As you know, PWRDF always works with partners, here in Canada and abroad, to respond to the immediate, and longer term, needs created by these events. Here is one example:

On February 7th, 2023, one day after the 7.8 magnitude earthquake struck Turkey and Syria, PWRDF allocated $35,000 to our partner, ACT Alliance, to support the emergency response of its members working in the area:  

ACT Alliance member, the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East-Department of Ecumenical Relations and Development (GOPA-DERD) is providing food, blankets, mattresses and medical aid in affected communities.

PWRDF partner, the Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) is working with partners to assess the safety of building structures, prioritize housing and repair needs, distribute food and non-food items to existing shelters and look for ways of getting cash assistance to people.

An additional $5,000 was allocated to the Diocese of Jerusalem to provide food, water, clothing and medical supplies to those affected by the earthquake in northern Syria.\

In addition to using “funds on hand” for immediate response, when the disaster is of the scale of this recent earthquake, there is usually an appeal, providing us with a vehicle to support those impacted by the catastrophic event. In this case, PWRDF participated in the Humanitarian Coalition (HC) appeal, as a member of the Canadian Foodgrains Bank. On February 24th, the Government of Canada announced that donations made to the HC and its members, between February 6th and 22nd, would be matched up to $10 million. At time of writing, late-March, the HC appeal raised more than $12 million!  Your donations to the PWRDF for this appeal have reached $143,000. 

The death toll from this earthquake has topped 56,000; an additional 107,000 people were injured; and 2.2 million people were displaced. The need continues to be incredible and PWRDF continues to accept donations from people wanting to help. Please continue to pray for those affected by this devastating earthquake. If you would like to donate you may do so online, or over the phone by calling 416-822-9083 (or leave a message toll-free at 1-866-308-7973 and they will return your call.) You can also donate by mail. Send your cheque to PWRDF, 80 Hayden Street, 3rd Floor, Toronto, ON, Canada, M4Y 3G2. Please indicate Syrian Earthquake in the memo field.

The post Emergency Relief appeared first on Anglican Life.

Maison Dorcas was created by Dr. Denis Mukwege after the startling realization that 40% to 60% of women treated at Panzi Hospital were unable to return to their homes after medical treatment, either due to the extent of their injuries, risk of ongoing violence or the deep stigma attached to victims of sexual and gender-based violence. Panzi Hospital is known as the place where women who survive sexual violence go to be treated, and Dr. Mukwege is known as the “Doctor that repairs women.” In 2018, Dr. Mukwege received the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in helping victims of gender-based violence recover. “For a woman victim of sexual assault and violence, the medical care is the first step in a long road to recovery,” Dr. Mukwege told PWRDF staff on a visit to the DRC. “We can and should do better by accompanying her until she can stand on her own.”  

PWRDF supports Maison Dorcas in providing women with essential skills such as literacy, numeracy, and small business training which supports income-generating activities such as baking, soap-making, basket-weaving, sewing, and farming. The aim of this training is to empower victims of gender-based and sexual violence, to ensure that their livelihoods improve and they have the skills they need to re-integrate into their communities and their families.

Maison Dorcas acts as a transit and safety house for victims of violence and those needing extended medical care. Women at Maison Dorcas continue their healing journey along with other vulnerable women from their communities in a setting where they are safe and heard. They actively participate in their own decision-making, empowering them and building up their self-esteem. Many of the women that are cared for at Maison Dorcas also participated in the City of Joy Project with the goal of turning suffering into power, despair into dignity, pain into power, and fear into joy.

Jeanne, 22, was sexually abused at age 14. After receiving medical and psychosocial care at Panzi Hospital, she arrived at Maison Dorcas for vocational training and to finish her schooling. A psychologist there helped her accept the child she bore from the rape. Today Jeanne works at the Primate Conservation and Rehabilitation Project as an animal supervisor. Jeanne said, “I have become again a human person. Dr. Mukwege has rehabilitated my life, my dignity. I find myself in a team of men and women and together we discuss and plan. My voice counts in the decision-making.”
Support the work of PWRDF by visiting their webstie at: pwrdf.org

The post Maison Dorcas / City of Joy Project appeared first on Anglican Life.

In response to the hunger emergency unfolding around the world, 12 Canadian aid agencies have joined forces as the Humanitarian Coalition to raise funds and rush assistance to people on the edge of famine. One of those agencies is the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, of which PWRDF is a member, and is therefore participating. In addition to being a part of the Humanitarian Coalition, PWRDF has recently provided $360,000 ($90,000 each) to support four areas experiencing humanitarian crises:
•In Myanmar (Burma), more than 100,000 Rohingya are living in Rakhine state, confined to displacement camps which have been called open-air prisons. There are severe limitations on movement, education and healthcare. PWRDF is supporting the ongoing work of its partner, the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), bringing food, healthcare and dignity to those marginalized people.
•In Iraq, internally displaced people, refugees, returnees, and their host communities are very vulnerable. Under the ACT Appeal, LWF Iraq is improving water, sanitation and hygiene services, promoting income generating activities, and working with local community groups to address sexual and gender-based violence.
•In Ethiopia, programming is supporting safe water, sanitation, and hygiene for those most vulnerable. This support will build on past work of LWF through the ACT Alliance.
•In Syria, the Middle East Council of Churches, through the ACT Alliance appeal for Syria, Jordan and Lebanon, will use PWRDF funds to train Syrian women in Jordan to run small businesses, or to become home-care workers or nurse assistants.

