News and announcements from International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) http://www.iocc.org Thu, 4 Mar 2010 10:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/news/3-03-10haiti-release.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/images/news/3-03-10haiti-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a> Seasonal rains in Haiti are aggravating the humanitarian situation caused by the earthquake and putting the populace at increasing risk for mosquito-borne infectious diseases, such as malaria. In response to the urgent health needs of Haitians, many who are still without adequate shelter following the January 12 earthquake, International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) is providing more than $350,000 in emergency health kits that contain basic medicines, consumable medical supplies for surgeries and wound care treatment ... </p> http://www.iocc.org/news/3-03-10haiti-release.aspx http://www.iocc.org/news/3-03-10haiti-release.aspx Wed, 17 Feb 2010 18:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/news/2-17-10-souper-release.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/images/news/2-17-10souper-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a> While millions of people watched their televisions with imploring shouts of "Who dat?" for the New Orleans Saints in the Super Bowl, Orthodox Christians joined together as saints of the Church to help the poor in their local communities and around the world through support for the mission of International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) in the "Souper Bowl of Caring" on February 7, 2010. The "Souper Bowl of Caring" utilizes Super Bowl weekend to mobilize young people to fight hunger and poverty. Young people collect monetary and food donations during the week leading up to Super Bowl Sunday and then give them directly to charities of their choice ... </p> http://www.iocc.org/news/2-17-10-souper-release.aspx http://www.iocc.org/news/2-17-10-souper-release.aspx Mon, 15 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/news/2-15-10haiti-release.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/images/news/2-17-10haiti-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a> IOCC Senior Programs Coordinator Mark Ohanian and Fr. Antonio Perdomo, a trained emergency responder and pastor of St. George the Great Martyr Church in Pharr, Texas, arrived in Haiti this weekend to consult with Orthodox Christian communities and ecumenical partners about the on-going assistance and further assess the short and long term needs of the survivors of the January 12 earthquake. The team left Baltimore on Saturday, February 13 and expects to remain in Haiti for at least one week ... </p> http://www.iocc.org/news/2-15-10haiti-release.aspx http://www.iocc.org/news/2-15-10haiti-release.aspx Wed, 10 Feb 2010 12:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/news/2-10-10haiti-release.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/images/news/2-10-10haiti-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a>Aid provided to Haiti by International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) is nearing $1.7 million and continues to flow into the country nearly one month after the disastrous earthquake struck. The distribution of aid supplies, which began arriving to Haiti within one week of the disaster, has directly served an estimated 75,000 people. Humanitarian assistance has recently been distributed in Port-au-Prince as well as areas to the west of the capital in the towns of Gressier, Leogane and Petit Goave ... </p> http://www.iocc.org/news/2-10-10haiti-release.aspx http://www.iocc.org/news/2-10-10haiti-release.aspx Tue, 26 Jan 2010 18:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/news/1-26-10haiti-release.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/images/news/1-26-10haiti-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a>Survivors of Haiti's devastating January 12 earthquake living in temporary shelters in the Belair neighborhood of Port-au-Prince access clean drinking water provided by International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) in partnership with fellow ACT Alliance member Norwegian Church AID (NCA). Water purification and sanitation equipment for 10,000 Haitians and 500 family tents valued at more than $600,000 was airlifted to Haiti on January 18. The water system provides homeless families in the ravaged neighborhood with piped in water points ... </p> http://www.iocc.org/news/1-26-10haiti-release.aspx http://www.iocc.org/news/1-26-10haiti-release.aspx Fri, 22 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/news/1-21-10haiti-release.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/images/news/1-21-10haiti-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a>Baltimore, Md. (IOCC) -- International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) has responded to the urgent need for medical supplies and basic medications to treat the injured and sick in Haiti with a shipment of critically-needed medicines and hospital supplies expected to assist over 45,000 Haitians. The assistance, delivered today to King's Hospital in Port-au-Prince, is worth more than $1.2 million and was provided by IOCC's long standing partner, Medical Teams International (MTI). The supplies will help to meet some of the urgent demand for antibiotics, anesthesia medications for surgery and pain medications ... </p> http://www.iocc.org/news/1-21-10haiti-release.aspx http://www.iocc.org/news/1-21-10haiti-release.aspx Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/news/1-18-10haiti-release.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/images/news/1-18-10haiti-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a>As Orthodox Christians around the country gathered on Sunday to assemble hygiene kits and pray for the people of Haiti, their financial gifts were supporting the transfer of critically-needed supplies to Haitians. Over the weekend an airlift of water purification and sanitation equipment for 10,000 people and 500 family tents are expected to arrive in Port-au-Prince. The airlift was made possible by a partnership between ACT Alliance members International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) and Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) and valued at more than $600,000. IOCC's contribution to the airlift was underwritten by an emergency grant from the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society, a philanthropic organization of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America and long-standing partner with IOCC. </p> http://www.iocc.org/news/1-18-10haiti-release.aspx http://www.iocc.org/news/1-18-10haiti-release.aspx Sat, 16 Jan 2010 09:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/news/1-16-10haiti-release.