Bishops’ Appeal Funding Report
The Bishops' Appeal Advisory Committee meets six times a year - in January, March, April, June, September and November. The Committee decides on funding applications received at all meetings other than the January one. This one is reserved for reviewing the past year and looking forward to issues that may arise during the coming one.
The latest meeting was held on 17th November and the following projects were approved for funding.
Salesian Sisters of St. John Bosco
The Salesian Sisters run "City of Hope" for girls and boys at risk in Lusaka, Zambia. The "City of Hope" has three components -
Open Community School for children who would otherwise be on the streets
Skills Training Centre
A home for girls referred to them by Social Welfare and other agencies
Bishops' Appeal has agreed a grant of €17,200 to help provide latrine toilets for the more than 800 children attending the Open Community School and the Skills Training Centre.
VSO
VSO Mozambique integrates support for people living with HIV and AIDS with Secure Rural Livelihoods programme and, through this, aims to improve the lives of those affected. Bishops' Appeal has approved a grant of €12,000 to this project to benefit those infected or affected by HIV and AIDS and who are vulnerable to food shortages and malnutrition.
Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity in Mozambique has a project to provide safe, health and legally protected shelter for 3,600 families, including 10,800 HIV orphans and vulnerable children) in North, Central and Southern regions of the country. This project will benefit from a grant of £14,590 from Bishops' Appeal.
KMF Productions
"What in the World" is a series of television programmes on RTE produced by KMF Productions which aim to give people in Ireland awareness and understanding of global development challenges. Bishops' Appeal has contributed a small amount of funding to each of the first three series which were seen by more than one million viewers and has agreed to give another €5,000 to the producers towards the cost of series four. Funding from Church of Ireland Bishops' Appeal is acknowledged in the credits of one of the programmes.
Asra Hawariat School
The Asra Hawariat School in Ethiopia provides free education, a kindergarten, a child and family aid programme and various types of training in life-supporting skills. Bishops' Appeal has agreed a grant of £10,000 to help with this work. In addition an amount of €1,520, donated to Bishops' Appeal for famine relief, will be given to the school to help reopen its mother and child feeding centre.
Fields of Life
Bishops' Appeal has agreed to contribute £30,000 towards the cost of construction of a school by Fields of Life in Burundi. The school will be managed by the Anglican Church of Burundi.
Plan Ireland
Research by Plan Ireland's partner organisation, Plan Togo, revealed a strong connection between children, especially girls, leaving school early, early marriage and child trafficking. Other issues highlighted included violence, exploitation and sexual harassment of students by teachers. Plan Ireland piloted a Girl Friendly School's project in some communities in Togo. The success of this pilot encouraged Plan Ireland to expand the programme and Bishops' Appeal is contributing €15,828 to this. The benefits will include increased enrolment by girls who will stay longer at school and benefit from a more positive learning environment.
USPG
A USPG project, to provide better health care to 35,000 of Bangladesh's poorest people through the Church of Bangladesh will receive £10,560 from Bishops' Appeal. The project will enable people living in the rural areas of Barisal-Gopalgonj and Thanarbaid in Dhaka Diocese to access health care and health education.
Christian Aid
Bishops' Appeal is supporting a number of Christian Aid projects and also responding to emergencies through Christian Aid thanks to generous donations given for specific purposes.
A YWCA project to contribute to the enhancement of women's and children's livelihoods in two refugee camps in the West Bank through providing a secure and safe haven for learning, empowerment and growth will receive €31,700.
Christian Aid's partner, Silveira House, in Zimbabwe will receive €31,620 to help address the spread of HIV in communities vulnerable to lack of food and employment in two provinces there
The following donations given to Bishops' Appeal for specific purposes are being channelled through Christian Aid:
Opposition to female circumcision in Sierra Leone €500Relief for flood victims in India €192
Friends of Neyyoor Hospital
Bishops' Appeal approved a grant of £10,000 to support the ongoing work of Neyyoor Hospital in South India
Dr. Graham's Homes, Kalimpong, West Bengal
The homes prepare children academically, spiritually, physically and emotionally. Bishops' Appeal is contributing €26,737 to help construct new and repair existing toilet blocks and support a rainwater harvesting project.
Clogher Diocesan Project
Clogher Diocese is supporting a project with Kaduna Diocese in Nigeria. This will assist with the development of a rabbit farming unit at Jacaranda farm in the Diocese. The farm will make an important contribution to the alleviation of poverty in the area. Total funding up to and including this meeting comes to €5,921 and £34, 991.
Meath and Kildare Diocesan Projects
Meath and Kildare Diocese is supporting projects in Ubombo, South Africa and providing wells in Malawi. Total funding so far is €7,589.
Donations for Specific Purposes
The following donations to Bishops' Appeal have been forwarded in accordance with the donors' wishes:
Flood relief in Myanmar/Burma €10,035 through Crosslinks
Sudan/Darfur €4,245 through CMSI to Refuge Egypt, a CMSI project supporting Sudanese refugees.
Donation to Al Ahri Arab Hospital, Gaza City
Since the meeting, Bishops' Appeal has been asked by the Anglican Bishop of Jerusalem, Right Rev. Suheil S. Dawani, for help to meet the needs of the hospital which is struggling to cope with the number of casualties it is receiving during the tragic events in Gaza. Bishops' Appeal has agreed to donate €25,000 to the hospital in addition to a donation of €300 received for use in the Middle East.