ERD Gets Grant from USAid for Child Survival in Uganda

Episcopal Relief and Development is Awarded Grant from USAID for Child Survival Program in Uganda

Episcopal Relief & Development is proud to announce the receipt of a grant from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). This award is part of the USAID Child Survival Agenda which was established to focus attention on the dire health needs of children in developing countries.

Episcopal Relief & Development announces the receipt of this grant as we commemorate World Food Day on October 16th and the International Day for the Eradication of Poverty on October 17th. The theme, “working together out of poverty” highlights the need for a global anti-poverty partnership between both developed and developing countries. These commemorative days are a reminder of the Millennium Development Goals which aim to combat disease, inequality, hunger and cut the number of people living in extreme poverty in half by the year 2015. For more information about the MDG’s click here

The USAID grant will be implemented in January of 2009 and will fund Episcopal Relief & Development’s programs in Northern Uganda where there are currently at least 1.4 million people living in Internally Displaced People camps. Janette O'Neill, Senior Director for Africa Programs, is currently in Uganda working with local partners to develop a holistic program that will address critical needs for communities. The goal of the Episcopal Relief & Development USAID program is to contribute to sustained improvements in child survival and health outcomes.

“Episcopal Relief & Development is honored to receive this generous grant supporting our heath and hunger programs in Uganda,” said Mariama Dauda, African Program Officer. “The grant will allow us to implement key programs that will improve child survival in Uganda.”

Episcopal Relief & Development Supports Ongoing Disaster Relief in Myanmar

Episcopal Relief & Development Supports Ongoing Disaster Relief in Myanmar

Five months after Cyclone Nargis struck Myanmar (Burma), people in the impoverished country are still struggling to rebuild their lives. Nargis, a category 4 storm, tore down trees and buildings, destroyed crops and livestock and cut power and communications in the Ayeyarwady Delta region, home to nearly half of the country’s population.


At least 77,000 people were killed by the cyclone and 56,000 are still missing. Four thousand schools were flattened or damaged, impacting 500,000 children. Overall, children account for 40% of the hardest hit population and are most likely to die in disease outbreaks.
At this point, an estimated 80 to 90 percent of the total households in the affected area are living in improvised shelter. The rains that have accompanied the monsoon season have intensified the conditions of overcrowding, inappropriate sanitation and scarcity of potable water facing the internally displaced people in Myanmar. There is an ongoing need for food, medical aid and shelter.


Episcopal Relief & Development is partnering with The Church of the Province of Myanmar (CPM) to provide immediate and long-term relief. Staff from Episcopal Relief & Development have just returned from a monitoring trip to Myanmar where they observed first-hand the incredible needs in the country and the heroic efforts of CPM to meet these needs.
CPM has conducted eight field visits into the very hard to reach epicenter of storm damage with relief teams consisting of health workers, pastoral support, logisticians and labor teams to clear debris and repair damaged water sources and infrastructure. CPM is providing families with food, water purification kits, sheltering material and household kits that include mosquito nets, blankets and towels, water storage containers, cooking pots and other essentials for daily living.


In the coming months CPM will launch the rehabilitation phase of recovery, focusing on restoring livelihoods, rebuilding homes and infrastructure and supporting children orphaned by the storm. As over half a million acres of rice paddy, 38,000 fish and shrimp ponds and 152,000 acres of forest were destroyed, the need for agricultural recovery is extreme.
“CPM’s mobilization efforts to reach those most impacted by the cyclone have been incredible,” says Nagulan Nesiah, Program Associate for Asia at Episcopal Relief & Development. “We look forward to supporting them through the long-term rebuilding phase of the recovery process.”


To make a contribution to help people impacted by Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar, please donate to Episcopal Relief & Development’s “Myanmar & Cyclone Response Fund” online at www.er-d.org, or call 1-800-334-7626, ext. 5129. Gifts can be mailed to: Episcopal Relief & Development, “Myanmar & Cyclone Response Fund” PO Box 7058, Merrifield, VA 22116-7058.

ERD response to Iowa Flooding

Episcopal Relief & Development is providing emergency assistance to communities devastated by ongoing flooding in Iowa. So far the flood waters are responsible for the deaths of five people, the displacement of 38,000 others and have inflicted up to $1 billion in damage to Iowa’s agricultural sector.

The damage to infrastructure is severe. Across eastern Iowa, the flooding rivers have washed out railroad lines, halted barge traffic on the Mississippi River and closed major roadways. Twenty-four counties have been declared disaster areas to date.

The crisis is far from over. More rain is expected in the region and officials fear that flood waters will breech 27 levees along the Mississippi River in Iowa and Missouri later this week.
Working with its partner the Episcopal Diocese of Iowa, Episcopal Relief & Development is providing emergency assistance to people who have been displaced from their homes. Families will be given temporary shelter and provided with food, clothing, first aid and other basic necessities.

“The Diocese of Iowa’s extraordinary people have been bringing support to those impacted by recent tornadoes, immigration raids and now these terrible floods,” says Abagail Nelson, Senior Vice President for Programs at Episcopal Relief & Development. “We will continue to support them as they bring critical aid to the people impacted in their communities.”

