Grants from Global Food Crisis Fund and Emergency Disaster Fund total $158,500.

Two funds administered by the Church of the Brethren General Board have given a total of $158,500 in seven recent 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 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.

Source: 4/12/2006 Newsline
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