CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Office of the Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) approved grants for 14 international ministry projects totaling $374,000. The projects, intended to provide direct assistance to people living in poverty, are part of the ELCA's emphasis on Ministries Among People in Poverty (MAPP).
The projects address needs of different churches and companion Lutheran churches, said Belletech Deressa, director for international development and disaster response, ELCA Division for Global Mission.
"We are very grateful to the bishop's office and to the ELCA," Deressa said. "Without these additional funds we would not have been able to accompany so many people who live in poverty."
In 1999, the ELCA Church Council established a $3 million fund for MAPP projects. The money was allocated from reserve funds. The Rev. H. George Anderson, ELCA presiding bishop, set up four work groups to administer the funds. One group was established to fund international causes, and $900,000 was designated.
The projects and their funding levels are:
+ Strengthening Womens' Economics Base and Community Building, Kenya ($24,000). Women's centers, including some in Lutheran congregations, provide activities and education on a broad range of topics that are intended to benefit women and their families. In many centers, women have significant income-generating projects. The funds will enable these projects to be expanded to benefit more women in the Kenya Evangelical Lutheran Church.
+ Strengthening Womens' Economic Base, Tanzania ($20,000). The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania has developed Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (SACCOS) in several dioceses. SACCOS is intended to raise the economic level of families living in poverty but presently doesn't include many women. The additional funds would be used to extend the program to more women.
+ Womens' Business Seminars, Tanzania ($10,000). The Christian Conference of Tanzania (CCT) offers business seminars ranging from understanding business terms to planning for entrepreneurship. Last year, CCT increased its original plan from training 80 women to training as many as 300 women because of growing demand. The additional funds will be used to fund the expansion of the existing program.
+ Congregation-Based Community Organizing, Tanzania ($6,000). The Meru Diocese of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Tanzania, along with other dioceses, said the church's greatest challenge is to alleviate poverty among the people of Tanzania. To help meet this challenge, additional funds will be used to organize a week-long seminar on congregation-based community organizing. The seminar, for 75 to 100 pastors, will focus on how the church can enable people to improve their economic situation and to identify resources to meet the goal.
+ Village Schools, Central African Republic/Cameroon ($100,000). The additional funds will be used for a variety of purposes. Teacher training will be provided to raise their level of proficiency. Primary education will incorporate health and development, as well as general education in an effort to reduce infant mortality rates and improve nutrition. ELCA companion synods synods that serve as partners with Lutheran churches in other countries -- will be involved in an effort to strengthen their relationships with churches in these African countries.
+ Ministry Among Sengoi Women, Malaysia ($20,000). The Sengoi people are aboriginal people living in the central highlands of the Malaysian peninsula. They move as the resources of land are depleted; hunting and primitive farming are primary occupations. Educational opportunities remain low for women. The funds will be used to provide educational opportunities for women that focus on health issues and care of children.
+ Ministry with Filipino Women Workers, Hong Kong ($25,000). Many women are domestic workers who temporarily reside and work in Hong Kong. Most are separated from their families and support systems in the Phillippines. They earn low wages, have little time off and are often tempted to turn to prostitution to earn more money. The funds will provide a support system as well as a safe place for women to gather.
+ Slum Women's Advancement Project, India ($18,000). The project, which began in 1985, includes six different project centers in the northern section of Madras. Children, men and women are served. Funds will be used to expand program activities, which include training in employable skills, income generation projects, adult education, preschool programs, health camps and community organizing.
+ Samrong Labor Development Center, Thailand ($18,000). Funds will be used to teach laborers in the Samrong Industrial area of Bangkok. Project activities include sessions on labor rights, assisting local labor unions and vocational skills. The project enlists the involvement of local churches and is coordinated with labor unions and other organizations.
+ Pattaya Child Prostitution Prevention Project, Thailand ($18,000). This project is a response to child prostitution in Pattaya, a significant tourist center in Thailand. Funds will be used to help one of the project's aims to educate local congregations about the problem of child prostitution in Pattaya and to enlist support of the Christian community for the young people involved, most of whom are under 18 years of age.
+ National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. (NCC) and Church World Service and Witness Educational Materials on Vietnam, Vietnam ($5,000). The aim of this project is to help North American Christians understand the history and culture of Vietnam. It also aims to examine the role of Christians and churches before, during and after the Vietnam War. The program will be carried out in cooperation with the ELCA's ecumenical partners in the NCC.
+ Impoverished and Sex Workers, Nicaragua ($30,000). A school in Nicaragua, Escuela para Todos, serves people from marginalized and economically deprived communities, especially unemployed and unskilled people, sex industry workers and differently abled people. The school teaches computer skills. The grant will enable the school to purchase a permanent site for the training center.
+ Bakery for Street Children, Peru ($20,000). This is a center that provides an educational, nutritional and residential program for street children in Cuzco. The funds will enable the center to increase its bread production capacity and improve existing dormitory facilities.
+ Displaced people, Colombia ($60,000). The Evangelical Lutheran Church in Colombia is working with displaced people there to provide a safer environment for reconstruction of communities during internal civil strife. The funds will enable the church to accompany the resettlement process of displaced people into their new communities.
Earlier this year, four MAPP grants totaling $245,000 were approved. The grants supported the Washington Office on Africa, AIDS prevention and control in Ethiopia, amputees in Sierra Leone and a resource center in Lebanon.
Proposals for additional projects are being reviewed.
EDITORS: Details on MAPP grants approved earlier can be found on the
ELCA's Web site at
http://listserv.elca.org/scripts/wa.exe?A2=3Dind0004&L=3Delcanews&D=3D1&H=
=3D1&O=3DD&F=3D&S=3D&P=3D304
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or NEWS@ELCA.ORG
http://listserv.elca.org/archives/elcanews.html
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About the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America:
The ELCA is one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, with 2.8 million members in more than 8,500 worshiping communities across the 50 states and in the Caribbean region. Known as the church of "God's work. Our hands.," the ELCA emphasizes the saving grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ, unity among Christians and service in the world. The ELCA's roots are in the writings of the German church reformer Martin Luther.
For information contact:
Candice Hill Buchbinder
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Candice.HillBuchbinder@ELCA.org
