Each year since 2002 the Diocese of Iowa has allocated at least 0.7% of its budget for International Development Grants. The Commission on One World One Church oversees the application process and the awarding of the grants. Proposals for grants are due by June 1.
The Millennium Development Goals were established by the United Nations and have been adopted by the Episcopal Church as a mission priority. In simplified form, they are:
1. Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
2. Achieve universal primary education
3. Promote gender equality and empower women
4. Reduce child mortality
5. Improve maternal health
6. Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases
7. Ensure environmental stability
8. Develop a global partnership for development
In 2009 the OWOC Commission awarded a total of $9,400 in International Development Grants. Just over half of these funds support projects in our companion diocese of Swaziland, still recovering from a multi-year drought and facing the highest rate of HIV/AIDS infection in the world. Nearly 2/5 of the adult population of Swaziland is HIV positive. More than 70,000 children in the country have been orphaned by the AIDS pandemic. The OWOC Commission awarded an International Development Grant of $3000 to a project that pays school fees and provides support to the Neighborhood Care Centers so that AIDS/HIV orphans can receive an education and the support they need to survive and thrive. The Commission also awarded $500 to supplement the UTO-supported Safe Water Ministry [chlorinator building and distribution] project. A grant of $1400 continues the efforts of Dr. Terry Shively of St. Alban’s, Spirit Lake, to promote oral health.
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A family graduating from the Loving Parenting Initiative in Guatemala - supported in part by an IDG from the Diocese of Iowa in 2009.
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Other grants awarded last year included $2500 for the Loving Parent Initiative of Common Hope in Guatemala, and $2000 for the publication and distribution of 851 Amharic-language Bibles for children in Ethiopia.
The programs described above all advance the Millennium Development Goals, but they represent only a few of many possible ways of furthering the MDGs. The OWOC Commission welcomes new ideas and creative proposals. The 2010 budget line for International Development Grants is $8,210. If you have an idea for a project, we invite you to submit a proposal.
Beijing Circles
Beijing Circles are a tool which can help us educate ourselves and one another about the issues affecting women globally and then to advocate within our church and the world to bring about positive change. The
Beijing Platform for Action was created by a UN gathering of women from around the world and set in the context of Christian faith and addresses Millennium Development Goal #3, "Promote Gender Equality and Empower Women."
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