Each Gold box contains an Aquabox family filter, plus a range of items carefully selected to make life easier for people living in extreme deprivation: tools, lighting, survival aids, cooking equipment, eating and drinking, educational aids and hygiene provisions. This is not a random selection: we liaise regularly with our partners ‘on the ground’ in refugee camps and disaster areas, and the items that go in the Gold box are the things they tell us are most needed.

Because we have to be confident that our aid items are sourced from factories which don’t involve child labour, slave labour or money laundering, the goods in the Gold boxes are purchased only from suppliers who can demonstrate ethical employment and management policies. Wherever possible we purchase goods in bulk, direct from the producer, to ensure that we buy on the best possible terms; and because the Gold boxes are packed entirely by unpaid volunteer teams, there is no additional labour cost involved. Nevertheless, each Gold box represents a cost to us of £150 at 2023 prices, and like everyone else we face rising prices across the board.