Through its support for a construction project in Iraqi Kurdistan, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has helped a religious order to strengthen its roots in the region, for the benefit of all Christians in Iraq.   Araden is a small village in the Sapna Valley, in Iraqi Kurdistan, surrounded by the beautiful Gozaneh mountains and watered by the Great Zab River. The scenery helps explain the origin of the village’s name” it is believed that Araden comes from the ...

Maiduguri, Nigeria, known for having been the hub of Boko Haram, is now grappling with a devastating flood, which has engulfed significant parts of the city, including St. Patrick’s Cathedral Church. The catastrophic event is believed to be the result of damage to the Alau Dam, located a few miles from Maiduguri.  According to media reports, Maiduguri, the capital of Borno State, faces its most severe flooding since 1994, leaving Borno residents on high alert, as countless houses are completely ...

With funding from Aid to the Church in Need, a recent project aims to integrate immigrants in Argentina and create pastoral agents to deal with the challenges of inclusion, like cultural and linguistic barriers.   “The immigrants need more than just compassion and material help. We need to ask them about their roots: their religion, their traditions. How can we understand popular religion, with all its traditions? How can we pray with our migrant brothers?” These are some of the questions ...

In only a decade, Burkina Faso has become an epicenter of terrorist violence, with over 40 percent of the country’s land outside of government control. And in this situation, the Catholic Church provides material and spiritual support. Two Burkinabe priests from a diocese hard hit by extremists shared their experiences with ACN.   “The situation is dire,” said Father Bertin Namboho and Father Jean-Pierre Keita, the bursar of the Diocese of Nouna and parish priest of the village of Tansila, respectively. ...

Priests from Burkina Faso testify to the suffering in their communities after the massacre of hundreds.  Extremist groups controlling about 40 percent of Burkina Faso are now as dangerous as Boko Haram was in Nigeria, according to Father Bertin Namboho, bursar of the Nouna Diocese in western Burkina Faso.  Speaking with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Father Namboho said that people in the diocese “live in constant terror.”  Since May, terrorists have killed up to 240 ...

Two families with young children battled heavy rain and wind during their ascent to the top of the highest mountain in the British Isles, in order to raise funds for a charity helping suffering Christians. Eight members of the Do Rozario and Pampackal families – including a seven-year-old – have raised more than $2,000 as of Thursday, September 5th, by climbing the 4,413-foot summit in temperatures just three degrees above freezing. Their daring climb was part of Catholic charity Aid ...