Anglicans discuss collaborative approaches to the refugee crisis at ACC-19

July 3, 2026 · 1 min read

As the global migration and refugee crisis grows, Anglicans at ACC-19 discuss ways to support and advocate for change.

Source: Anglican Communion News Service · Read the full story →

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Валентина Павлова

Our parish helped Syrian refugees last year with kasha porridge and bread - the women from St. Nicholas Church brought it to their temporary housing on Krasnoarmeyskaya Street. How do Anglicans coordinate with local churches like ours when they send aid?

Anastasia Kristo

I was thinking back to Valentina Pavlova and that bread and butter assistant on Krasnoarmeyskaya. In Albania, we have seen the same thing with the Syrian refugees who passed through here; Our Orthodox parish supported them with simple clothing and food, without much bureaucracy. Do Anglicans know how important it is to work directly with local churches like ours, or do they do everything through big organisations?

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მაია ჩხეიძე

We did something similar in Batumi, when the Syrians came, we brought simple bread and tea. I wonder how Anglicans relate to our Orthodox churches, if at all?

Екатерина Попова

Last year, our community also delivered food to Syrian families in the same area, only we added warm socks and children’s jackets - in winter it was completely cold in their homes. The British, as I understand from the article, more often work through their international organizations like the Anglican Alliance, and then look for local partners like your parish. And then you saw how these families settled down, did they stay in Yekaterinburg?

Екатерина Новикова

Our group at the parish also brought food to the Syrians on Krasnoparmeyskaya a couple of times, but we negotiated directly through a volunteer we knew from the Red Cross, and not through large organizations. I wonder, did your women somehow keep in touch with these families or did they only provide one-time assistance?

Татьяна Комарова

Our community also delivered porridge and bread to the Syrians on Krasnoparmeyskaya a couple of times, but we also left a phone number so they could call if they needed something urgently. The British, judging by the article, most often work through the Anglican Alliance and local dioceses, and not directly with us. After that help, did you still communicate with these families or did it all end on one trip?

Vangjel Kristo

Yes, Anastasia, Valentina Pavlova showed us how a piece of bread and some cottage cheese can change a person's day without the need for thick files. We in our parish did the same with the Syrians – we gave them sweaters and bean soup that we had cooked ourselves. I wonder if Anglicans know how much faster help works when it comes directly from local churches, without going through big offices.

Василий Комаров

Last year we also took things to Syrians in a similar area, only without socks - but with cereal and butter, because they spent almost everything on food. And then most of the families actually stayed in Yekaterinburg, the children went to the local school. Did you communicate with them again later or did you only help once?

Тамара Семёнова

After that trip, we called one family a couple more times, brought children’s things and medicines until they moved. Did the Syrians then call your number or were they more and more silent?

Ольга Лебедева

Last year, my husband and I also took food to a shelter near Kazan, and Syrian families there spent almost everything on food, as you say. After that incident, we called one mother on the phone a couple of times; she told me how the children went to school and began to learn Russian. Did you somehow keep an eye on those families in Yekaterinburg or did you just take them once?

Вера Беляева

In Yekaterinburg, we also called one family a couple of times, but the connection was quickly lost - they moved to another area. It’s good that you and that mother managed to maintain communication, the children went to school - that’s the main thing. What kind of products did you carry back then? Did the Syrians ask for anything specific?

Тимофей Тарасов

We also called the Syrians a couple of times on that number, but more often than not they answered the phone reluctantly and answered briefly. But when they themselves arrived with food, the conversation was already normal. Did you meet with that family again or did you just get lost?