Freedom Boxes and Freedom Buses
Prague, Czech Republic, 21 March 2022
A humanitarian mission launched within 24 hours of the conflict breaking out in Ukraine is delivering thousands of “Freedom boxes” of essential items and collecting refugees at the Ukraine/Poland border to bring them to safety in the Czech Republic, Poland and Switzerland.
Freedom Boxes is the creation of Stuart Watkins, who also owns a software company which has offices in Prague and Cambridge. When the conflict began, Stuart, his family, and his team set about to do something to deliver help and provide hope to those affected by the invasion. With Freedom Boxes, the team has created an immediate way to directly help those in need.
The team
The team consists of people from the UK and across the Central and Eastern European region, including Russia and Ukraine, who have pulled together to prepare, pack, and deliver Freedom Boxes.
The Freedom Boxes are delivered across the border directly to those in need – in bunkers and war zones – with the team’s drivers risking their lives on every trip.
Two of the four people working on the project in Ukraine are Stuart’s team members and they are helping deal with the coordination of getting people to the border and out of the areas under siege.
Aid in, refugees out
Stuart Watkins, founder of Freedom Boxes, said: “During war, it is always the vulnerable who suffer the most. We are dropping off truckloads of Freedom Boxes for distribution to those who need them and bringing Ukrainian refugees to safety.
“As a private company located in Prague and with colleagues in Ukraine, we had the ability to mobilise our assets, people, and connections very quickly to get up and running and begin helping. Larger organisations are less agile and take longer to mobilise, whereas Freedom Boxes provides a way for people to have a much more immediate and direct impact.
“In just two weeks since the war began, we have already delivered over 450 Freedom Boxes and transported over 70 refugees to safety. We will continue to do whatever we can to get essential items into Ukraine while getting as many people as we can out and away from danger.”
“As the humanitarian crisis worsens, bordering countries are filling up with refugees. They are having to travel further afar which can add days onto their journeys. The Freedom Buses are helping solve this problem.”
Stuart Watkins, Founder of Freedom Boxes
With their tech background, Stuart and his team have been able to quickly build solutions to utilise their assets for the greater good. They employ QR codes to help understand what people need and tracking devices to verify receipt of items.
How you can help
Visit www.freedom-boxes.com to purchase a Freedom Bus ticket for someone fleeing Ukraine. Or choose from a range of Freedom Boxes. These are tailor-made for families, children, and the heroes who have taken up arms to defend their country.
Children who want to let families and children who are victims of war in Ukraine know they are thinking about them are uploading messages of hope at www.messagesofhope.uk. The messages will be delivered directly to Ukrainian families via Freedom Boxes. Children everywhere are encouraged to upload their messages of hope.
For further information, please visit: www.freedom-boxes.com
Visit www.freedom-boxes.com to enable more deliveries and to bring more Ukrainians to safety
Media enquiries
For media enquiries and requests to interview Stuart Watkins please contact Lisa McGauley on +44 7832 113951 or email [email protected]
About Freedom Boxes
We are a UK and Czech based software company and have been based in Central Europe for over two decades. Our company comprises likeminded people from across the region. These include Russians and Ukrainians, all of whom have pulled together to make this happen. It breaks our hearts to see the events unfolding in Ukraine. Along with our employees on the ground, we have created Freedom Boxes to deliver help and hope where it is most needed.
