Source: International Orthodox Christian Charities Baltimore, MD (IOCC) — Thousands of South Sudanese families who fled the violence and bloodshed from their country’s civil war now face new hardships as refugees in Ethiopia. More than 196,000 refugees, of which nearly two-thirds are children, have endured months of living out in open fields with little shelter from the searing sun, torrential rains, and floods that washed away the few possessions they managed to cling to in flight. Stagnant water and poor sanitation created a breeding ground for cholera and other infectious diseases, and threaten the health of children already weakened by…
Browsing: International Orthodox Christian Charities
Source: International Orthodox Christian Charities Baltimore, MD (IOCC) — Fleeing for their lives, more than 2,400 exhausted and traumatized Christians from northeastern Syria sought refuge in the towns of Hasakah and Qamishli after their small communities were terrorized this week. The attackers targeted a stretch of villages along the southern bank of the Khabour River, where they burned homes and churches, murdered a fleeing 16-year-old boy, and abducted 150 Assyrian Christian men, women and children from their homes. For those who managed to escape the attack and seek shelter in Hasakah, International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC), with its church partner,…
Source: IOCC Baltimore, MD (IOCC) — From comforting survivors of the 9/11 attacks in 2001, to helping Midwest families clean out their homes after last summer’s devastating floods, International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) has been responding to the needs of disaster victims across the US for more than a decade through the IOCC Emergency Response Network, or Frontline, as well as the support of local Orthodox Christian parishes in outreach to disaster-affected communities. IOCC’s track record of readiness in times of disasters and emergencies has earned it a position as the newest member of the nation’s largest network of disaster…
Source: Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America To the Most Reverend Clergy, Venerable Monastics and Devout Faithful of the Holy Orthodox Churches in the Americas: Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, During this holiday season, many of us are turning our thoughts to welcoming beloved family and friends into our homes, to share with them the best that we have to offer, and to share our gratitude for the many blessings our Heavenly Father has bestowed upon us. As we prepare to open our homes to guests who are dear to us, please consider welcoming one more guest into…
Source: International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) Baltimore, MD (IOCC) — From the smallest rural towns to the biggest cities, two-thirds of America’s children living in poverty have no books at home, according to the nation’s largest literacy program, Reading is Fundamental. Children with no regular access to books and reading are at greatest risk for struggling in school and in adulthood. Unfortunately, books are often inaccessible for children whose families are trying to makes ends meet and the cycle of poverty and low educational achievement are reinforced. International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) is working to promote literacy and learning for…
Source: International Orthodox Christian Charities Baltimore, MD (IOCC) — When record rainfall drenched the Midwest in July and triggered massive flooding of communities across Minnesota and Iowa, teen volunteers from St. Mary’s Greek Orthodox Church in Minneapolis were among the dozen members of an International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) Orthodox Action Team who traveled to the hard-hit Iowa town of Rock Rapids to help an elderly flood survivor clear away waterlogged debris from his home. Orthodox Christian youth across the U.S. also have a history of eagerly volunteering their time and energy to assist IOCC in helping families rebuild and…
Source: International Orthodox Christian Charities Nineteen New “Frontliners” Trained with Support from Leadership 100 June 4, 2014 Archbishop Nicolae of the Romanian Orthodox Archdiocese in the Americas (front, center) hosted Bishop Peter of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia, IOCC Executive Director Constantine Triantafilou, IOCC U.S. Program Representative Daniel Christopulos and members of the IOCC Emergency Response Network gathered for training in Chicago, IL. With support from Leadership 100, there are now more than 100 Orthodox Christians trained to respond to disasters in the United States. photo: IOCC His Grace Bishop Demetrios, Chancellor of the Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Chicago…
Source: International Orthodox Christian Charities Baltimore, MD (IOCC) — Swirls of fragrant steam billow above large steel cauldrons as five middle-aged women stir thick, bubbling yellow lentil soup over gas burners. Six mornings a week, the three Lebanese women and two Syrian refugee women gather in the Akkar community kitchen created by International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) to prepare a hot and hearty soup or stew that will feed 240 Syrian refugee families scattered across makeshift settlements in the Miniara area of northern Lebanon. Most of the refugee families who receive the hot meals do not have kitchens equipped to properly…
Source: International Orthodox Christian Charities Baltimore, MD (IOCC) — Syrian civilians evacuated from the embattled city of Homs under a UN-negotiated cease-fire are being aided by International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) as they flee to safety. IOCC and its church partner in Syria, The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East (GOPA), are in Homs assisting in the evacuation that began this weekend and are providing emergency relief to the Syrian people fleeing the city. Among the evacuees were ten youths who were immediately taken to the nearest medical facility for needed vaccines and medical attention. IOCC/GOPA also assisted…
Source: International Orthodox Christian Charities Baltimore, MD (IOCC) — Joumana will never forget the day she, her husband and two children abandoned their home in the war-torn Syrian city of Homs. “The situation was getting worse and worse each day, but we didn’t want to leave our neighborhood,” Joumana recalled. The need to flee came suddenly when they witnessed her mother-in-law killed right before them. After a hasty burial, they left for Damascus with few possessions. The horrifying memories of war and personal loss continue to haunt Joumana and her family more than a year after they were uprooted from their…
Source: IOCC Athens, Greece (IOCC) — His Beatitude Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece recently met with the Greek Minister of Health, Adonis Georgiadis, to announce support for Greek hospitals with the shipment of five containers of medical supplies valued at nearly $4 million. The Archbishop was joined by Apostoli General Director, Constantinos Dimtsas and IOCC Program Coordinator in Greece, Despina Katsivelaki, to discuss the most effective way to distribute the aid to benefit public hospitals facing shortages of essential medical supplies. Through the support of The Jaharis Family Foundation, Inc. and its “Give for Greece” Challenge Gift to International…
Source: International Orthodox Christian Charities Athens, Greece (IOCC) — Nick, a 61-year-old unemployed construction worker, stands silently in line at a modest storefront in Kallithea, Greece. Doing his best not to be noticed, he and his wife Theodora wait with scores of other people to receive parcels filled with staples from the food bank established by Apostoli, the social service agency of the Archdiocese of Athens, with support from International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC). Admitting that he needs help does not come easily for Nick, who lives in this densely populated working class suburb of Athens. His situation is all…