International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC)
International Orthodox Christian Charities, IOCC, is the official humanitarian agency of the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of North and Central America. Since its founding in 1992, IOCC has provided more than $400 million in emergency relief and long-term development programs, without discrimination, to vulnerable families and communities in 50 countries. IOCC works in cooperation with the Orthodox Church and strengthens its capacity to respond to those in need. All assistance is provided solely on the basis of need, and benefits orphans, refugees and internally displaced persons, the elderly, school children, families and people with disabilities.
IOCC helps people move from desperate circumstances to hope and economic self-sufficiency. In Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, IOCC provides refugees and IDPs with emergency supplies, vocational training, and tuition for school. In Bosnia, the West Bank and Gaza, IOCC makes possible loans for small businesses, tools and seeds for farmers, and the construction of water cisterns and training in animal husbandry and farming for isolated communities. People in Ethiopia living with disabilities or suffering from the debilitating tropical disease, podoconiosis, receive awareness training, medical treatment, and vocational training to gain self-sufficiency. In Uganda, uneducated children orphaned by war or the country’s AIDS epidemic are finding a fresh start in newly built day and boarding schools equipped with the tools and teachers needed to help them learn and grow towards a future in which they will able to provide for themselves.
Latest from International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC)
As Syrian conflict mounts, refugee numbers likely to exceed UN estimates
Feb 19, 2013
As the bitter battle for Damascus intensifies and its impact increasingly spills across national borders, ACT Alliance expects that even more than 1.1 million Syrian refugees will seek safety in neighbouring countries before June 1 this year – thereby surpassing the latest UN estimates.
International community must step up for Syrian civilians
Jan 30, 2013
With reports that a fresh wave of 21,000 Syrians had arrived in Jordan's Za’atari camp in the last week of January alone, the international community must pledge the funds needed to address this mounting crisis.
ACT aims to meet growing needs in Gaza
Jan 24, 2013
ACT Alliance has stepped-up its efforts to address the deepening humanitarian crisis in Gaza following an Israeli military offensive in November 2012 that left 163 Palestinians dead – including 42 children and 22 women.
Syrian refugees welcomed to Lebanon amidst political tensions
Jan 21, 2013
Syrians continue to flee the incessant violence in their own country for safety across the border. Yet in neighbouring Lebanon, no formal refugee camps exist to assist them.
Syrians forge solidarity to survive harsh winter in Jordan
Jan 16, 2013
As Syria’s civil war drags on, those who have fled the violence for neighboring countries face an increasingly difficult time surviving as winter storms bring snow and freezing temperatures to much of the region.