Dear all,
Thank you so much for your support! We are getting somewhere.
The Red Cross UK has written back to me. For transparency, I am publishing the whole letter:
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"Dear Ganna,
Thank you for contacting the British Red Cross and for enquiring about our work supporting people affected by the Ukrainian conflict. Please accept my apology for the slight delay in replying.
We understand that news circulating since last week about the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), including false information online, has concerned and angered people. We are trying hard to address rapidly spreading misinformation to help put people’s minds at rest and are updating our website every day with answers to the questions people are asking us.
Our latest information is updated here: https://www.redcross.org.uk/get-involved/donate/donation-questions/emergency-appeals/ukraine-crisis-appeal-faqs
Additionally, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) has also been addressing these concerns and addressing the misinformation on their website here: https://www.ifrc.org/red-cross-ukraine-your-questions-answered
We hope that by doing this we will re-establish trust and people will no longer feel they want their money refunded, as this is not something we can easily do.
Charities are legally required to follow the Charities Act, designed to protect the people the money is intended to help. It states that money given freely and without condition cannot be refunded except in exceptional circumstances, which would be a decision our Trustees would have to make, following guidance from the Charity Commission.
We will, of course, continue to answer people’s questions as openly and thoroughly as we can, and keep monitoring the situation to keep abreast of how people are feeling.
With kind regards,
Tariq
Tariq Ozaibi
Supporter Care Manager
British Red Cross
44 Moorfields | London | EC2Y 9AL
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They have also put together this explanation page: https://www.ifrc.org/red-cross-ukraine-your-questions-answered
1. ICRC denied sending money to the Russian government
2. ICRC denied participation in forced deportations
3. ICRC insist that they are helping people in the war zone
4. ICRC acknowledged that they now need to "rebuild trust" that was damaged
Unfortunately, we did not see an apology for the smiles and photoshoot from Peter Maurer or ICRC management. We also did not receive the exact list of items purchased with donations, although we did receive assurances that money is not going to Russian government.
Please, keep sharing and supporting the petition: https://chng.it/HLx84x9j
I will now be writing to the ICRC audit and oversight committee demanding more precise answers. The more people sign the petition, the more weight our voice will have. I thank each and every one of you for your support!
Best,
Ganna