W Bros Walter Ookok DDGM, Chairman Relief Committee, Rohit Radia DG Almoner, Trustee District  Grand Charity  and Pratul Shah, Vice Chairman Relief Committee, District Grand Treasurer  handing over food items for 3,000 people.

Kenyan Crisis - February 2008 - £10,000

Following civil unrest in parts of Kenya, The President of the Freemasons’ Grand Charity has approved a grant of £10,000 to the District Grand Lodge of East Africa’s Grand Charity to complement their local relief efforts.

Violent clashes and rioting following the results of the Kenyan Presidential election left hundreds dead and tens of thousands have been forced to flee their homes. Many families are now living in makeshift camps and are desperately in need of essential supplies like food, clean water and basic household items.

The District Grand Lodge of East Africa’s Grand Charity has already made 1 million Kenyan Shillings (approximately £8,500) available for immediate relief efforts through the Kenya Red Cross Society and Lodges in some of the towns most affected by the events. The grant from The Freemasons’ Grand Charity will be used to increase the support which is being shown to Masons, their dependants and other needy individuals from the wider community.

See a video of conditions at Jamhuri Camp (requires Windows Media Player)

Update - March 2008

A displaced family gather in their small shelter at Jamhuri Camp	Bro Walter Ookok and Bro Pratul Shah hand over plastic utensils to Father Tsokora at Rosa Mystica Academy in Mathare	A displaced family with the few belongings they were able to rescue from their home

Following the grant from The Freemasons' Grand Charity, the District Grand Lodge of East Africa has made a number of donations towards local relief efforts:

• Kshs.200,000/- to the Catholic Diocese of Kitale to buy foodstuff for internally displaced people around Kitale
• Kshs.200,000/- to the Kenya Red Cross Society to assist with the purchase of foodstuff for various camps for internally displaced people within Kenya
• Kshs.100,000/- for the SOS childrens village in Nairobi which is currently caring for 62 internally displaced children
• Kshs.65,000/- for plastic utensils and equipment to Rosa Mystica Academy in Mathare North, a camp which is currently caring for over 120 internally displaced people including 80 children.

For further information contact Natasha Treweek on 020 7395 9394.