Emergency Disaster Fund issues four grants for international work.

The Church of the Brethren's Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF) recently issued four grants for international relief efforts following disasters. The four grants total $88,000.

A grant of $40,000 responds to a Church World Service (CWS) appeal for assistance in Myanmar. This is the first grant from the EDF supporting the long-term recovery phase following Cyclone Nargis, which struck Myanmar in May 2008. The grant funds will assist with dry season agricultural programs, training for disaster preparedness, school construction, and a "season long" employment plan for landless families.

An allocation of $25,000 will go to a CWS appeal for a food crisis in Afghanistan following a decade of severe drought, which has worsened in the past three years. The money will help provide immediate assistance, including education for farmers, seeds, clean water, and emergency food packets.

A grant of $15,000 will go to a CWS appeal for aid to displaced people in Sri Lanka. Following the government's recently declared victory in a very long and violent civil conflict, thousands of displaced people including great numbers of children are in dire need of assistance, the grant request said. The grant from the Church of the Brethren will support work by CWS and Action by Churches Together, primarily focusing on emergency food aid, non-food items, and educational support for school-age children.

The sum of $8,000 will respond to a CWS appeal for Pakistan where more than 500,000 people have fled their homes because of military conflicts between Pakistani forces and the Taliban. The grant will support relief programs aimed at providing food packages and emergency shelter kits.

Source: 6/17/2009 Newsline