Charity appeal raises more than £1.7m from readers

An amazing £1.73m has been raised by Guardian and Observer readers for our charity appeal in support of victims of war and conflict.

- Patrick Butler

More than 15,800 readers donated to the appeal, which closed at midnight on Sunday. It was the highest sum raised by the annual appeal since 2016 and the 10th successive year that readers have given more than £1m.

The money raised will benefit three charities: Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and War Child, which carry out frontline medical aid work in war zones, and Parallel Histories, which helps schools teach sensitive and controversial histories such as those of Northern Ireland as well as Israel and Palestine.

The inspiring work of our three partner charities has been featured in a series of articles, a short film and a Today in Focus podcast.

Hundreds of readers have left messages of support. One reader said: "I have no lived experience of war, and so my small donation is my way of saying I care, you do matter, and I'd like to help in a very small way to change something for someone somewhere."