Maritime charity Sailors’ Society has launched a new fund to provide welfare grants for seafarers and their families.
The Sea Change Fund has established as a response to a huge increase in calls for the charity’s help, with demand for grants increasing by 850% in the first 18 months of the pandemic.
More specifically, the fund will provide small emergency payments to seafarers and their dependents matching the grant criteria, to help address immediate needs.
Sara Baade, Sailors’ Society’s CEO said:
Calls for support have never been greater than now. We launched our Sea Change Fund to help answer these cries, so seafarers and their families who need urgent financial assistance to pay for food, medical bills, schooling or a roof over their heads can get support quickly
In fact, sickness, unemployment and bereavement have left an increasing numbers of seafaring families, “who are often from deprived areas of the world to start with, struggling to put food on the table.”
Ms. also added that “seafarers have endured a challenging couple of years, often full of fear and uncertainty and far away from loved ones.”
We owe them a great debt and now, more than ever, is the time to join together to support our keyworkers of the sea and make the sea change needed when a crisis hits
Grants are made via application and can help with a range of pressing welfare needs, including help with vital bills like food and medicine, education costs, or in emergency situations such as natural disaster or cases of abandonment.
