Up until the end of last week, donations collected by the Luxembourg Red Cross amounted to €2.4 million. The non-profit organisation relies on the financial support to carry out its activities at the border between Ukraine and Moldova, where they helped get supplies to 400,000 refugees in an initial phase.
The Red Cross has also been carrying out missions on Ukrainian territory since 2014. At the moment, they are working in the region of Donezk, as the Ukrainian government has called on the local population to evacuate the area. Officials fear that the situation in and around Donezk may turn similarly dire to the one in Mariupol.
Red Cross spokesman Luc Scheer provided insight into the organisation’s operations on the ground, explaining that they helped equip eight hospitals in the area: “We brought additional medicine, treatment, and tools to carry our provisional repairs should the hospitals be bombed. We want to ensure that they continue functioning even after being damaged.”
Scheer also noted that those working for the Red Cross are living through dangerous and traumatising conditions: “There is a lot of uncertainty, but our people remain dedicated. Pressure is high and I hope that this will come to an end as soon as possible.”
In terms of logistics, the Ukrainian Red Cross helps coordinate supply chains and get material to where it is needed. On Monday, a convoy of five lories from the Luxembourg Red Cross will set out from Macedonia. Scheer elaborated: “They will deliver things that are needed. At the moment, it is mainly hygiene products, medical supplies, and food, which are all hard to come by.”
As of next week, the Luxembourg Red Cross plans on sending two lorries to Moldova and three to Donezk on a 14-day rotation.
