The Prince of Wales shared prayers with refugees as he visited St Luke’s Earls Court to learn how those displaced by conflict are being supported.
The HTB Church’s Refugee Programme launched in September 2021 with dozens of volunteers helping to provide essential support. The programme includes English lessons, employment support, medical and dental help and different children’s programmes. The Prince spoke and heard from those supported directly by the programme during his visit.
He also met children and women from Afghanistan who were utilizing different arts and crafts activities provided by the church. He then spoke with Andriy Kopylash and his daughter, Veronika, about their recent journeys from Urkainte to the UK.
Andriy, the Ukrainian director for the Alpha Christianity programme came to Britain on sabbatical in September following the death of his parents and wife. As the crisis in Ukraine started to grow in February, Andriy urged his daughter who was already planning to take a two-week trip to the UK in March, to leave immediately. She was able to land in Italy a day before Russia invaded Ukraine, on 23 February. From there, she travelled to the UK.
In a speech during the visit, the Prince told refugees he was praying for them, he said: “If I may say so, I cannot even begin to imagine the dreadful conditions, the suffering, the agony you have all had to endure on your way to arrive here in this country. I pray you have been welcomed and the fact that you have found some accommodation – I hope is something. The fact that there are people here to help you learn English, to find your way through the inevitable difficulties that there are, is I hope something that will make a difference to your lives.
“I know so many of you already have qualifications, training in your own countries, and we have enormous skill shortages in this country, where so much of what you can do could be of enormous benefit to it. We are very lucky in many ways to have you and your skills and all you can bring.“
The Prince continued his speech, thanking churches for all that they do to help those during challenging and dangerous conditions: “For me, it is an immeasurable tragedy that so much death and destruction exists around the world at this present time, leading to such utter misery for so many people who have to leave their countries like you have. It seems even more insane when we have a global emergency at the same time, of mammoth proportions, to tackle climate change and biodiversity loss, which are the ultimate threat multipliers.
“We should all be collaborating together to work together to solve these immense problems we have created for the world around us. With people like yourselves to help in the future there is a chance, perhaps.”
HTB’s Refugee Response Programmed launched as a way to support the hundreds of Afghans fleeing the Taliban. In December 2021, the Prince attended an advent service where he met representatives of the church’s Response programme.
