European Baptist Federation

Since the uptick in the Ukraine conflict in February, 2023, Baptist churches along the border have welcomed hundreds of thousands of refugees from Ukraine. All of the European Baptist Federation (EBF) have been involved, but the churches in Poland, Slovakia, Moldova, and Romania, have been the first stop for many of the families - mostly women and children - who have fled the fighting. At the height of the flood of refugees, churches turned their buildings into campgrounds, setting up tents in the sanctuaries and on the balconies. Now the support is concentrated on long-term integration and education, as well as shipping material support to needy persons still inside the Ukraine. BGAV donations have funded tons of food and supplies shipped from Chelm, Poland, to churches across the border that function as distribution centers in their local Baptist associations. We heavily supported the 4:7 Boxes program of Project Ruth in Bucharest, Romania, each month trucking several hundred food parcels across the border to the Odessa Baptist Association, to be distributed to families who need food. BGAV is also working together with the Baptist associations in Bucharest and Odessa to establish a local network for crisis counseling, especially for the children who have been traumatized.