Serbia (IOCC) - “It reminds me of that algebra equation with twoindependent variables which is sohard to solve. How does one stretchfour 100 Dinar bills (about $10) intoeight 100 Dinar bills–a minimum forsurvival in Serbia?” asks AleksandarAcimovic, IOCC Project Monitor inthe Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, ofthe challenges faced by a growingnumber of pensioners, families,refugees–and working people–tryingto make ends meet in what hasbecome Europe’s poorest country.More than 70% of Serbia’s people nowmust struggle to find an answer to thenearly impossible equation each day.Petar, a librarian at the Belgrade

University Library, is all too familiarwith this perplexing equation. Hismonthly salary, including benefits,does not exceed $13 for his family often. He lives in a small one-bedroomapartment in the vicinity of theUniversity, enabling him to walk towork and saving him a lot of troubleand money. After work he goes home

to his still joyful and radiant wife. Shedoes not work. Had there been a jobfor her, she would use her degree innutrition. Since there are no prospectsof a job, she has decided to dedicateherself to their eight children. So how do Petar and the thousands

of families like his in Serbia resolvethe equation? Petar tells a sad but amazing story

about what he describes as his“patchwork life.” Forced intoconstant debt on his checkingaccount at the Postal bank, he justshrugs his shoulders when thepostmen arrives, blushes, calculates,and when an opportunity presentsitself, unloads coal and takes otherodd jobs to pay the debt. Born in Belgrade, Petar is the son of a

Russian refugee who came to Serbia.Eighty-three years after his familyemigrated in search of a better life, the university-educated Petar recently began acceptinghumanitarian assistance distributedby IOCC to the most vulnerableemployees of the University Library.

Cease-fire in the DailyBattle forSurvival

&VOLUME 3, NO. 1 SPRING 2000

Petar and his family gather for a photo during a recent visit from IOCC project monitorAleksandar Acimovic who brought food and hygiene parcels as part of an IOCC program toassist the most vulnerable families in Serbia.

Photo: Aleksandar A

cimovic/IOC

C Be

lgrade

Based on reports fromAleksandar Acimovic

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INTERNATIONAL ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHARITIES

NEWS NEEDS

“It is like acease-fire in my daily battle for survival.”

~Petarcontinued on page 4

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Through visits to refugee shelters, hospitals, orphanagesand other social care institutions, IOCC staff regularly seekout the most vulnerable people in need of assistance.Working in countries where people have suffered from war,been cut-off from support networks due to social unrest orseen their savings and all available resources dry up underinternational economic sanctions, it is no easy task toidentify the “most” vulnerable. The need is so great.No matter where IOCC provides help, however, the

elderly and the children are universally most affected andare therefore frequently the beneficiaries of IOCC assistance.Recently, IOCC secured funding from the European

Union to provide much-needed food, hygiene andmedical assistance specifically for the elderly in Belgrade,Serbia. In Russia, IOCC is helping young and old alikethrough a program that provides supplemental food topeople struggling to survive on meager pensions orchildren who have been abandoned. (See story, page 5.)The very young and the very old are not distinguished from

other groups only by their extraordinary needs. Theydiffer by the variety of gifts they have. The elderly have awealth of experience, while the young an innocence andenthusiasm to learn and inspire their teachers.It is not surprising then that the IOCC staff ranges in age

from mid-twenties to late seventies. Whether standingwatch over IOCC field offices and warehouses to ensurethat aid is distributed during times of unrest, or leadingnegotiations with community leaders, the pairing ofdifferent gifts is an important part of IOCC’s work.Whether you are a young volunteer singing carols, or one

of our most seasoned employees like Mile Madic, LukaMelic or Kosara Gavrilovic, as fellow participants in thework of IOCC each of us has gifts that make it possible toserve the most vulnerable people in need of our help.Thank you for sharing those gifts through IOCC to bringcaring assistance to a world in need.

