Over 3,100 people volunteer to assist Ukrainian refugees

So far, over 1,400 Red Cross volunteers have been deployed to sites providing aid to Ukrainian refugees, the organization said. In addition, over 1,700 people volunteered through the citizen aid network Ready2Help.

The Red Cross provides aid at over 50 locations where refugees from Ukraine are received. These include the Humanitarian Service Points at the central stations of Utrecht and Amsterdam and the train stations in Amersfoort and Eindhoven Airport. Ukrainian refugees who arrive at those locations receive something to eat and drink and a medical checkup if necessary.

The Red Cross and municipality then help them find accommodation. Sometimes refugees have family or acquaintances in the area. Otherwise, they can go to a municipality's emergency shelter.

According to the latest figures from the Ministry of Justice and Security, nearly 28,000 Ukrainians are currently accommodated at municipal shelters. How many Ukrainians are staying in other shelters or with private individuals is unclear. Ukrainians are asked to register with the municipality, but this is not mandatory.

So far, the Red Cross has supplied over 13,000 camp beds for emergency shelters and distributed about 9,000 hygiene kits. Workers from the aid organization transported over 2,550 refugees to a reception location. People can also contact the Red Cross WhatsApp helpline for help. Since it opened in mid-March, 2,414 requests for help have been received there, including requests for shelter and medical assistance.

People who want to offer help can also call an information line, which has received 1,346 calls. Most callers had questions about looking for or offering shelter.

Together with the organization Takecarebnb, among others, the Red Cross arranges reception with host families on behalf of the government. At the moment, this type of reception is being tested with 140 families.