Whether planting seedlings in Uganda or breadfruit trees in Haiti, preparing gift bags for new babies in Lesotho or teaching gender rights in El Salvador, the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund’s partners are investing in their communities.
The annual World of Gifts campaign makes it possible for you to invest, too. Supporting World of Gifts is an investment in a sustainable future for some of the world’s most vulnerable communities.
The campaign launched in October and leads up to Christmas, but the opportunity to give and support our partners is year round. The 2021 guide supports 17 partners as they plan for a healthier and stronger future. Programs include restoring and preserving seeds in Bangladesh, providing families with supplies to raise chickens in Colombia and Zimbabwe, continued support of “smart” dairy farming initiatives in Kenya and of course, back by popular demands, giving goats to people in Malawi, Zimbabwe and Cuba.
Goats and these other conservation agriculture initiatives improve nutrition for smallholder farmers, and also improve their yields so they can earn more income in the local markets. Supporters can still “buy the whole farm” and support a range of agricultural projects with one gift.
Support for World of Gifts in Newfoundland and Labrador has always been strong. In 2018, Sunday School children from St. George’s, Gambo, collected coins for two months and raised $571.20 to buy 80 chicks, 5 goats, 30 ducks 2 20-kg bags of seeds and mosquito nets.
During last year’s campaign, despite the pandemic, churches and individuals in Newfoundland and Labrador donated $28,762 to World of Gifts. Ten parishes raised funds to support World of Gifts, with donations totalling $6,692. This includes the confirmation class at Holy Trinity Church in the parish of Grand Bay, who raised enough funds to “buy a whole farm.”
The clean water project in Kenya is still being supported in World of Gifts in 2021. Through our partner Utooni Development Organization, PWRDF has been supporting the construction of shallow wells, and last year raised enough funds to build 17 wells with a hand pump and four well with a solar-powered pump. If a donkey is not suitable to help a family carry water from the well, UDO also provides water tanks to store the water.
There are also opportunities to invest in women recovering from sexual violence in Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo, and new mothers in Lesotho. Financial support at these critical times can have an enormous impact.
This year’s guide is also promoting our new Indigenous Responsive Programs grant. For 25 years PWRDF has supported and accompanied Indigenous organizations in Canada working to reclaim their language and culture, to improve community health with clean water and safe birth, to support economic opportunities and to engage youth. The new responsive program aims to expand our support of Indigenous communities by providing grants of $5,000 – $15,000 to Indigenous-led groups working in Community Health, Climate Action, Empowering Youth or Safe Water. With a gift supporting this program, you are investing in Indigenous communities as well as Indigenous leadership.
Like any good investment, the return on World of Gifts is high: communities become stronger, healthier and more resilient, and we are able to live out Jesus’ commandment for us to love our neighbour, no matter where they may be.
