CANNES, FRANCE: January 24, 2018
The parishioners of Cannes’ Archangel Michael Church make a second humanitarian trip to Donbas

In the autumn of 2017, Abbess Anna of St Nicholas Convent near Volnovakha, Donetsk, appealed for aid in the form of food, hygiene products and medicine for the nuns and clergymen of her monastery, and for support for Velikonovoselsky Center for Socio-Psychological Pediatric Rehabilitation.

During this difficult time of survival, the convent is cutting expenses. For instance, instead of gas heaters, they installed coal burners; fuel is donated by a nearby coal mine.

Mother Anna tries to help the childrens’ center, located some 50 kilometers away. The establishment treats children aged 3-16 as their fate is decided: the parentless children are sent to orphanages, others are adopted, and older children are sent to school. Sadly, there are many more orphans in the Donbas region now, and the center is filled beyond capacity, as are others, holding 52 children instead of 36, which exceeds its budget. Food is difficult to obtain under the circumstances.

The parishioners of Archangel Michael Russian Orthodox Parish in Cannes, France (Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia), collected 6,200 euros for the cause. Maxim Kobrin, a trusted friend in Kharkov, will bring the funds in several trips. Yulia Ordning, President of Nika Charitable Fund in Monaco, also contributed 1,345 euros for the cause.

Mr Kobrin, Ilya Dvorsky and Inna Yurkevich then organized a trip beginning on December 20, 2017, to deliver food and medicine to the convent and childrens’ center.