Episcopal Relief & Development is partnering with the Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe to help local congregations throughout Europe provide assistance to Ukrainian refugees.

The Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe, the European presence of The Episcopal Church, has a long history of ministry to refugees dating back to before World War I. Since the late 1980s, the Joel Nafuma Refugee Center – based at Saint Paul’s Within the Walls in Rome – has provided direct service to refugees from countless countries, helping them rebuild shattered lives.

Episcopal Relief & Development is working with the Convocation to strengthen and expand the capacity of all Episcopal congregations across Europe to respond to the refugee emergency caused by the violence in Ukraine. The convocation is creating a fund to support local congregations’ refugee response and will pair those grants with training from Nafuma Refugee Center staff. This assistance will vary depending on the needs of the specific refugee groups but will likely include food, shelter, emergency supplies and trauma counseling. Additionally, the center plans to increase its staffing levels, allowing it to provide aid to more people.

“The Convocation of Episcopal Churches in Europe is reporting refugees in their congregations throughout Europe,” said Nagulan Nesiah, senior program officer, Episcopal Relief & Development. “Through this partnership, we are taking steps to equip congregations to welcome these refugees and connect them to ongoing humanitarian initiatives.”

Episcopal Relief & Development is also working with other partners, including the ACT Alliance, on immediate and longer-term responses.

Please continue to pray for all those impacted by the violence. Donations to Episcopal Relief & Development’s Ukraine Crisis Response fund will help meet critical needs created by this crisis.