ERD response to the Myranmar Cyclone

ERD is working with our partner, the Anglican Church of the Province of Myanmar in helping in the Cyclone tragedy. We have been working with them as a development partner actively since 2006 and have worked in areas of economic development, water and sanitation, education, agriculture and livestock programs. The Anglican Church began responding to the disaster in the immediate aftermath. They have already sent three assessment teams out to assist and determine needs in three areas of the regions that were severely hit: a suburban area of Yangon (Rangoon) and two areas in the Irrawaddy Division (East Delta and West Delta regions). ERD has been providing financial assistance in this effort and is focusing our efforts on meeting the immediate needs of the displaced such as food, water and shelter.

Additionally, ERD is providing food aid through our ecumenical partner, Action by Churches Together (ACT). ACT is distributing this support through the Myanmar Council of Churches.

ERD plans on sending staff to Myranmar in the next few weeks. As you may have heard on the news, the ruling military junta is limiting visa's into the country and that may limit when our staff arrives. Once in country, the ERD staff will assist our partner in designing a long-term recovery plan based on the needs evident from the assessment. We also will provide ongoing support for those affected while the long-term recovery plan is being developed.

If one would like to make a donation, here’s how they can help:

Give online at http://www.er-d.org/
Call 1-800-334-7626, ext. 5129.
Mail gifts to: Episcopal Relief and Development “Myanmar & Cyclone Response Fund” P.O. Box 7058, Merrifield, VA 22116-7058.
Please be sure to designate all gifts to Episcopal Relief and Development’s “Myanmar & Cyclone Response Fund”

#4 Back from Minneapolis

I attended the ERD Network Coordinators meeting in Minneapolis this past weekend. We focused our efforts on learning best practices and training to better represent ERD. We started the meeting with Evensong prayer and ended with a Eucharist. In between we had meetings, meals and a wonderful welcome at the Minneapolis Episcopal St. Mark's Cathedral. Giving the homily was an Anglican bishop from Pakistan. He worked with Mother Theresa in India and gave a moving sermon on ERDs work in Central Asia.

We heard of a new "Branding of ERD" meaning a new logo and tagline. A new website will also be coming (same address www.er-d.org) that is easier to navigate. May 15 is the target for all the ERD changes.

Good news is ERD continues to put $0.92 of every dollar donated to programs. ERD is also committing to putting 1 million mosquito nets per year into Africa for 5 years. At $12 per net, we better get going to raising those funds!

#3 What to do with that rebate check?

Episcopalians for Global Reconciliation and ERD have joined forces to answer our title question. Give it for good! Give it or some percentage to ERD's MDG Inspiration fund. Here is a link to their site and where you can pledge (not pay) your rebate check http://www.e4gr.org/giveit4good.html

Please pass this information on to everyone you know (note I have pledged 10% of the not yet received rebate!)

#2 - Everyone - Everywhere conference June 5-8

ERD is one of the sponsors of the Everyone, Everywhere mission conference. The three day conference will be held in Baltimore June 5-8, 2008 and will give attendees a taste of the world through music, worship and fellowship. Take a look at the web site: http://www.ee08.org/conference/index.html

ERD has responded to flooding in Equador and snowstorms in China. Click here for more information on what ERD is doing: ERD HELPING HANDS IN A HURTING WORLD

I've had lots of questions since church council on what is the ERD MDG Inspiration fund? Here is a link to the ERD site explaining the fund and what it is all about: MDG INSPIRATION FUND

#1 - ERD blog for the Diocese of Southwestern Virginia

Greetings friends to the first ERD blog for our diocese. I hope to use the blog to keep you informed of what is going on in our diocese and the national ERD. If you have information on an ERD event or activity in your neck of the woods (or burbs) please let me know by email or comment here.

Firstly a big thanks to the diocese for their support of ERD during the annual council. The MDGs and ERD's support of them was incredible. The donation at the Sunday U2charist was designated for ERD (and our new MDG inspiration fund) and totaled $5128.00! Woo Hoo! There were many workshops on the MDG including one given by yours truly and Luke Fordor from ERD, New York. Luke is my ERD coordinator boss. He did a wonderful job explaining ERD's roles in supporting the MDGs. Presiding Bishop Katharine focused her keynote address on supporting the MDGs.

ERD Sunday was February 10 (the first Sunday of Lent). I emailed all the rectors in the diocese giving them information and resources for the day. If you had a special ERD program that Sunday please let me know. I've distributed over 250 Lenten Devotional guides in the diocese. If you need some for your parish you can order them here: ERD Lenten Devotional Guide
You can also download the guide here in pdf format: Download Page

Please check with your vestry to see if they have put the MDGs in your parish budget. The goad is for every parish (and individual!) to give 0.7% to the MDGs. A great way to give is ERDs MDG Inspiration Fund. Click here for more information: MDG Inspiration Fund

I'll be keeping this blog updated periodically so bookmark this page as one of your favorites and keep checking back. Email me if you have some content you would like to share!