wfn.org | LWF Committee Approves USD 9.9 Million for 92 Projects

["Frank Imhoff" <FRANKI@elca.org>]

LWF Committee Approves USD 9.9 Million for 92 Projects Worldwide
Focus on Increasing Poverty, HIV/AIDS

GENEVA, 16 July 2001 (LWI) - In 2001 the LWF Project Committee approved
over USD 9.9 million for a total of 92 projects in the LWF regions.
These include 36 mission, 11 communication and 45 development projects.

Of the total amount over USD 4.3 million is for projects in Africa, more
than USD 1.8 million for Asia, USD 827,300 for Europe and USD 2.92
million for Latin America. There were 36 requests approved from Africa,
29 from Asia, 7 from Europe and 20 from Latin America.

Presenting the report of the Program Committee for Mission and
Development during the June 12-19 Council meeting, committee chairperson
Rev. Susan E. Nagle, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, while
presenting the recommendations from the LWF Project Committee meeting,
pointed to the continuous increase of poverty worldwide, devastating
spread of HIV/AIDS, emerging of new or otherwise eradicated diseases,
deterioration of health in general, and the decline of the quality of
life in many parts of the world.

The Council requested the LWF Department for Mission and Development
(DMD), which works together with the member churches as they endeavor to
create and maintain ministries that integrate proclamation, service and
advocacy for justice, to develop global and regional programs that would
pro-actively encourage the churches to establish projects that enhance
development in areas such as health and education.

Upon the recommendation of the Project Committee, the Council requested
all member churches to give priority to education and promotion of
gender perspective, and to ask the DMD to include them in its capacity-
building programs and in the screening, implementation and evaluation of
all development projects. Priority concern would also be given to the
issues of violence against women in all projects.

On HIV/AIDS, the Council requested the DMD to plan and convene
consultations and workshops within its capacity-building program to
mobilize church responses to HIV/AIDS and to seek to link these
workshops to other meetings convened by the LWF or member churches. The
Project Committee had noted the churches' slow response to the HIV/AIDS
pandemic coupled with hesitance in addressing the issue, "including
especially aspects of prevention."  It underlined that HIV/AIDS projects
could become more effective by including both prevention and care.

Among other Council actions on HIV/AIDS was emphasis on cooperation with
the World Council of Churches (WCC) to strengthen advocacy initiatives
including access to affordable pharmaceuticals, and other measures as
crucial elements of holistic response to the pandemic.

The Council received the draft document "Churches Say "No" to Violence
against Women" and asked that the responses and additional input
received from the Program/Standing Committees and the LWF member
churches be incorporated wherever possible. A special committee of five
Council members (two from Mission and Development, one from
International Affairs and Human Rights, one from Theology and Studies
and one from World Service) would go over changes and approve the
document for publication.

In discussing the Report of the Treasurer, the Program Committee had
focused on the Treasurer's concern for solidarity with young churches
and those in difficult economic situations. The issue of strengthening
the institutional self-reliance of churches in relation to
interdependency and mutual accountability of member churches was
highlighted. During the course of its meeting, the Committee had
received a request from Eastern/Central Europe region Council members
for the establishment of a regional office for Eastern/Central Europe
and minority churches in Europe. The Council therefore asked LWF General
Secretary, Rev. Dr. Ishmael Noko, and the Executive Committee to deepen
reflection on and develop strategies for action to strengthen the
organizational capacity and institutional self-reliance of churches in
the South; and, in response to their request, which was accompanied with
some urgency, also in Eastern and Central Europe.

The Council requested that a report on the Pre-Council Youth Workshop
under the theme "Let Us Seek Peace and Pursue It" be distributed to all
member churches for study.

On inter-Lutheran relations, the Council requested the general secretary
to enter into conversations with the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod
(LCMS) to seek cooperation agreements between the LWF and LCMS and to
explore the relationship with the International Lutheran Council.

The general secretary was also asked to encourage member churches to
resist approaches that seek to condemn other Christians and other
churches "and divide our churches." The general secretary would also
seek ways to accompany churches in need of discerning theological
questions by offering various means of LWF support.

(The LWF is a global communion of Christian churches in the Lutheran
tradition. Founded in 1947 in Lund (Sweden), the LWF now has 133 member
churches in 73 countries representing over 60.5 million of the 64.3
million Lutherans worldwide. The LWF acts on behalf of its member
churches in areas of common interest such as ecumenical relations,
theology, humanitarian assistance, human rights, communication, and the
various aspects of mission and development work. Its secretariat is
located in Geneva, Switzerland.)

[Lutheran World Information (LWI) is the information service of the
Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Unless specifically noted, material
presented does not represent positions or opinions of the LWF or of its
various units. Where the dateline of an article contains the notation
(LWI), the material may be freely reproduced with acknowledgement.]

*       *       *
LUTHERAN WORLD INFORMATION
PO Box 2100, CH-1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
Editor's e-mail: pmu@lutheranworld.org
Tel: (41.22) 791.63.54
Fax: (41.22) 791.66.30
http://www.lutheranworld.org/News/Articles/EN/LWI