For many children from poor or war-stricken communities, the summer camps and other activities are an opportunity to have fun and grow in the faith in a secure environment, accompanied by religious and Church animators.

Almost 100,000 children this summer are benefitting from summer camps and other activities funded by pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).

Participants in Summer Camp of the Youth of Jesus’ Homeland, Palestine. Members of the Youth of Jesus’ Homeland movement, in Palestine, take part in ACN-funded summer camps.

For many years ACN has helped local dioceses and Christian organizations set up and run camps for young people, especially those who live in extremely poor communities, or in countries affected by conflict.

For example, this year over 6,000 young people from Ukraine will have the opportunity to attend summer camps, or retreats, away from the daily tragedy of the ongoing war. Later in the year, Ukrainian children will enjoy winter camps for the same reason.

Camps are also currently taking place in the Holy Land, where 350 Arab-speaking, and 100 Hebrew-speaking Christian youths can get away, if only for a few days, from what for many is a dramatic and desperate situation.

Syria and Lebanon are two of the countries where most camps and activities are taking place this summer. In Lebanon, almost 43,000 young boys and girls are participating, and in Syria the figure is close to 26,000.

The only break they get

Other countries that are hosting activities for children and young people this summer are Armenia, Belarus, Bulgaria, Egypt, Georgia, Ghana, India, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Venezuela.

Summer Camp for Hebrew-speaking Catholics in Holy Land, 2025. Young boys and girls, mostly the children of migrants and asylum seekers in Israel, participate in an ACN-funded summer camp for Hebrew-speaking Catholics in the Holy Land.

For many of the young people involved, these camps and activities are the only real break they get, since often their families cannot afford to pay for holidays. The camps are also a formative experience, where the children are given the opportunity to pray together and grow in faith.

“ACN’s experience over many years of supporting summer youth activities around the world is that the impact of the camps in the life of the participants goes much beyond what one can imagine,” says Marco Mencaglia, ACN International’s director of projects. “The chance to live some days of serenity in the company of priests, animators and other young people, joyfully sharing the common faith, is often the sole opportunity for them to keep hope and try to heal the wounds of their soul, in a context often marked by violence and hate.”