OCA Seeks $50,000 to Support Ukrainian Refugees in Poland

WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Orthodox Church in America (OCA) is urging the faithful to support Ukrainian refugees in Poland through a renewed fundraising effort conducted in partnership with International Orthodox Christian Charities (IOCC) and the Polish Orthodox Church’s humanitarian agency, ELEOS.

More than one million Ukrainian refugees remain in Poland after more than four years of war, according to Metr. Tikhon, many of them women, children, and elderly people rebuilding their lives away from home. The OCA previously raised more than $720,000 for ELEOS shortly after the war began, helping provide assistance to refugees and supporting programs that have continued in the years since.

Through the IOCC-ELEOS partnership, refugees have received emergency financial assistance, shelter, legal and housing guidance, employment counseling, Polish-language classes, and childcare. Vocational training and small-business grants have also helped displaced families establish new livelihoods. Church properties have been adapted to provide shelter for newly arrived refugees.

The OCA is now seeking to raise $50,000 to continue these efforts. Metr. Tikhon encouraged clergy, monastics, and faithful to make donations, describing practical assistance to displaced people as an expression of Christian mercy while calling for continued prayers for a just and lasting peace. Donations can be made here.

Previously, the UOJ reported that Ukrainian clergy delivered aid to frontline communities before Pascha.