Yours in Christ,

Constantine M. Triantafilou

&I N T E R N A T I O N A L O R T H O D O X C H R I S T I A N C H A R I T I E S

NEWS NEEDS&From the Executive Director

International Orthodox Christian Charities, Inc. (IOCC)

was established in 1992 by the Standing Conference

of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas (SCOBA)

as the official humanitarian aid agency of Orthodox

Christians to work in cooperation with the Orthodox

Churches worldwide.

The mission of IOCC is to respond to the call of our Lord Jesus Christ,to minister to those who are suffering and are in need throughout the world, sharing with them God’s gifts of food, shelter, economic self-sufficiency and hope.

Published three times a year by IOCC, News & Needs is edited by Mark Hodde.

IOCC

File Photo

Whether visiting with people in need of help or offeringassistance in translating, Kosara Gavrilovic has worked withIOCC in its offices in Belgrade, Serbia and Baltimore,Maryland.

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BALTIMORE (IOCC) -Setting outfrom the soup kitchen with bakedpotatoes, chicken patties, yogurtand fruit-we were fully armed inour battle against poverty in theWest Bank. Four of us werepreparing to visit the homes of a score of elderly Palestinians inorder to bring them food andcompanionship in implementing the Meals on Wheels Project run by Aid to the Aged (ATTA), acommunity organization led byPalestinian Orthodox Christians in Jerusalem. During the next few hours, it

was very difficult for me to discernwho was treating whom as wevisited the houses. We acceptedthe Palestinian hospitality thatcame with persistent offers ofkahweh saada, a bitter Arabic

coffee scented with a hint ofcardamom, from the elderly who received our food.The elderly people we visited

were mostly women, and were evenly split betweenIslam and Christianity.But neither gender norreligion was a factor intheir universal need and the warmth theydisplayed as we made ourway from home to home.On the whole, the

living conditions of thesepeople were appalling.Plumbing was oftennonexistent, heatingusually came from a small grill top whichwould also serve as astove, if there were any

food to cook. One lady who didn'thave any heating, improvised andbuilt a small bonfire in the middleof her single room-she greeted mewith an outstretched hand whichwas blackened with soot, coughingbecause there was no ventilation.Another woman had made herhome in an abandoned storefront.She greeted us hunched over, as ifshe had piled all her sorrows onher back and now, in the twilight of her life, they had finally provedtoo much to bear. It amazed me to see people living

in such poverty yet were able tosmile. They accepted our companywith delight and graciousness andreceived the meals with God’sname on their tongues. “All goodthings come from God” and “Godwilling” were phrases that weresaid time and again.

All Good Things Come From GodReflections from Lee Papouras, an IOCC Intern in Jerusalem/West Bank

An elderly woman in the West Bank city of Ramallah receives food brought to her by a social worker.

Elderly from the West Bank city of Ramallah enjoy a mealcatered by Adel Boulos, a member of the Orthodox Churchand restaurateur par excellence, who prepared theluncheon for disadvantaged elderly.

Photo: Lee Papouras / IOCC

Jerusalem

Photo: Lee Papouras / IOCC

Jerusalem

continued on page 4

According to the United NationsOffice for the Coordination ofHumanitarian Affairs in Belgrade,over 300,000 people are nowdescribed as living below thepoverty level and in need ofassistance. This number does notinclude the working poor like Petarand his family-an indication thatthe number of those in need ismuch higher.“This is the first time that

someone has helped us. We arerelieved, at least for some time,”says Petar. “It is like a cease-fire inmy daily battle for survival.” Petarand his family of ten receive threefamily food parcels and theequivalent number of familyhygiene packets. In financial

terms, this assistance equals twoand a half times the average salaryin Serbia–5 months of earnings forPetar. Struggling to accept themuch-needed aid, he admits that,given other options, he wouldnever apply for assistance. Thechildren around him dressed inhand-me-downs, including eightchildren ranging in age from 5 to21 years of age, are used to copingwith what they have. The school-aged children borrow textbooks tostudy. But Petar insists that onlylove matters. For growing numbers of Serbs

the answer to Acimovic’s proble-matic equation is the assistancewhich is found throughorganizations like IOCC.

