Darfur - £50,000 - May 2007

The President of The Freemasons’ Grand Charity has approved an emergency grant of £50,000 to the British Red Cross, as a major initial contribution to a new £2 million appeal to support the work of the International Committee of the Red Cross/Crescent (ICRC) in Sudan.

The crisis in Darfur has been going on for a number of years but the situation has significantly worsened over the last few months. The President strongly believes that the practical work of the Red Cross fully deserves the support of The Freemasons’ Grand Charity to assist in a situation where man’s inhumanity to man has resulted in such appalling deprivation for innocent women and children.

Increased attacks on humanitarian workers in the region are threatening the health and welfare of civilians by forcing aid agencies to withdraw staff and suspend their work. The ICRC is one of the few organisations that is able to cross the front lines of Darfur's conflict to reach and assist people in need from every affected community.

The conflict has resulted in millions of displaced people. Civilians’ freedom of movement is limited, affecting access to fields for planting and also preventing traders from reaching markets. As a result many people are still heavily reliant on food aid and the protection that only the Red Cross can provide.

The ICRC, supported by the British Red Cross, is now providing all basic services in Gereida Camp, one of the world's largest displaced persons camps where over 120,000 people are stranded. The situation is deteriorating and eight times as many people are now seeking refuge in the Camp compared to when it opened in 2004.

The Charity’s grant will go towards providing food, shelter, health clinics, clean water supplies and sanitation facilities for children and families in the Camp.

For further information contact Natasha Treweek on 020 7395 9394.