A year ago, the membership of PWRDF was presented with the proposal to change its name. Over the years, a growing number of people advocated for us to choose something simpler, a name easy to understand and to pronounce and without a clumsy acronym, one that reflects who we are and what we do. In 2022, a Task Team of staff, board members, and volunteers from across Canada began meeting. They deliberated and consulted; the Board met and considered their recommendations. The theme of partnership emerged, and last September, the name Alongside Hope was proposed. It is true that not everyone was enthusiastic about the name chosen, or even about the need for a name change. However, in October, at a special meeting of members, “Alongside Hope” was approved by a large majority. In the end, as one wise person said, you choose a name and live into it. Those two simple words—alongside and hope—say so much, and we continue to live into all they contain. Two examples come to mind.
This past June, I was part of a delegation that traveled to Kenya. So many of our partners appreciate the simplicity of the name and how much easier it is to remember (there were still ‘insiders’ who got the acronym mixed up, even toward the end). Yet, the name is much more than an easy-to-remember title. For many years now, our emphasis has been on working with partners, truly coming alongside, walking, discussing, and sharing this journey with others, which follows so very much the example of Jesus walking alongside the disciples on the road to Emmaus. And as we journey together, as we learn from each other and share, we plant seeds of hope. Hope is not wishy-washy thinking; it is one of the three Christian virtues which Paul says will abide and which he says is produced by character, which is in turn produced through suffering and endurance. It is something we need and something we cling to when all else seems lost. “Hope,” said Desmond Tutu, “is being able to see that there is light despite all of the darkness.”
The “Wild Ride” campaign for 2025 has been launched, and this year, the proceeds go towards solar suitcases. Members of General Synod this past June would have been able to see a demonstration of a solar suitcase. Its premise is simple and a testament to human ingenuity. For families in off-grid parts of Mozambique and Madagascar, nighttime deliveries can be challenging and even dangerous. Connected to a solar panel on the roof of a clinic, the suitcase contains power outlets for portable lights, a headlamp, a fetal Doppler (a hand-held ultrasound used to detect the fetal heartbeat), and cell phone chargers. Medical attendants have the tools they need to support women through labour and delivery, especially at night. Alongside Hope is our new name, but our ministry remains the same—we walk and work alongside each other to bring hope to our hurting world. That says it all.
