Aid to victims of floods in North Caucasus

In 2002 the Action by Churches Together - North Caucasus program continued its work in North Caucasus. The Newsletter of the Round Table informed its readers on a regular basis about its work carried out for aid to IDPs from Chechnya from 1995 to 2002.

From July to November 2002, the mission carried out a program the task of which was to give emergency aid to victims of disastrous floods that swept over the North Caucasus in the summer of that year. The heaviest floods to hit southern Russia for the last 150 years affected 370.000 people; over 106.000 were evacuated from their houses and 176 died. Water flooded 416 settlements; 33.000 houses were destroyed completely; about 78.000 houses were damaged.

The aid program was organized under the auspices of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations. It was supported by the Action by Churches Together international Christian organization and carried out by the Round Table for Religious Education and Diakonia.

The task of the program was to distribute individual packages consisting of foodstuffs and hygienic articles. Each package consisted of the following:

• Flour - 1 kg
• Sugar - 1 kg
• Buckwheat - 1 kg
• Rice - 1 kg
• Macaroni - 1 kg
• Sunflower-seed oil - 1 l
• Thickened milk - 1 can
• Tea - 1 package
• Shampoo - 1 bottle
• Soap - 3 bars
• Powered detergent - 1 package
• Toilet paper - 2 rolls
• Toothbrushes and toothpaste

In total 40.301 people received these packages. The beneficiaries were the less socially protected victims, such as retired people, large-families and low-income families and forced resettlers.

The work was carried out in the most affected areas of the Stavropol and Krasnodar Regions, the Republics of North Ossetia-Alania, Karachayevo-Cherkessia and Daghestan and the Nadterechny region of the Chechen Republic. Involved in the distribution work were parishes of the North Caucasus dioceses, the Emergency Ministry and local authorities.

At present the program continues providing aid to victims of the floods. During its second stage, those whose houses and farms were affected most of all are receiving aid in reconstructing them.

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