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/images/news/1-16-10haiti-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a>Linthicum Heights, MD -- The emails started flying almost as soon as word got out. Haiti had been devastated by its worst earthquake in 200 years and the ladies of Holy Cross Antiochian Orthodox Church in a quiet suburb south of Baltimore went to work. "We decided that children or anyone who was going to the Holy Cross movie night on Saturday could make hygiene kits for IOCC," said Debora Mattingly, president of the church's ladies group. Mattingly then sent out an email on Wednesday -- just one day after the quake hit -- asking those who were stopping by at that evening's Vespers service to also bring supplies ... </p> http://www.iocc.org/news/1-16-10haiti-release.aspx http://www.iocc.org/news/1-16-10haiti-release.aspx Fri, 15 Jan 2010 15:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/news/1-15-10haiti-release.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/images/news/1-14-10haiti-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a>Baltimore, Md. (IOCC) -- International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) is working in partnership with Norwegian Church Aid (NCA) to deliver two of the most critical needs in Haiti today -- water and shelter. Water purification equipment that will serve 10,000 people and 500 family tents, as well as other supplies, are being airlifted to Haiti. The aid, valued at more than $600,000, is expected to reach Port-au-Prince by Saturday, January 16. IOCC's participation in the airlift is made possible through a $20,000 emergency grant by the Greek Orthodox Ladies Philoptochos Society. The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) has also expressed its solidarity with the people of Haiti by donating $10,000 to IOCC's relief effort. ... </p> http://www.iocc.org/news/1-15-10haiti-release.aspx http://www.iocc.org/news/1-15-10haiti-release.aspx Thu, 14 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/news/1-14-10haiti-release.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/images/news/1-14-10haiti-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a>For the people of Haiti, the hemisphere's poorest country, life was difficult enough before the massive 7.0-magnitude earthquake that devastated the capital of Port-au-Prince on Tuesday. Since news of the earthquake came to light, IOCC staff have been contacting partners active in Haiti and attempting to reach Orthodox parishes on the island to coordinate our response to the growing need. Like many Haitians who have been struggling to reach their loved ones, IOCC is finding direct communication difficult -- symptomatic of the widespread destruction and ruined infrastructure that is now beginning to be revealed. ... </p> http://www.iocc.org/news/1-14-10haiti-release.aspx http://www.iocc.org/news/1-14-10haiti-release.aspx Mon, 11 Jan 2010 09:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/news/execsummary12-09.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/images/news/execsumm12-09_deam-message-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a>In spite of a difficult economic environment, this last year was a very productive one for IOCC as we expanded our work in key areas. In the Holy Land, IOCC provided agricultural development in the West Bank and continued humanitarian relief supplies to the embattled communities of Gaza. In Syria, IOCC was awarded $3.75 million as a continuation of its work to provide Iraqi refugees with job skills training, education and humanitarian assistance. Throughout East Africa, IOCC continued to supply millions of dollars worth of medical supplies and books. In 2009, IOCC also began a new work with the Uganda Orthodox Church to build new schools and equip an orphanage. ... </p> http://www.iocc.org/news/execsummary12-09.aspx http://www.iocc.org/news/execsummary12-09.aspx#article1 Mon, 11 Jan 2010 09:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/news/execsummary12-09.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/images/news/execsumm12-09_ethiopia-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a>IOCC has launched a new program in Ethiopia that is addressing sexual and gender-based violence against female refugees living in the capital of Addis Ababa. IOCC has provided workshops for 20 refugee women who are representatives of their communities to raise awareness regarding sexual and gender-based violence prevention and support. Also, 50 police officers in Addis Ababa were provided training on preventative measures, available assistance for victims, and applicable protective laws. IOCC and the Ethiopian Orthodox Church will also provide psychological counseling and medical support to victims, skills training for economic self-sustainability and public awareness raising activities. IOCC's program is made possible through a partnership with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church's Refugee Affairs Department and with funding from the U.S. Embassy Julia Taft Fund and the U.S. Department of State Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration. </p> http://www.iocc.org/news/execsummary12-09.aspx http://www.iocc.org/news/execsummary12-09.aspx#article2 Mon, 11 Jan 2010 09:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/news/execsummary12-09.