Small charity, income under £100k

    A charity with general charitable purposes, giving grants to the elderly, young, disabled and disadvantaged.Focussed on international development and humanitarian issues. Our mission is to work with projects that lead…

    Their website Charity Commission record

  3. Helping in Need

    IG1 · Income under £10k

    1. Promotes gender equality and empowers women in developing countries by providing access to education, skills training, and microfinance programs. 2. Supports initiatives that address child poverty and offers…

    Charity Commission record

  4. Hope International Development Agency

    SW18 · Income £100k to £1m

    HOPE International Development Agency UK works with communities in extreme poverty to bring comprehensive transformation. We provide access to clean water - an essential basic resource; equip and empower men, women and…

    Their website Charity Commission record

Small charities worth knowing

2,591 overseas aid charities have an income under £100,000 a year. Most are run by a few people, often volunteers, and few of them can afford to advertise. Here are some of them, each with recent accounts on the register.

  1. Colonel Doughty-wylie Fund

    SW1P · Small charity, income under £100k

    the provision of financial support, particularly at christmas, to indigent individuals, identified by the FCO/Consulates in the area of operation

    Charity Commission record

  2. The Dyson Charitable Trust

    YO51 · Small charity, income under £100k

    Providing relief to persons in conditions of hardship or distress by reason of their social or economic circumstances.

    Charity Commission record

  3. Ummati Relief Foundation

    B11 · Small charity, income under £100k

    Ummati Relief Foundation works locally here and internationally. Our main aim is to deliver humanitarian aid to relieve poverty to world's most vulnerable the orphans, widows, and the destitute. We provide immediate…

    Their website Charity Commission record

  4. The Lamplighter International Trust

    SG16 · Small charity, income under £100k

    The Trust continues its links with Providence Homes Orphanage in Mawatagama, Sri Lanka. There are now sponsors for 31 children, who each contribute up to £20 per month per child. This year the charity repaired a leaking…

    Charity Commission record

  5. A Passion for Africa

    DA7 · Income under £10k

    Raising finance to build a children's home in Sierra Leone

    Their website Charity Commission record

  6. One World Group Oxted

    RH8 · Small charity, income under £100k

    Aids education, books, school building projects, hospital equipment, agriculture projects, wells,small business initiatives in developing countries.

    Their website Charity Commission record

  7. In Love and Faith

    TS26 · Income under £10k

    (i) Providing relief of sickness among people with HIV/AIDS and other long term health conditions; (ii) Proving the education of the public of people in positions of responsibility in relation to HIV/AIDS; provide…

    Charity Commission record

  8. The Claypool Trust

    IP18 · Income under £10k

    A grant making charity supporting 1. overseas charitable work meeting educational needs of the poor2.Cancer and cancer-related charities, Hospices and cottage hospitals in the United Kingdom, small UK based charities…

    Charity Commission record

Find the overseas aid charities that fit you

Answer a few short questions and we'll pick the few that really fit what matters to you, with the reasons why. It takes a couple of minutes, and we never ask for any contact details.

Get my personal shortlist

Overseas aid charities by town

The towns and cities with the most overseas aid charities, counted by where each charity is registered. London's number includes national charities with a head office there.

Somewhere else? Search by postcode.

Questions people ask

How many overseas aid charities are there in the UK?

There are 4,018 registered charities in England and Wales working on overseas aid. 2,591 of them (64%) are small, with an income under £100,000 a year. The figures come from the Charity Commission register for England and Wales, last refreshed in October 2026. Scotland and Northern Ireland keep their own registers, so their charities aren't counted here.

What do overseas aid charities do?

Going by what they say about themselves on the register, the most common kinds of work are schools and education (1,627 charities), clean water and health (1,012 charities), and emergency relief (486 charities). Many do more than one of these.

Which overseas aid charity should I give to?

The one that fits what matters to you. Tell us a little about it and we'll pick the few charities that fit you best, with the reasons why. It's free, takes a couple of minutes, and we never ask for any contact details. No charity can pay to appear on your list.

Why give to a small charity working on overseas aid?

Small charities run on very little, so a regular gift, however modest, helps them plan ahead. They're often rooted in one place, so you can get to know the people doing the work and see what your help does. Every charity listed on this page has an income under £1 million a year and has sent the Charity Commission accounts in the last two and a half years.

How can I check a charity is genuine?

Look it up on the Charity Commission register by its name or charity number. Its page there shows what it does, who its trustees are and its latest accounts. Every charity on this page links straight to its register record.

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