While nearly 12 million around half of Syria’s pre-war population have been displaced from their homes since the start of war almost five years ago, a Catholic charity, committed to helping refugee families affected by the crisis in the Middle East, Aid to the Church in Need relief package has promised to supply at least 5,000 people with essentials; gas, electricity and water.
This violence in the Middle East has mercilessly killed over a dozen of family members, and robbed them of their future. Though the bloodshed is now behind them, they are struggling to make a new life and ACN is working tirelessly to provide vital assistance to thousands of displaced families by distributing food, fuel for cooking, hygiene and sanitation kits, water containers, cash assistance and psycho-social support.
Christians under steady threat of assault in the Syrian city of Aleppo will receive a fresh supply of relief packages in the latest round of aid payments announced by the UK arm of Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need.
Thousands of Christians in Aleppo and Hassake, both in northern Syria, will get a constant 6-month supply of gas, electricity, water and rent – all desperately needed amid a deepening infrastructure crisis caused by growing conflict in the area.
Sister Annie Demerjian will be in charge of the £187,000 aid package. ACN (UK) is providing assistance for 11 major seminarians in Batrun diocese. In Africa, ACN is helping to build a new church for a parish in Cameroon, and providing support for 13 seminarians in Bossangoa diocese, Central African Republican educational and retreat center for Butare, Rwanda.
In Bangladesh ACN is supporting deacons with prayer books and in India ACN is building a new convent, with another on the way in Digos diocese, Philippines.
In Georgia, ACN is helping with the living costs of 14 religious Sisters and in Ukraine the charity is helping the Latin Diocese of Kharkiv-Zaporizhzhya with a new church.
John Pontifex, ACN UK Head of Press and Information, said: “Against a backdrop of enormous suffering which we saw for ourselves, ACN’s help is a great consolation – and we were told this again and again by bishops, priests, Sisters, young and old who gave us words of thanks to be passed on to the charity’s wonderful benefactors.
“As one priest in Homs told me: ‘Our tears are not only tears of sadness, they are tears of joy that someone has heard our cries and come to help us.’”
