UKRAINIAN refugees arriving in Worcester will receive free SIM cards with up to six months of service.
Claines Church is working with a local group called Help for Ukrainians in Worcester (HFUIW) to make connectivity available to Ukrainian refugees in the city.
People arriving under the Homes for Ukraine referral program will be entitled to a free SIM card.
In Worcester, Claines Lane Church is initially providing 50 SIM cards including 20GB of data per month and free text and calls for six months.
The Church has worked with Vodafone on its new initiative called Everyone.connected to provide around 200,000 refugees with free Wi-Fi and connectivity.
HFUIW member Geoff Sansome said: “This is a really welcome initiative, and we are grateful to Claines Church for offering themselves as a registered charity to make this happen.
“We will assign SIM cards to the name of the church as our Ukrainian friends arrive”
Reverend Jo Musson, Vicar of Claines Church, said: “While we have faced challenges during the pandemic, the situation of our Ukrainian friends is even more difficult.
“This offer will help Ukrainians relocating to Worcester stay in touch with their families and loved ones and allow us to reach more people and provide them with much-needed support.
“This free connectivity through Vodafone’s Connected Charities initiative is great news. We are welcoming our first two Ukrainians to the parish this week and it will be wonderful to support them.”
Vodafone is urging charities across the UK to get in touch and take part in this scheme.
Emma Reynolds, head of communications, sustainability and regulatory affairs at Vodafone UK, said the scheme aims to tackle digital exclusion and create a more digitally inclusive society.
