Latest Updates

Balkans: A Little Goes A Long Way

January 17, 2019

Before the breakup of Yugoslavia, Dragan (now 50) managed a hotel in Derventa, Bosnia and Herzegovina—a natural fit for his training in catering. But conflict changes everything, and it turned his family’s life upside-down....

Jordan: Never Give Up

January 17, 2019

When Fawaz was 11, he went to work driving a tractor. He made a living this way for over 40 years, supporting a wife and family in their small Syrian village. They had a comfortable life, but as conflict sprea, Fawaz decided his family ...

A Glimmer of Hope Among the Ashes

January 10, 2019

IOCC deployed Frontliners to parts of northern California, where fires devastated communities in late 2018. IOCC Frontliners, specially trained to care for people affected by disasters, delivered supplies and were on hand ...

Greece: New Life, New Start

December 27, 2018

Starting over isn’t easy, but the right kind of help makes a big difference. Some refugee families in Athens, Greece have found the support they need—practical and emotional—at an education center for refugees and migrants run by Apostoli and co-funded ...

Lebanon: Shots for Strength

December 27, 2018

Karim (10) and Bilal (13) are brothers who share a love for life and sports. A fan of boxing, Karim aims to stay as healthy as possible and to be a champion athlete one day. Not to be outdone by his younger sibling, Bilal has similar ambitions. When IOCC’s mobile vaccination team ...

Can You Imagine Not Being Able to Hear?

December 13, 2018

Imagine not being able to hear the world around you. Before getting his first hearing aids, Khaldoun would cry, scream, and hit his head, frustrated that he couldn’t communicate with those close to him. Growing up in Syria, Khaldoun ...

“Every Bit of Help Matters”

December 6, 2018

When fast-moving fires swept through the seaside village of Mati, Greece, Olga and her family lost their home. But they didn't lose each other, and they didn't lose hope. Olga and her husband had worked hard to create a safe, loving home full ...

Gaza: New Health and Nutrition Program Launches

December 3, 2018

Malnutrition rates in Gaza are extremely high for children under age six—and this leads to conditions like anemia that, left untreated, can damage vital organs and strain the heart. To help address this problem, IOCC has just launched ...

Romania: Starting Fresh After the Floods

December 3, 2018

Earlier this year, heavy floods hit Romania, causing extensive flooding in rural areas—and affecting almost 100 villages across 19 counties. Hundreds of homes were flooded, too, and families had to evacuate. They returned home to find waterlogged ...

US: Growing the Orthodox Disaster-Response Network

December 3, 2018

IOCC volunteer Mark McGilvery spotted “Hope” in the debris pile—stenciled onto a large part of a wall that had been removed from a flooded home in Wilmington, NC. Mark salvaged the message, cutting it out of the drywall, and the muck-out team ...