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/images/news/execsumm12-09_lebanon-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a>Bekaa, Lebanon -- When Lara, Nancy, and Mohammad returned to school from their summer vacation, they saw something most public school students in Lebanon rarely see; new clean bathrooms. Students in Lebanon's under-funded public schools are still denied basic, sanitary bathrooms. The bathrooms were so bad in the Kob Elias Intermediate School in Lebanon's Bekaa region that many of the 220 students often waited until they got home to use the bathroom. "Nothing functioned properly and nothing in there was even close to hygiene standards," says school health advisor Ms Fida Eid ... </p> http://www.iocc.org/news/execsummary12-09.aspx http://www.iocc.org/news/execsummary12-09.aspx#article4 Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/winter2009/winter2009_pg1.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/emailnews/winter2009_photo1-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a>Amman, Jordan -- Three years ago, Iman and her family left everything and fled Baghdad's violence for Amman, Jordan. "'You have twelve hours to leave the country,' they told us," recounts Iman, "so we left." But good jobs are in short supply in Jordan so Iman's husband, a skilled surgeon, relocated to Sudan, itself a volatile and war-torn country. The United Nations estimates there are approximately 42 million refugees worldwide (both individuals displaced to a foreign country as well as those displaced inside their country) Millions of refugees languish in shelters for years, dependent on others for the basics. Refugees and displaced persons face special problems: the relief of escaping wars or natural disasters gives way to the stress of having to start their lives over, usually with few belongings ... </p> http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/winter2009/winter2009_pg1.aspx http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/winter2009/winter2009_pg1.aspx Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/winter2009/winter2009_pg2.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/emailnews/winter2009_photo2-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a>An IOCC staff person recently traveled to the nation of Georgia to report on the plight of displaced families and how IOCC was assisting them. About 25,000 individuals were displaced from their homes as a result of the 2008 war in South Ossetia. She tells of walking into a school that had been converted into a makeshift shelter for about 100 families from South Ossetia, mostly farmers. As soon as the residents learned that she was a visitor, they immediately crowded around her, convinced that she had news of their farms or could tell them how soon they could go home. One woman came up to her and said, "Please tell them to stop burning our farms because we are willing to go back." ... </p> http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/winter2009/winter2009_pg2.aspx http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/winter2009/winter2009_pg2.aspx Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/winter2009/winter2009_pg3.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/emailnews/winter2009_photo3-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a>Dirbi, Georgia -- It's a pleasant evening in Dirbi. A brief thunder storm has washed away the muggy heat. As the sun sets, Manana, 49, sits in her yard, watching the water buffalo make their way from the pastures into this rural farming village in the Shida Kartli region of Georgia. Behind its idyllic facade, Dirbi is still struggling to recover from the events of summer 2008. On the evening of August 7, Manana, her husband and two sons, and the nearly 3,000 other residents of Dirbi watched with horror as war broke out in nearby South Ossetia ... </p> http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/winter2009/winter2009_pg3.aspx http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/winter2009/winter2009_pg3.aspx Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/winter2009/winter2009_pg4.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/emailnews/winter2009_photo4-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a>Katente, Uganda -- Far off the main road linking the capital city of Kampala with the Lake Victoria commercial port of Jinja, children lie in wait near the trenched ditches along dirt roads, waiting for white ants to climb out of their hills before the heat of the sun drives the insects underground again. With weathered plastic cups in hand they hope to catch as many of these delicacies as possible. For many children in this area, these white ants may represent their biggest source of nutrients. The HIV/AIDS epidemic and civil war over the past two decades have left a wake of extreme poverty and large families parentless and displaced from their homes ... </p> http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/winter2009/winter2009_pg4.aspx http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/winter2009/winter2009_pg4.aspx Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/winter2009/winter2009_pg5.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/emailnews/winter2009_photo5-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a>Baltimore, MD -- A classroom full of three and four year olds dig into their bowls of Cheerios. On closer inspection, you see that their placemats are also diagrams marking where to place bowl, spoon and napkin. This is a "Family-Style Meal" at a Head Start program in suburban Baltimore, meant to teach these pre-schoolers etiquette at meals. After breakfast, their teacher, Cindy Kleiman, gives them a lesson on fire safety, explaining the purpose of a fire hydrant. She passes around a poster and the children giggle at a picture of a Dalmatian wearing a fireman's hat. Head Start is the federal program that provides millions of low-income children across the U.S. with comprehensive nutrition, health, education, and parental involvement services ... </p> http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/winter2009/winter2009_pg5.aspx http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/winter2009/winter2009_pg5.aspx Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/winter2009/winter2009_pg6.