PARISHES and dioceses are offering homes and support, including money and equipment, for Afghan refugees.

Churches in Chichester diocese are offering vacant vicarages, alongside language support and other donations, to help those who have fled Afghanistan for the UK since the Taliban takeover last August (News, 20 August 2021). Three vicarages have been made available by the diocese.

The diocese of Norwich has also offered a house to an Afghan family for two years. The Bishop of Norwich, the Rt Revd Graham Usher, said: “My prayer is that this house has become a home for a family to settle and thrive in. I hope they’ve found the welcome that so many ‘strangers’ down the centuries have received in the wonderful city of Norwich. It’s another way of living out the gospel of Christ in loving our neighbour.”

The Bishop’s refugee fund has raised more than £120,000 to support Afghan refugees in the region. The money has so far helped to buy TV licences for households, bicycles, safety equipment, and road-safety training.

The diocesan Mothers’ Union has also been offering support, providing bedding sets for families, in a continuation of work that began five years earlier with refugees from Syria.