European Projects

ALBANIA

Albania is known as the poorest country in Eastern Europe.  For more than a decade, Drop Inn Ministries has been supporting churches and pastors in their outreach in both Tirana and Fier. 

In Tirana, Drop Inn Ministries supports a “Lifeline Program” for extremely poor families, in addition to programs geared toward ministry to the elderly who have no family or financial provision.  In Fier, we support a church led by an indigenous pastor.  This church faces serious ministry opportunity and hardship in a city so poor that many are desperate to get out of it. 

Albania is a country of approximately 3 million people, of whom, 15% are considered unreached.  Ongoing hardship, poverty and despair keep this nation oppressed and blinded to the life-changing reality of our Lord Jesus Christ.

BELARUS 

Belarus is the first nation visited by Drop Inn Ministries in 1995, following the Chernobyl disaster.  Since that first trip, the ministry has continued to bring regular humanitarian aid to hospitals and orphanages there, working through local pastors and their churches.  A large part of our Humanitarian Aid Program is our annual shoebox appeal, which provides us with the opportunity to bring Christmas presents and much-needed items to children in area hospitals and orphanages.  Drop Inn Ministries relies heavily on community donations for the shoebox supplies and has, in the past, sent out as many as 5,000 boxes!

Currently, Drop Inn Ministries is partnering with various churches and ministries throughout Belarus.  We are particularly pleased to be involved with work in the Children’s Ward of the Hospital in Minsk, as well as with Rehabilitation Centres that offer hope, help and healing to adults who are truly suffering.  These centres have become a lifeline to so many and have presented them with an opportunity to find new purpose and fulfilment in their lives. 

LATVIA

It was in 2010 that Drop Inn Ministries began working in Latvia.  Formerly part of the old Soviet Union, Latvia gained independence in 1991 but wasn’t fully ratified until 1994.  Latvia was accepted into the European Community in 2004 and enjoyed a growing prosperity in the early years of membership.  However, during the recent global financial crisis, Latvia has been hard hit and is now considered the 3rd poorest nation in the European Community.  Our primary partner in Latvia, Igor Oginsky, arrived in Northern Ireland several years ago and spent time living here and working with Drop Inn Ministries.  However, his burden lay with his own people, so he returned home in 2010 with a pressing desire to serve those in need.  It was also in 2010 that Drop Inn opened their first charity shop in continental Europe in a town called Jelgava.

Drop Inn continues to support numerous efforts inside Latvia, including food delivery to the poor, to orphanages, old-people’s homes, as well as to the homeless.  Igor works alongside two churches in Dobele and Gardene and has been encouraging and assisting the people there with community programs, as well as with work in two local rehabilitation centres and local prison ministry.  Drop Inn Ministries has conducted multiple summer youth camps in Latvia and plans to do so on an annual basis. 

UKRAINE 

The Northern part of Ukraine suffered similar problems to Belarus as a result of the Chernobyl Disaster.  Drop Inn Ministries has made regular humanitarian aid deliveries here and includes Ukraine in the annual Christmas Shoebox distribution.  Drop Inn Ministries works in association with a Bible Institution in the city of Rivne, who coordinate our humanitarian aid deliveries to area hospitals and orphanages.  In addition, Drop Inn Ministries supports 15 churches in the western part of Ukraine that have been planted in areas with no previous church presence. 

Drop Inn Ministries supports Ukrainian work of Morning Star Ministry, which works into orphanages and a half-way house where they bring children who have been abandoned on the streets in order to care for them until they can be placed into permanent care.

PRIDNESTROVIE

Pridnestrovie is a small, highly-unrecognised country sandwiched between Ukraine and Moldova.  It ‘s here that Drop Inn Ministries supports a community church that coordinates our Lifeline Program—an outreach to families in need, as well as orphanages. 

We support children’s ministry and finance the operation of annual summer youth camps here.  The projects in Pridnestrovie are organised and run by a strong team of individuals, led by our primary partners there.  This ministry team has a heart for youth and has been blessed with a God-given ability to communicate with them.  One Drop Inn partner has developed a year-long program for students in secondary school, which he uses to communicate about drug and alcohol addiction, moral and ethical decision making and various topics related to the Christian Gospel.  The church has seen a dramatic increase in youth attendance, as a result of these school-based talks.

IRELAND

Drop Inn Ministries has never forgotten where and why it started, and although ministry representatives are busy with efforts among the nations, we remain dedicated to our work here at home, in and throughout Ireland.