Bethenny Frankel raises $25 million for Ukrainian refugees

Bethenny Frankel has raised $25 million (£19 million) to help people forced to flee Ukraine.

The Real Housewives of New York City alum took to Twitter on Friday to announce that the team at her BStrong initiative will use the funds to establish a "welcome centre" in Medyka, Poland as well as offer housing, food, and transportation to those in need.

"We have committed 15m in aid & have raised over TEN MILLION DOLLARS in $ donations for the refugee relocation program. This is MAJOR," she wrote.

After the Russia-Ukraine conflict was declared on 24 February, Frankel and organisers at BStrong started a base camp in Medyka, which is near the Ukraine border.

"It will be the first of many base camps where we will welcome refugees, connect with them, give them very basic needs, and our crisis boxes are en route," explained Frankel, adding that she has opted for a slightly different strategy this time. "It used to be that usually we do cash cards so people can have the dignity to do what they want and rebuild their own communities. But, in this case, it's a different need, like Surfside in Florida, where we wanted to relocate them and connect them with housing or places to be. Here, we're meeting them at the base camp and saying, 'Ok what family do you have? What friends do you have? Where are they?'"

BStrong has been partnered with the Global Empowerment Mission since 2017. Officials previously provided aid to people affected by crises in Puerto Rico, Haiti, and the Bahamas.