Charity news
May 2010: Jenny recently visited our friends in Saint Petersburg with a cheque for £1,400.
“I thought you might like to see the attached photo taken at the Children’s Hospital for Infectious Diseases in St. Petersburg.
Katja, the 12 year old girl in the yellow t-shirt, has been in and out of hospital since the age of seven but is hoping to be able to go home for good this autumn.
To those of you who supported our fundraising efforts at Holy Innocents, Hornsey and Holy Trinity, Stroud Green, thank you.
Due to the generosity of parishioners and other friends I was able to hand over £1,400 to two projects run by Orthodox lay Christians: The Society of St. Joasaf (which runs an amazing chaplaincy in the children’s hospital) and the St. Vasilius Centre, another remarkable venture which works with teenage lads who would otherwise find themselves in goal.
About our charities
Most of the charities we support have a connection with children – Holy Innocents. Two ongoing initiatives in particular hold a special place in our hearts:
The first is Hillcrest who work in South Africa.
The second is our fundraiding for two Russian charities: A Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg and a special refuge for teenagers who have commited a crime and are looking for a fresh start in their lives.
We have got involved with both through firsthand experience of visiting and spending time with the dedicated people who are doing some extraordinary work.
Society of Saint Joseph
There is a teaching and practice in the Orthodox Christian tradition intended for our self-comprehension and for uniting us with God. It is called Hesychasm.
It comes from the greek word, “hesychia” meaning silence, peace, and quietness.
This is part of the ethos behind the work of the hospital we support in Russia.
The Society of Saint Joasaph of Belgorod was founded in 2000 with the purpose of social assistance for people living in Saint Petersburg, Russia, who are sick or in need.
The major area of activity is social care for sick children hospitalized in Children Infectious Disease Hospital No 3 in Saint Petersburg. The social care program in the hospital started in 1991.
More information on charity activity and chronicles of hospital life can be found on the page with a Photoalbum.
The Society of Saint Joasaph of Belgorod in cooperation with the Brotherhood of St. Anastasia is committed to provide social help and support for unfortunate children.
More than ten years ago the members of both organizations started to visit sick children. The Society is constantly looking for new sponsors so that they can provide poor children with additional nutrition and vitamins, and provide homeless children with clothes.
The list of areas of activity that requires financial support is wide-ranging for the hospital..
It has the biggest tuberculosis clinic in Saint Petersburg, providing medical care for around 600 children each year.
The Hospital also admits children living on the streets, drug addicts, new-born babies refused by HIV-infected mothers, children with hepatitis, gonorrhea and scab … read more here.
Hillcrest South Africa
Hillcrest Aids Centre Trust is a charity that raises money to support Aids orphans and township schools facing the impact of high levels of Aids orphans, in the Valley of a Thousand Hills near Durban, South Africa.
The charity undertakes fund raising in England to support the education of aids orphans in South Africa by paying their school fees, school uniforms and books.
The charity also organises visits to South Africa for 6th Form students in England to work in township schools in the Valley of a Thousand Hills, a rural township. They undertake a major renovation of a different school each year, painting and decorating the classrooms and teaching the pupils.
CARIS Harringay
CARIS stands for Christian Action and Response In Society.
CARIS Haringey is committed to expressing God’s love through social action. Their services are equally available to families of all faiths and none. CARIS exists to help homeless families in Haringey, of which there are at least 6,000—that’s twice the number in most London boroughs, and proportionately many more than elsewhere in the UK.
These are among London’s poorest and most deprived families.
Families become homeless for many reasons. They may be asylum seekers or refugees, mentally or physically ill, fleeing domestic violence, etc.
Homelessness causes poor health and depression in parents and children and disrupts schooling. The average homeless child loses 55 school days a year.
CARIS has a special blog that keeps you up-to-date with their work.
A Fairtrade Parish
You’ve probably seen FairTrade products at your supermarket. Maybe you buy them and support the growers who simply ask for a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.
Holy Innocents supports FairTrade using tea and coffee carrying the FairTrade logo. We have a regular stall after mass – managed by Jenny – who sells all sort of goods.
The altar wine used at holy communion also carries the FairTrade seal.
Holy Innocents takes part in special events like the ‘Big Brew’ – an open day event that highlights the work of this charity and is coordinated to happen across most of the parish churches in the Diocese of London during a particular time of the year.
