Vodafone Group Foundation provides funds to assist the humanitarian relief programme in Georgia.

Vodafone Group Foundation (VGF), through its partnership with the United Nations Foundation, has provided funds to help the humanitarian relief programme launched following the current truce in the conflict between Georgia and Russia.

World Food Programme (WFP), a VGF partner, has used Vodafone funds to provide its teams in Georgia with radios, satellite phones and supplies to bolster communications networks damaged during the conflict, and to enable radio contact between the humanitarian aid workers in the area.

Another VGF Partner, Télécoms Sans Frontières (TSF), has deployed an emergency crew of telecoms specialists to Tbilisi to assess the telecoms needs of the humanitarian community and affected civilians.

The TSF crew will establish communication centres offering broadband internet access, phone and fax lines and provide all the necessary IT equipment for a crisis management centre for the humanitarian relief response.

"Once again, Vodafone is funding essential telecoms support for the first response relief agencies, enabling them to co-ordinate their response more effectively and ultimately save lives,” said Andrew Dunnett, Vodafone Group Foundation Director.

“Further details of the WFP and TSF missions will be forwarded as we receive them following their arrival this afternoon.”