wfn.org | ABCUSA: RELIEF PROJECTS FUNDED

[RICH.SCHRAMM@ecunet.org]

AMERICAN BAPTIST NEWS SERVICE 
Office of Communication  
American Baptist Churches USA 
P.O. Box 851, Valley Forge, PA 19482-0851 
Phone: (610)768-2077 / Fax: (610)768-2320 
Web: www.abc-usa.org
Richard W. Schramm, Director 
 E-mail: richard.schramm@abc-usa.org

WORLD RELIEF COMMITTEE APPROVES FUNDS FOR 
PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS
 The American Baptist Churches' World Relief 
Committee has voted to fund dozens of relief and 
development programs and projects overseas and within 
the U.S. 
 The committee, which met last week 
in Cherry Hill, N.J. in semiannual session, 
establishes policy for distribution of funds 
from the One Great Hour of Sharing Offering.  Projects 
were presented by American Baptist International 
Ministries, American Baptist National Ministries and Baptist 
World Aid of the Baptist World Alliance.
 Among major funding determined by the 
committee:
 Overseas: Bangladesh--$15,000 to continue the 
Bede (Gypsies) Development Project; Brazil--$13,000 for 
the Baptist Convention in literacy and health care 
programs with indigenous tribes; Cote d'Ivoire
--$50,000 to support the Baptist Union's development of 
an agricultural/business/conference center; Cuba--$25,000 
to support a Baptist community medicine and eyeglasses 
project; Czech Republic--$40,000 over three years for the 
Baptist Union's development of a youth center; Dominican 
Republic--$14,000 in support of a Baptist-related eye care 
program in Santo Domingo; El Salvador--$14,000 to 
support the Baptist Federation's economic and agricultural 
development programs; Republic of Georgia--$15,000 over 
three years to fund Georgian Baptists' Social Ministry 
Center; Philippines--$21,000 over three years to fund 
various women's programs of the Convention of Philippine 
Baptist Churches; Philippines--$30,000 over three years to 
help support Baptist advocacy efforts with the urban poor; 
Russia--$50,000 to help fund the purchase of land for the 
Ryazan Ministry Center; Rwanda--$21,000 to assist the 
Baptist Union in developing agricultural cooperatives; 
Thailand--$15,000 to support the Development Agriculture 
and Education Project for Akha, a youth ministry; 
Thailand--$17,500 to assist the Karen Drug Rehabilitation 
Project; Thailand--$18,000 to assist the Karen Rural 
Development Project. 
 Also, through Baptist World Aid: Balkans and 
Chechnya--$16,667 to each area for refugee relief 
assistance; Costa Rica--$32,278 over three years for the 
Baptist Convention's project supporting disadvantaged 
adolescents; Croatia--$33,333 over three years to help 
fund the Croatian National Baptist Center; Democratic 
Republic of Congo--$33,333 and $25,555 to assist the 
Baptist Community of Western Congo in community 
agricultural programs; India--$26,880 to expand the 
Mission Center of the Garo Baptist Convention; India--
$21,265 for the Nagaland Baptist Church Council's 
agricultural education program; Liberia--$17,775 for the 
Liberian Baptist Missionary and Education Convention's 
program to reintegrate displaced Liberians following years 
of civil conflict; North Korea--$27,778 to help fund various 
aid and development needs; Sierra Leone--$20,000 to 
assist the Baptist Convention work with displaced people; 
and Zambia--$16,667 to support the Baptist Convention's 
refugee assistance program.
 Within the U.S.: New York, NY--$20,000 to 
support the Hands for America job development and 
training program that ministers to 800 former welfare 
recipient mothers; Disaster News Network--increasing to 
$15,000 the 2001 grant to support the expansion of the 
Church World Service news Web site.

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