Freemasons Step Up to Aid Ukrainian Refugee Crisis
As the war in Ukraine worsens, over a million refugees have fled the country with hundreds of thousands more displaced internally. Trains out of Kyiv and other cities are overcrowded, and border crossings are jammed with families waiting days in freezing conditions. The UN fears millions more could be forced to flee if fighting escalates.
Red Cross Teams Racing to Help on All Fronts
- Poland has taken in hundreds of thousands and is setting up temporary camps housing up to 400 refugees at a time.
- Moldova’s capital, Chisinau, opened a shelter for 800 people.
- In Slovakia, tents have been pitched at the Ubla border crossing for incoming refugees.
- The Romanian Red Cross is handing out food, water, and hygiene supplies along border areas.
- Hungary’s Red Cross volunteers are ready with bedding, first aid, and essential info points.
All teams are battling sub-zero temperatures to deliver urgent aid including food, clothing, and shelter.
Freemasons Fund Lifesaving Relief Effort
The Masonic Charitable Foundation and the United Grand Lodge of England have donated a generous grant to the British Red Cross to support this vital humanitarian mission. Funded by Freemasons, their families, and friends across England and Wales, the cash boost is already making a big difference.
“We’re very grateful to the Freemasons for this generous grant which makes a major contribution to the Red Cross relief effort for Ukrainian refugees,” said Luke Tredget, Head of Emergencies at the Red Cross. “Most fleeing the violence are women and children who have endured queues of up to 60 hours in bitter cold. They desperately need help and we’re doing everything possible to assist.”
Les Hutchinson, Chief Executive of the Masonic Charitable Foundation added: “I’m proud that Freemasons can support the British Red Cross in helping these exhausted, hungry, and cold refugees. We’re focused on providing the urgent aid they need to survive.”
