Title: Grants from Church of the Brethren funds total $158,500 Subject: Church of the Brethren Newsline Date: April 27, 2006 From: Church of the Brethren News Services Contact: Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford V: 847/742-5100 F: 847/742-6103 E-mail: cobnews@brethren.org
GRANTS FROM CHURCH OF THE BRETHREN FUNDS TOTAL $158,500
April 27, 2006 (Elgin, IL) -- Two funds administered by the Church of the Brethren General Board have given a total of $158,500 in seven grants for hunger and disaster relief around the world. The Global Food Crisis program also has directed funds from the Foods Resource Bank to a food security program in Serbia.
The Global Food Crisis Fund has given $50,000 for the Agglobe Mission to provide seed and plastic film supplies to farms in North Korea. The funds not only help boost food production, but also improve the living environment and civil society of the North Korean people. A similar grant was issued in 2005.
In another grant related to the Global Food Crisis program, $3,000 has been given to a Church World Service (CWS) project in Serbia from the Church of the Brethren Foods Resource Bank account. The money will help provide food security for displaced people.
The Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) has given an allocation of $40,000 for vital medical supplies for the Christian Hospital Association of Liberia, which is recovering from years of civil war. The grant is given in response to an appeal from Interchurch Medical Assistance Inc., and follows a previous grant to help resettle 500,000 refugees and displaced persons in Liberia. Some of the medical supplies will be shipped from the Brethren Service Center in New Windsor, Md.
A grant of $25,000 has been sent from the EDF to fund medical treatment for Palestinian people at the Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem. The Israeli government has suddenly stopped funding for the only cancer treatment facility available for Palestinians. The funds will help provide dialysis, radiation, chemotherapy, endoscopy, and head and neck treatments. The grant supports a CWS appeal.
The sum of $20,000 from the EDF supports recovery work and provides material aid following heavy rains and flooding in Angola. The disaster has left over 41,000 people homeless. The funds will help provide food, blankets, plastic sheeting, medical kits, and hospital beds. The grant is given in support of a CWS appeal.
An EDF allocation of $15,000 continues support of a Brethren Disaster Response project in Ohio doing flood recovery work. The project began in June 2005 and has recently been moved to the city of Caldwell. The work is expected to continue through the spring, and possibly into the summer. Previous allocations to this project total $35,000.
The EDF has given $5,000 after recent spring storms brought tornados, hail, and destruction to eight states in the US. These funds support the work of the Disaster Response and Recovery Liaisons from CWS, as well as provide material resources and seed grants.
An EDF allocation of $3,500 after a massive landslide buried a Philippine village. The funds will help provide emergency assistance to 500 families, including food, medicine, seeds, farm tools, and reconstruction materials.in response to a Church World Service appeal.
For more about the Emergency Disaster Fund see http://www.brethren.org/genbd/ersm/EDF.htm.
For more about the Global Food Crisis Fund see http://www.brethren.org/genbd/global_mission/gfcf.htm.
The Church of the Brethren is a Christian denomination committed to continuing the work of Jesus peacefully and simply, and to living out its faith in community. The denomination is based in the Anabaptist and Pietist faith traditions and is one of the three Historic Peace Churches. It celebrates its 300th anniversary in 2008. It counts about 130,000 members across the United States and Puerto Rico, and has missions and sister churches in Brazil, the Dominican Republic, Haiti, and Nigeria.
# # #
For more information contact:
Cheryl Brumbaugh-Cayford Director of News Services Church of the Brethren General Board 1451 Dundee Ave. Elgin, IL 60120 800-323-8039 ext. 260 cobnews@brethren.org
********************************************************** The Church of the Brethren Newsline is produced by Cheryl Brumbaugh- Cayford, director of news services for the Church of the Brethren General Board. Newsline stories may be reprinted provided that Newsline is cited as the source. To receive Newsline by e-mail, go to http://listserver.emountain.net/mailman/listinfo/newsline.