-
Projects
-
Donors
Together we change the world
© Heine Pedersen -
What we do
What we do
© ACT/Paul Jeffrey -
About us
DanChurchAid believes
© Mike Kollöffel -
Get involved
Work with us
© ACT/Paul Jeffrey
Russia
Russia
DanChurchAid has worked in north-west Russia since 1991.
Relief aid
In 1991 Russia was hit by severe food shortages, and for the first time ever the Soviet Russian government asked the international community for help to avert a crisis. DanChurchAid and a number of Scandinavian sister organisations immediately entered the relief work in coorporation with a new, ecumenical cooperative organisation of Russian churches.
Support for the churches
After the collapse of the Soviet Union the Russian churches faced significant social challenges in the new society. Following 70 years’ of restrictions with regard to their public work, they had no knowledge of diakonia and were anxious to express any critical opinions about their own governments. DanChurchAid helped them build competences and partnerships amongst the churches, in order for them to support each other in the attempt to find their own feet in a completely new situation and together acquire knowledge about social work (how to build social work, how to fundraise and, not least, how to develop a credible accounting policy).
At the same time, they could support each other when it came to influencing politicians when new and better laws had to be formulated.
Democratic development
From 2000 onwards DanChurchAid began focusing increasingly on human rights and the development of democratic latitude. DanChurchAid and local partners intensified their work on influencing laws and public authorities’ administrative procedures, on educating and reinforcing local organisations and establishing partnerships between NGOs and authorities in order to improve everyday life for:
-
The homeless
-
Prisoners / ex-prisoners
-
People with HIV/AIDS
-
Street children, children struggling with the law, neglected children and their families
-
Substance abusers
-
Commercial sex workers
Completing the work
In 2010 in connection with significant cost-cutting, DanChurchAid decided to close the Skt. Petersburg office. Projects that were still incomplete are being completed by the local partner PSP Foundation – Promotion of Awareness Raising and Social Enhancement Projects.
During the transition period DanChurchAid still has a co-worker stationed there to support our local partners morally and help produce strategies and applications – and, on the whole, support them via the experience that 20 years’ work in a very unstable period of societal development has generated.
Related articles
25/11/2008
Princess Marie visited homeless
During her visit to Russia, Danish Princess Marie had a break from the high profile dinners and polished floors to visit a centre for homeless. The centre is one of DanChurchAid’s partners.
14/05/2008
The nightbus of Sct. Petersburg
In St. Petersburg, Humanitarian Action addresses the problem of increasing HIV infections, distributing syringes and condoms to those primarily driving the epidemic forward: injecting drug users. Read this report from Maj Kastanje in St. Petersburg, where she works as a trainee with DCA’s partner Humanitarian Action.
06/05/2008
It’s about social change
Participants of the Second Eastern European and Central Asian AIDS Conference in Moscow have confirmed to each other that many positive developments have been taking place since the first conference was held in 2006.
The HIV/AIDS situation in the Russian Federation is worsening, and the epidemic may spread, a new report from DanChurchAid concludes.
20/02/2007
Help the freezing Russians
The cold weather in Russia during the last few weeks has caused many frost-bites among the homeless in Sct. Petersburg. The hostel of Nochlezkha has just succeeded in organising a local collection of clothes, but is now appealing to the Danish population for help to food and health care.
24/07/2006
HIV boom in Russia
In 1995 about 1,000 Russians were reported to be infected with HIV. In 2006 the number had risen to 375,000. The UN estimates that the actual number could be close to 1, 6 million - roughly 1% of the entire Russian population.
20/06/2006
A better life on the outside
In Russia there are no resettlement programmes following imprisonment. Most released prisoners do not have any money and many have no place to go. The temptation to slip back into crime is great. A small workshop in St. Petersburg helps ex-convicts to return to a normal life.
07/06/2006
No home - no help
A formal residency permit, the so-called propiska, is vital in Russia. It enables citizens to obtain their constitutional civic and social rights. Without it, one does not exist formally. If you lose your house or flat, you lose your propiska.
13/03/2006
Sparks of hope for the homeless in Russia
When the temperature is below minus 30 and you are left outdoor for the night, you may very well give up hope. Russia is facing an enormous challenge of providing housing and proper living conditions for about 5 million homeless people.
24/05/2005
Russia contact information
Contact information: DanChurchAid's office in Russia, and headquarters contact information in Copenhagen, Denmark.
More articles
