On 27th July 2023, during the Second Russia–Africa Summit held in St. Petersburg, a trilateral cooperation agreement was signed between Metropolitan Leonid of Klin, Patriarchal Exarch of Africa, Ms Maria Lvova-Belova, Presidential Commissioner for Children’s Rights, and Mr Alexei Petrov, head of The Country for Children Foundation.
According to Ms Lvova-Belova, Russia has plans to open schools in the territory of the Russian Orthodox parishes in Africa, as well as orphanages and humanitarian centres, and to set up a children’s medical laboratory, an agricultural farm and poultry houses.
The agreement will allow to launch various humanitarian projects aimed at providing aid to African children at the parishes of the Russian Orthodox Church in Africa. As the Commissioner for Children’s Rights noted, existing parishes are to be used for this purpose.
As The Country for Children Foundation reported at its page in VK social network, within the framework of the aforementioned agreement, “a project will be carried out to build an incubator for 500 chicks in Matara, Kenya, to support poultry farming at the Russian Orthodox parishes. The incubator will become a permanent source of chicken and eggs supply for low-income families among parishioners.”
“As part of another project, a farm will be set up to grow agricultural crops. The harvest will be distributed among the needy families affiliated with the Russian Orthodox Church,” the Foundation also reports.
Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa
