On October 28, a meeting of volunteers of the Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission took place in Yekaterinburg. It was held as part of the XVII Interregional Conference on Church Social Service and brought together volunteers from Yekaterinburg, nearby cities and other dioceses, including Chelyabinsk and Tobolsk.
The participants got acquainted with the work of different areas of the Mission, discussed the current needs and tasks for the upcoming winter. Representatives of the organization spoke about the involvement of volunteers in the restoration of housing, hospital and social services. The volunteers shared their travel experiences, personal experiences, and thoughts on helping people.
Among the guests was a mother with many children from the Czech Republic, who previously worked at the Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission's assistance center in Tokmak, Zaporizhia region.
Special attention was paid at the meeting to the contribution of the Yekaterinburg Diocese to the development of church volunteerism. In 2022, staff and volunteers from the local Orthodox Mercy Service helped refugees at the church headquarters in Belgorod. In 2023, Yekaterinburg residents participated in the creation of a medical and social center and a tent camp in Mariupol. Later, they worked in hospitals, restored housing and helped with the evacuation of residents of the Kursk region.
The volunteers talked about their desire to go back to ministry and how important support is for people in the affected regions. The meeting allowed those who helped at different times and in different directions to get to know each other and share their accumulated experience.
The Patriarchal Humanitarian Mission was established by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church to coordinate assistance to civilians in the affected territories and the wounded.