Why not go to pwrdf.org and check out the numerous humanitarian programs your church supports, and prayerfully consider how you might be able to help. Thank you.

Ways to give: 

To donate online go to pwrdf.org and click on the Give Today tab, you may choose “Donate Now to Where Needs are Greatest” or scroll down to find a project you would like to support. 

You may also send a cheque payable to PWRDF to 80 Hayden Street, 3rd floor, Toronto, Ontario, M4Y 3G2; or

You can also donate by phone by calling (416) 822-9083 or leave a voicemail at 1(866) 308-7973 and they will return your call.

The post Help For Humanitarian Crises appeared first on Anglican Life.

Did you know that harmful agricultural practices are second only to fossil fuels as the main drivers for climate change? I find it ironic that our farming practices, the equipment and inputs that we use to produce food, are a major contributing factor to climate change, which is a major cause of food insecurity in the world today. 

Many PWRDF partners engage in a wide variety of agricultural training to increase the quantity and quality of food produced in ways that do no harm to the environment. And project participants are happy to pass on knowledge gained through participation in those PWRDF-sponsored training programs to other members of the community.

PWRDF-funded projects include education, training, and mentorship in raising awareness on the short and long-term consequences of using pesticides, herbicides, synthetic fertilizers, growth hormones, genetically modified organisms (GMOs), and heavy farm machinery. Care is taken to ensure our projects use agricultural inputs that do not harm the land or pollute the air. PWRDF sponsors food security projects in North, Central, and South America; Cuba; Africa; Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka. St. Jude Family Projects in Uganda is just one example of such a project. People come from Africa and other parts of the world, to learn about organic farming, food security, income generation, environmental management, tree planting, water harvesting, and soil fertilization. The holistic approach which is used in this kind of education emphasizes that all of these things are connected.

Here is some food for thought: if you are someone who likes to grow their own food, or even someone who grows flowers, please consider using environmentally friendly practices, such as composting, to nourish your gardens. If you do not grow your own food, why not consider planting some trees or shrubs to help remove pollutants from the air?

Happy Spring! Thank you, and God bless.

The post Agricultural Education Initiatives to Address Hunger and Fight Climate Change appeared first on Anglican Life.

When Jesus is questioned by the lawyer asking “Who is my neighbour?” He replies with the parable of the Good Samaritan, concluding with “… go and do likewise.” We are truly blessed that PWRDF has made it so easy for us to “go and do likewise.” 

While PWRDF was initially founded to facilitate rapid response to emergencies and disasters, it quickly became engaged in caring for refugees. The need is greater than ever, and according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, there are 84 million forcibly displaced people in the world today. This includes refugees, internally displaced people and asylum-seekers. 

In Canada, PWRDF works with the Canadian Network of Anglican Sponsorship Agreement-Holders to co-ordinate and facilitate refugee sponsorship to Canada. PWRDF also works with many partners globally to care for those living in Refugee Camps. Refugee Camps used to be temporary shelters but have become home for many. Today, millions of people have lived in the confines of a refugee camp for over 10 years. Many have fled violence, with just what they could carry, and walked for days to get to safety. 

Over the years, in addition to addressing the need for emergency, lifesaving food, water, shelter and medical supplies, PWRDF, in keeping with its goal of “sustainable” programming, has assisted with education and training of those in refugee camps, both for children and adults. We have facilitated programs for literacy, life-skills, health education, nutrition advice, HIV and AIDS prevention, addictions care, farming, environmental management, job-skills training, business training, and other programs designed to prepare refugees for life outside of the refugee camps. 

Supporting refugees is an authentic way to “love thy neighbour.”

For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink,
I was a stranger and you invited me in,
I needed clothes and you clothed me,
I was sick and you looked after me,
I was in prison and you came to visit me.
Matthew 25: 35-36

The post Love Thy Neighbour: Welcoming the Stranger and Supporting Refugees appeared first on Anglican Life.

The World of Gifts campaign is tremendously important in enabling PWRDF to fulfill its vision of a truly just, healthy, and peaceful world. Here are a few highlights from our 2020 campaign:

• More than $437,000 was donated—that represented almost 10% of the donations received from individuals and parishes
• You purchased over 3,800 gifts – the average gift amount was $110 per transaction
• I assume it is the sustainable nature of livestock and farming gifts that makes them so popular—you bought 752 goats as well as cows, pigs, chickens, and 99 “whole farms”
• You purchased 117 pipes for water wells and 20 complete water wells, in addition, you bought 83 donkeys to make it easier for Kenyan families to carry clean water from community wells to their homes
• You gave $72,000 toward supporting health clinics in Africa through the All Mothers and Children Count COVID-19 Extension Program; that amount was matched 6:1 by the Government of Canada, for a total of $432,000
• You donated $26,000 for disaster relief via the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, these funds are eligible for up to a 4:1 match from the Government of Canada

Many individuals and families use the World of Gifts instead of, or as part of, their Christmas gift exchange. Many churches use the World of Gifts during Advent to help focus on the true meaning of Christmas.

