Supporting people in the Caribbean

Following devastating hurricanes in the Caribbean, a series of grants totaling £110,000 were donated to support ongoing relief efforts.

Three grants totaling £60,000 were awarded to the masonic districts of Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Bahamas and Turks, and Trinidad and Tobago. The largest grant of £50,000 supported Plan International UK’s work in Haiti and the Dominican Republic where more than a million people were badly affected by the hurricane and in urgent need of help.

Despite major coverage of the hurricanes in the media, the crisis in Haiti and the Dominican Republic was largely ignored. Haiti in particular still had tens of thousands of people still living in makeshift shelters following the devastating earthquake of 2010, the cholera outbreak which followed, and the widespread destruction caused by Hurricane Matthew in 2016.

The grant to Plan International UK provided food and kitchen kits, clean water supplies, mattresses and bedding and hygiene kits specifically aimed at women and children. Aid was also provided to help farmers restore their livelihoods and replacement school items to help children resume their education as soon as possible.

Tanya Barron, Chief Executive of Plan International UK said:

“The media moves on but rebuilding takes time. People are struggling to piece their lives back together after the latest in a series of disasters which have devastated these countries. We are hugely grateful to the Masonic Charitable Foundation for their generous grant, which will make a big difference to thousands of people across Haiti and the Dominican Republic.”