Press releases

MINSK, 28 January (BelTA) – The Belarusian Red Cross Society (BRCS) has started the distribution of vouchers to displaced people from Lugansk Oblast and Donetsk Oblast of Ukraine, Head of BRCS’ Emergencies and Search Department Dmitry Rusakov told BelTA.

The BRCS started giving out the vouchers on 28 January as part of the operation to help Ukrainian refugees from conflict zones. The aid is provided with the support of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies and the International Committee of the Red Cross. The vouchers for food and hygiene products are distributed among the Ukrainian refugees who are really in need.

The vouchers are available from regional and district offices of the Belarusian Red Cross Society for the Ukrainians who recently came to Belarus, find themselves in a very difficult financial situation and belong to such categories as families with many children, pregnant women and nursing mothers, people with disabilities, elderly people living alone, and single-parent families with one child or more.

All in all, the Ukrainian refugees who belong to these categories will get 3,000 vouchers for the total sum of Br1,800 million. One voucher has a nominal value of Br600,000. It can be spent on food and hygiene products at one of the retail chains.

“The BRCS uses this mechanism for the first time. It will help us provide a more individual approach to the satisfaction of the needs of people in a crisis situation,” Dmitry Rusakov noted.

In the near future, the same mechanism will be applied with the support of the International Committee of the Red Cross and the Swiss Red Cross in order to provide the Ukrainian refugees with food and clothing vouchers. Some 4,000 vouchers worth a total of Br5,400 million will be distributed among the displaced people of the same most vulnerable categories.

The BRCS said that the money provided is not enough to help all those who need it. Thus the organization is monitoring the needs of the beneficiaries and is actively looking for new sources of financing.

Residents of Belarus have also made their contribution. Some Br59 million was transferred to a special BRCS’ account. The money was spent on food, temporary accommodation and other kinds of aid for the Ukrainian refugees.

The BRCS operates a hotline for displaced people coming from Ukraine: 8(017) 294-53-00 and the short number 201 for mobile phone users.