• There are many ways to order from the World of Gifts Guide:
• By telephone, call:
  1 (877) 936-9199 (9am – 5pm EST Monday – Friday)
• By mail, by completing the order form on the bottom of pages 3 & 4 in the guide
• Online by going to pwrdf.org, clicking on the World of Gifts tab, then click on Shop our Online Guide (the online Guide is very user-friendly) Please note: you may request an ecard be sent to someone to let them know you have made a gift in their honour

PWRDF’s World of Gifts is available all year long and can make great gifts for Easter, birthdays, weddings and anniversaries.

A huge thank you on behalf of PWRDF and our partners for your generous support! I pray God will continue to bless you this Christmas season as you continue to bless others!

The post Helping Others With The World of Gifts appeared first on Anglican Life.

In 2012, PWRDF partnered with the Anglican Diocese of Masasi on a five-year nutrition and food security program: the Community Health Improvement Program, nicknamed CHIP. Joyce Mtauka was one of the first beneficiaries, receiving better seeds to improve her subsistence farming operation and, more importantly, education about better farming practices. She has gone from being hungry to having a commercial farming operation. She is happy to share what she has learned with other farmers throughout the region. I have heard it said that a whole village benefits when women succeed, and Joyce Mtauka is a perfect example of that; she uses her newfound prosperity to help her sisters support their children by taking them into her home, she and is also caring for some local orphans. In 2017 she had six children living with her—none of them her own. (This information was adapted from an article by Andre Forget, June 16, 2017)

Our Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health and All Mothers and Children Count programs were holistic initiatives targeted at improving infant, child and maternal mortality rates by teaching such things as hygiene, health practices, nutrition, and food security practices, by training Community Health Workers, and providing and promoting basic health services. Our partners are: Partners in Health (Rwanda), Village Health Works (Burundi), EHALE (Mozambique) and the Diocese of Masasi (Tanzania). All worked tirelessly, and all have countless individual success stories. Those programs have benefitted well over a million people.

The Goat Seed Project was designed to supplement the small stipend received by Community Health Workers (CHW) and is based on a sustainable “Passing On A Gift” model. In Malawi, CHWs receive three female goats which are bred with a community-owned male goat, offspring are passed on to other CHWs. Goats are kept in raised pens, and manure which falls through the floor is used to fertilize the vegetable gardens. Training is provided in how to care for the goats, and one of the CHWs is also trained as an animal health worker. 

Check out the many wonderful stories of how you are answering God’s call to love your neighbour by supporting PWRDF at: pwrdf.org. Thank you!

The post PWRDF Achieves Multiple Goals in One Project appeared first on Anglican Life.

Climate change leads to extreme weather and worsens the impact of natural disasters such as drought, flooding, storms, and wildfires. Extreme heat dries out soil which is then easily blown away, essentially blowing away our ability to grow food; extreme heat also causes precious water to evaporate, diminishing the supply of clean drinking water; during hurricanes, high winds, and flooding destroy crops and trees and erodes soil…. You get the idea.

While climate change is a complex issue and requires a multifaceted approach to mitigate the damage it causes, not every solution is high tech. Tree planting, for example, in addition to preventing erosion, helps combat global warming by removing carbon dioxide from the air and releasing oxygen into the atmosphere. Here are some of the Climate Action initiatives PWRDF and its partners are supporting: 

In the upper Andes of Columbia, half of the world’s moorlands are drying up due to global warming and extractive mining activities. PWRDF is working with a local partner ILSA and the World Association for Christian Communication to train farmers in environmental protection techniques, to establish native plant nurseries to reforest the land and provide seeds and livestock for family farms. 

In Bangladesh, PWRDF partnered with the Manitoba Council for International Cooperation and local partner UBINIG to work with 22,000 farmers in 10 villages to:

• Plant mangroves (a shrub which thrives in brackish water) along the shorelines to protect against erosion, flooding and high winds;
• Set up bamboo bindings to redirect water to prevent river erosion and flooding of valuable farm land;
• Collect and preserve seeds, and 
• Set up farmer field schools to ensure this knowledge and know how is shared.

In 2019 Cyclone Idai destroyed homes, crops and seeds in Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Malawi. Canadian Anglicans responded to a special appeal and donated $127,355, which was matched 4:1 by the Government of Canada. Seeds for replanting were distributed to 4,910 families with the help of local partner TSURO Trust in Zimbabwe.

These are just a few examples of how you, through your donations to PWRDF, are taking care of God’s creation. Thank you!

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