Report on church relief efforts in Kursk and Belgorod regions for September 16th

DECR Communication service, 17.09.2024

Orthodox volunteers have begun working in one of the hospitals in the Kursk region, where the wounded are being treated, reports diakonia.ru. The Synodal Department for Charity has announced an additional recruitment of volunteers to assist in the Kursk hospital. Those interested can join by calling the Synodal Department's charity hotline at +7 800 70 70 222 or filling out a social volunteer application on the website помочьвбеде.рф.

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Since August 16, 23,717 people have sought help at the Church Center for Comprehensive Social Assistance at the Holy Trinity Monastery in Kursk. On September 16, 1,188 people (297 families) requested assistance from the center. Families in need received sets of household chemicals and food packages. Upon individual requests, pillows, blankets, bed linen sets, towels, stationery, diapers, dishes, baby food, 12 blood pressure monitors, 5 glucometers, 3 inhalers, and 1 pair of crutches were also provided. Assistance was given in finding housing for a single person and delivering food and household chemicals to an 85-year-old woman. Requests were received through the Synodal Department's charity hotline.

Humanitarian aid, including blood pressure monitors, glucometers, and dishes, was delivered to the center from the "Kazan Mercy" service. Additionally, food and household chemical sets, along with 9 kettles, were brought to the center.

Throughout the day, 34 volunteers and 2 volunteer drivers assisted at the center.

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Since August 6, 875 people (303 families) from the Kursk region and 22 people (9 families) from the Belgorod region have contacted the Moscow Refugee Assistance Headquarters under the Synodal Department for Charity. Options for resettlement were offered to 29 families.

1,710 deliveries of assistance have been received at the Moscow Headquarters from churches, monasteries, and concerned citizens since August 6.

On September 16, 16 people (5 families) from the Kursk region sought help at the Moscow Refugee Assistance Headquarters. Compared to the previous day, the number of families requesting assistance increased. All arrived to stay with relatives or acquaintances. All families received humanitarian aid (food, hygiene products, household chemicals, school supplies). Additionally, upon request, pillows, bed linen, and blankets were provided to the refugees.

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Since August 6, 233 people from the Kursk region have sought help at the church headquarters for refugees in Belgorod, located at the Marfo-Mariinsky Monastery.

On September 16, 82 families requested assistance at the church headquarters in Belgorod. An additional 6 families reached out through the hotline. A total of 159 people received humanitarian aid (food, hygiene products, bedding, pillows, blankets, clothing): 142 from Belgorod region and border areas, 11 from the Kharkiv direction, 4 from the Kursk region, and 2 from the Donetsk People's Republic, Lugansk People's Republic, and Ukraine.

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Six volunteers from the Synodal Department for Charity are assisting at three temporary accommodation points in the Kursk region. In the temporary accommodation centers, volunteers care for the elderly and disabled: feeding them, helping with hygiene procedures, and taking them for walks. Since August 19, 19 volunteers from the Synodal Department for Charity have visited the temporary accommodation centers in the Kursk region.

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Clergymen from various dioceses in Russia regularly visit hospitals in Kursk. Since August 9, 5 groups of 5 priests from 3 dioceses have made such trips.

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Volunteers and nurses from the St. Alexii Hospital are taking shifts to care for the wounded and seriously ill at the Kursk Regional Hospital. Since August 15, 16 people have made these visits.

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The Russian Orthodox Church has provided the Kursk Regional Hospital with surgical equipment for conducting neurosurgical operations on victims in the conflict zone. The equipment was delivered by the chief physician and director of the St. Alexii Hospital, Alexey Zarov, during his trip to Kursk.

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At the Spiritual and Educational Center named after St. Joasaph of Belgorod in the city of Grayvoron, Belgorod region, clothing assistance was provided to 7 residents of the border village of Poroz.