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NEWS NEEDS&Cease-fire (continued from page 1)

The following day, a larger groupof social workers went to pick upmore than forty elderly men andwomen. Adel Boulos, a member of the Orthodox Church and arestaurateur par excellence, hadoffered to hold a luncheon for theimpoverished elderly of Ramallah.His establishment, Al-Bardouni, is the most chic dining one can find in the city and the people ate a meal worthy of a caliph. Upon finishing, Jaleela, who isalways smiling, began to thank us in a song: “The fields turnedgreen and God shined a light

upon us, when he sent all of you to come to our houses...” And so it went until she finishedand immediately there was aresounding chorus of affirmationfrom the other women.Jaleela then came over to me

and gave me a present–she hadhandcrafted for me an embroideredwall decoration, which read inArabic “Peace to this house” so that I would never forget them. As if I could! I will never forget them or their kindness, gentleness,hospitality and most importantly Iwill never forget their faith in God.

Editor's Note: Lee Papouras, an intern in Jerusalem, works with IOCC Country RepresentativeNora Kort on projects to assist the elderly, disabled and needyPalestinians in Jerusalem and theWest Bank. The IOCC HonorsInternship Program, made possiblethrough a grant by the FarahFoundation, provides opportunitiesfor young professionals interested ina career in international relief anddevelopment assistance to be placedin overseas assignments.

All Good Things (continued from page 3)

A librarian at the BelgradeUniversity, Petar’s monthlysalary for his full-time positionis just $13 a month.

Photo: IO

CC Jerusalem

Tula, Russia (IOCC) “Love thesechildren as none has ever lovedthem” is the credo by which thestaff of the Tula Social Center forChildren’s Rehabilitationapproach their work each day.It’s not an easy creed to live

by-even for the dedicated staffwhose loving care is anexceptional experience for thechildren whose care is entrustedto them.Katya, a nine-year-old picked

up from the street, had notwashed herself for severalmonths by the time she wasdelivered to the Center by theauthorities. When nurses startedwashing her, the young girl hadan allergic reaction. Even withthe best of intentions, the staff,who represented the next set ofparents in her life, had broughtpain to a life that had alreadyseen its share of suffering.The Center, which opened in

May 1999, is home to 76 children

ranging in age from 7 to 15.Unlike Katya, who wasabandoned by her family, most ofthe children end up at the Centeras the result of interventions bythe State after determining thattheir parents were unable or unfitto care for them.While it cannot replace the loss

of family for the children, theCenter provides the stability andnurturing most of the childrenhave never experienced. Visitingthe Center to distribute food aspart of a $17 million programnow being implemented by IOCCin Russia, the IOCC staff learnedthat, for most of the children, lifewith their birth parents wasextremely chaotic and stressfuland that most do not want toreturn to their families.Quite an extraordinary

sentiment for young children.But to hear Katya’s story is

to learn of the many problemsfacing Russia and a systemunable to cope with little lives that have fallen through the cracks.Katya escaped from her

alcoholic mother. She never knewher father. Before running away from her mother Katya wasalways hungry as her motherforgot to feed her. There wereinitially a lot of problems as sheadjusted to the Center, but thetolerance of the teachers and theirkind attitude helped to overcomemost of them. The creed at work.

Her well-kept hair, clean clothesand above all her smile, are atestament to the dedication of theTula Social Center staff and theirfulfillment of the credo.Upon leaving the Center,

one couldn’t help but be left with a sense of bittersweet hope.Despite their painful pasts, these children are the lucky ones. And for each one of them,there are thousands morechildren like Katya who couldbenefit from the staff’s credo.

