ACT Alliance

International Orthodox Christian Charities, IOCC, is the official humanitarian aid and development organization of the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA). Founded in 1992, IOCC offers emergency relief and long term development programs to those in need worldwide without discrimination. IOCC works in cooperation with the Orthodox Church and strengthens its capacity to respond to vulnerable communities. All assistance is provided solely on the basis of need and benefits orphans, refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs), the elderly, school children, families and people with disabilities.

IOCC helps people move from desperate circumstances to hope and economic self-sufficiency. In Russia, Georgia, Syria and Jordan, IOCC provides refugees and IDPs with emergency supplies, vocational training, and tuition for school. In the West Bank and Kosovo, IOCC makes possible loans for small businesses, tractors and seeds for farmers, and the construction of water cisterns and training in animal husbandry and farming for isolated communities. People living with HIV/AIDS and children that have been orphaned by the disease in Ethiopia receive awareness training, home-based care, and start-up loans for small businesses. In Lebanon, hundreds of dilapidated public schools have been repaired and supplied with new equipment through IOCC’s partnership with local Lebanese organizations.