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/emailnews/winter2009_photo6-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a>Baltimore, MD -- IOCC has launched a new program to support the efforts of the Romanian Orthodox Church to more effectively help Romanian communities achieve economic sustainability and overcome severe social issues. The new program is made possible through a $1.6 million grant from the Romanian Ministry of Labor, Family and Equal Opportunity and the European Union. Romania, one of the newest members of the European Union, has tremendous human and natural resources, though it lags far behind the rest of Europe in jobs and income level. Access to healthcare is inadequate in many rural areas. The two-year program will help the Church become a key player in providing social services and in creating new jobs and improving education and health care ... </p> http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/winter2009/winter2009_pg6.aspx http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/winter2009/winter2009_pg6.aspx Wed, 23 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/winter2009/winter2009_pg7.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/emailnews/winter2009_photo7-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a>Anne Pourakis Alexandrou of Cold Spring Harbor, New York went the extra mile recently for IOCC and the people it serves. "Through hard work, commitment, and dedication that I have experienced in the last 5 months of training for the NYC marathon, IOCC exhibits the same dedication and commitment every single day of every single year," says Anne. After the NYC Marathon, Anne plans to continue to work as the GOYA advisor in her parish. "They are the next generation and by increasing their awareness they are empowered to make the difference" in our future ... </p> http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/winter2009/winter2009_pg7.aspx http://www.iocc.org/nwsltr/winter2009/winter2009_pg7.aspx Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/news/execsummary11-09.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/images/news/execsumm11-09_deam-message-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a>Bassema Jaghoub is one of our dedicated staff persons based in IOCC's Jerusalem/West Bank office. On some days she must leave her home as early as 4:00 a.m. in order to negotiate the many checkpoints that she encounters on her way to the villages where IOCC is working. "I cannot say that we have broken down all the barriers that many families face here in the West Bank, but we have been able to break down some," she said, referring to IOCC's work in the Qalqilya region where IOCC has enabled hundreds of families, who have been cut off from their farmlands and water sources by the West Bank Barrier, to create house gardens and build water cisterns. ... </p> http://www.iocc.org/news/execsummary11-09.aspx http://www.iocc.org/news/execsummary11-09.aspx#article1 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/news/execsummary11-09.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/images/news/execsumm11-09_cameroon-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a>IOCC recently delivered a shipment of 17,000 textbooks for middle and high school students in Cameroon. The literature, grammar and composition books, valued at over $630,000, were provided by Pearson to IOCC in cooperation with Brother's Brother Foundation. The books were delivered to government secondary schools and to schools in the remote villages of Datcheka and Tchatibali where the Cameroon Orthodox Church provides health, education and agricultural support. IOCC has signed an agreement with Cameroon's government to provide additional school books. ... </p> http://www.iocc.org/news/execsummary11-09.aspx http://www.iocc.org/news/execsummary11-09.aspx#article2 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/news/execsummary11-09.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/images/news/execsumm11-09_jordan-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a>A shipment of wheelchairs and other mobility devices worth $150,000, provided by IOCC through a partnership with Hope Haven International, was shipped to more than 170 disabled Jordanians. The organization, Eleanore's Project, provided a volunteer team of specialists to instruct Jordanians in using new models of wheelchairs, repairing wheelchairs, and to properly seat people with disabilities. Most disabled individuals cannot afford a wheelchair in developing countries like Jordan, and they live a life of confinement, completely dependent on others for mobility. IOCC's project was recognized by Princess Muna Al-Hussein, mother of Jordan's King Abdullah and honorary president of the Family and Friends Society of Persons with Disabilities which helped distribute the wheelchairs. IOCC has been active in Jordan since 2005 where it has provided millions of dollars worth of donated medical supplies and pharmaceuticals, blankets and books. ... </p> http://www.iocc.org/news/execsummary11-09.aspx http://www.iocc.org/news/execsummary11-09.aspx#article3 Mon, 21 Dec 2009 12:00:00 EST <p><a href="http://www.iocc.org/news/execsummary11-09.aspx"><img src="http://www.iocc.org/images/news/execsumm11-09_ethiopia-rss.jpg" align="left" height="144" width="144" alt="IOCC" border="0" /></a>IOCC has begun a new project in Ethiopia to improve the employability of people with disabilities. Funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented in cooperation with two established local agencies, the project will enhance the opportunities and employability of people with disabilities by equipping them with necessary skills, knowledge and tools. The project also aims to raise awareness among employers and the public about the potential for employment among people with disabilities. IOCC began operations in Ethiopia in 2001 through a partnership with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church to provide clean water sources and improved farming techniques. IOCC is currently operating a comprehensive U.S. government-funded program to help prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and has also recently initiated another program with the Ethiopian Orthodox Church that creates awareness of sexual and gender based violence among urban refugees in the capital city of Addis Ababa. ... </p> http://www.iocc.org/news/execsummary11-09.aspx http://www.iocc.org/news/execsummary11-09.aspx#article4