South Holland Freemasons have helped provide relief after a cyclone that affected 10 million people in India.
All 21 Masonic centres in Lincolnshire, including those in Spalding and Long Sutton, have contributed to the £15,000 fund to support victims of the recent Cyclone Fani which particularly devastated the Indian state of Odisha.
The aid has been given by the Freemasons’ charity the Masonic Charitable Foundation and will help to provide dry ration kits of rice and other basic food to 5,000 families, along with household essentials like blankets, mats, mosquito nets, buckets and soap.
As a result of the funding a further 2,000 families whose homes were destroyed will receive shelter materials such as ropes and tarpaulins so they can begin to repair their homes, while 2,000 children will be provided with notebooks, stationery and other educational materials so they can get back to school as soon as possible.
The grant of £15,000 is being donated to Plan International UK, which is working to help the most vulnerable survivors in 70 communities in the worst hit areas of Odisha’s Puri district.
A further £1,250 is being sent to freemasons in Bengal, at their request, to support relief efforts on the ground.
Dave Wheeler, the Freemasons’ Provincial Grand Master in Lincolnshire, said: “The lives of many thousands of people across a huge area of Odisha have been damaged by this disaster.
“I’m very pleased that the Masonic Charitable Foundation was able to move so quickly and provide funds for Plan International UK’s vital work at the heart of the disaster zone.”
