In former Soviet Union countries, as everywhere else around the world, there is a need to help people deal with conflict in constructive and non-violent ways. We promote projects that educate in nonviolence, and mediate between disputes, in line...

Quakers have a long history of working for the humane treatment of prisoners, and promoting justice and reconciliation. In Russia and Ukraine, as elsewhere in the world, we support work that aims to enhance these causes. Prison Visiting The...

Ever since William Tuke opened “The Retreat” in 1796, mental health has been a Quaker concern.  Located in York (UK), The Retreat was the first mental hospital to pioneer humane methods for treatment of the mentally ill. Friends House...

Orphans can have a hard time in Russia.  Brought up in institutions, they often lack both education and the social skills to survive in the outside world, after they grow up and “graduate” out of the orphanage. Life is...

By 2017 there were more than 220,000 asylum seekers in Russia plus several million other migrants from central Asia and beyond.  Unofficial statistics estimate 50,000 children of migrants and refugees live in Moscow and its suburbs.  And like other...

Conscientious objection to military service was illegal in the Soviet Union.  It was legalised in Russia in 2004, and objectors can do “alternative service” in civilian roles instead of serving in the army.  Unfortunately many local authorities and draft...