&I N T E R N A T I O N A L O R T H O D O X C H R I S T I A N C H A R I T I E S

NEWS NEEDS&A Credo To Live By

Katya (center) together with IOCC RegionalDirector George Antoun and Maria Gaidukova,the Principal of the Tula Social Center forChildren’s Rehabilitation.

Photo: IO

CC

By Tatiana Vinogradova

“Love thesechildren as none has everloved them.”

~The Credo for theTula Social Center

for Children’sRehabilitation

&I N T E R N A T I O N A L O R T H O D O X C H R I S T I A N C H A R I T I E S

NEWS NEEDS&

Podgorica, Montenegro (IOCC)“Hers is one of the very sadstories,” an emotional NenadPrelevic said describing his visitswith Rumica Vlahovic who, he hadjust learned, had died ofcomplications related to a heartcondition.“We were her family,” explained

Prelevic, whose voice reflected thefeeling of loss.Just two weeks earlier, while

making his rounds at the DjurdjeviStupovi Monastery in Berane,Montenegro, Prelevic deliveredfood to the woman who was forcedto flee Kosovo last summer. Withno family to rely upon for support,Vlahovic was dependent on the aid

she received from the SerbianOrthodox Church and IOCC. Pressured to leave her home in

Kosovo by the ethnic hostilitiesthat have plagued the people ofthe province, there was a tragicirony in the fact that she hadfound a home through thecooperation of Orthodox andCatholic organizations working in Montenegro. Initially findingtemporary housing in the hostel atthe Djurdjevi Stupovi Monastery,Vlahovic was finally given aprefabricated house built by theCatholic organization Caritas. The shelter was a donation to theCircle of Serbian Sisters, anorganization of Serbian Orthodox

Women, in Berane who were givenuse of property owned by themonastery to assist the displacedpersons from Kosovo.Before leaving Kosovo, Vlahovic

had found safe haven at theSerbian Orthodox Monastery in Decani, where the monks of the Brotherhood of the DecaniMonastery have given refuge–without regard to ethnicity–to Albanian and Serbian victims of the Kosovo conflict. It wasthere that she began receivingassistance delivered by IOCC to the Monastery.Prelevic recalled his last visit

with Vlahovic, “It was hard for meto talk to her. I didn’t know whatto say and I was afraid to reactwith tears, which would remindher of the events that had broughther to Berane.” The picture hetook before leaving captured thesilence and the isolation whichfilled the woman’s new home. Therealization that she had no future,was ailing, and had no way to goback to Kosovo overwhelmed anyfeeling of appreciation she had forthe assistance given her.Vlahovic was totally dependent

on humanitarian assistance,including the food and hygieneparcels she received each monthfrom IOCC. “She had no family,no hope of returning to Kosovo.She was utterly alone.”Rumica Vlahovic was buried by

the “family” she had known last atthe Djurdjevi Stupovi Monasteryin Berane. Memory Eternal!

Based on reports by Nenad Prelevic

“We were her family,” said Nenad Prelevic of Rumica Vlahovic (pictured) who was forced toflee alone from Kosovo last August.

Photo: Nenad Prelevic / IOCC

Podgorica

Alone, But Not Forgotten

&I N T E R N A T I O N A L O R T H O D O X C H R I S T I A N C H A R I T I E S

NEWS NEEDS&

Baltimore, Maryland (IOCC) - “I want to do that becauseJesus wants us to do that and love homeless people,”began a letter from a grade-schooler explaining why sheand her fellow Sunday School mates had spent their freetime doing chores to earn extra money, saved theirallowances and gave up some of their holiday gifts to helppurchase much needed food and clothing for refugeechildren and others served through IOCC. The activitywas organized with the help of the Sunday Schoolteachers by Penny Rey, a member of the Greek OrthodoxCathedral of the Annunciation in Baltimore.The Sunday School children may be some of the

youngest volunteers who have given their time, talentsand money in partnership with IOCC. Many others whoregularly volunteer for IOCC join them in their efforts.“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and

there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and thereare varieties of working, but it is the same God whoinspires them all in every one. To each is given themanifestation of the Spirit for the common good (1Corinthians 12: 4-7).”With the support of a generous grant from the

Archbishop Iakovos Leadership 100 Endowment Fund,last September IOCC launched an effort to encouragevolunteerism by “working together at home for the goodof all.” The effort encourages Orthodox Christians towork together in social outreach to those in need both in their local communities and around the world–eachaccording to their gifts. The effort is catching on.In New York, Eugenia Karydas together with friends

Sophia Galatoulas and Despina Mantikas, went carolingwith their children during the holidays. Visiting dozens of homes over two days, the children collected $425 insupport of IOCC’s work. “The kids sang their hearts out,”wrote Karydas, “and the moment these wonderful friendsand relatives heard we were collecting money for IOCCthey were very excited to help out.”In Connecticut, Presvytera Penelope Dassouras, together

with the Children’s Christmas Festival Committee of St. George Greek Orthodox Church, organized a Children’s

Christmas Party with the theme “Children HelpingChildren.” And help they did. One thousand dollars wasraised by the more than 100 children who attended the event.Volunteers also regularly assist in the work of IOCC at

its headquarters in Baltimore, Maryland. Through thededicated service and coordination of Diane Boia, volunteershave logged hundreds of hours preparing mailings,participating in phone-a-thons and raising awareness among fellow parishioners in their respective parishes. Explaining her motivation for getting the Sunday School

children involved, Rey maintains that “All people need tohelp others.” Adding, “We have a responsibility to dothat and these children need to learn to help others.” Whether working with children or by volunteering with

the IOCC Metropolitan Committees which have formed in cities around the United States, the efforts of Orthodoxvolunteers are making a difference.For more information on Metropolitan Committees

or volunteer activities like those described above, pleasevisit the IOCC website at www.iocc.org or call MichaelTsakalos, IOCC’s Volunteer Services Coordinator, toll-free at (877) 803 IOCC (4622).

Responding to the CallVolunteers Share the Spirit with Those in Need

Photo: IO

CC / Baltim

ore

Eugenia Karydas (back row left) together with the children whosesinging brought joy not only to the homes they visited, but also to thepoor served through IOCC.

Baltimore (IOCC) -From Alabama toIndiana, Texas to Virginia, NewJersey to California, OrthodoxChristians across the United Statesteamed up for the “Souper Bowl ofCaring” on January 30.Parishes participating in the youth-

sponsored event told stories of ìmostvaluable players’ that emerged fromthe day’s excitement.Sunday School Director Jill

Argyrople of Annunciation GreekOrthodox Church in Newburyport,Massachusetts described one eight-year-old who donated part of herbirthday money to the “Souper Bowl of Caring.” She also enlistedthe support of adults who attended

her birthday celebration.In Buffalo, New York, a local teen

who has been in a coma following a car accident was the beneficiary of the proceeds from the GreekOrthodox Youth Associationíscollection at the Hellenic OrthodoxChurch of the Annunciation.Demetria Doukas, the daughter ofFather and Presvytera Doukas, ledthe youth as they collected a dollarand canned goods in a large barrelplaced in the Narthex.Orthodox parishes joined more

than 11,000 churches throughout the country who raised more than$2.8 million dollars in this year’s“Sunday of Caring.”

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I N T E R N A T I O N A L O R T H O D O X C H R I S T I A N C H A R I T I E S

NEWS NEEDS&

Non-ProfitU.S. Postage

PAIDBaltimore, MDPermit No.

4280

Souper BowlExcitement

Address Correction Requested.

IOCC711 West 40th St., Suite 306Baltimore, MD 21211 USATel: 410-243-9820Fax: 410-243-9824

website: www.iocc.orge-mail: relief@iocc.org

SM