Primate’s World Relief & Development Fund
(Continued) Report to General Synod

International Development
At the heart of the ministry of PWRDF are partnerships focused on promoting global peace and justice -- partnerships between people and communities in and within Canada and with people and communities overseas. PWRDF makes financial and human resources available to support the relief and development initiatives of partners, to strengthen these partnerships and to promote knowledgeable actions of solidarity and advocacy. PWRDF’s partners contribute their skills and capacities to the work they undertake in their communities and to PWRDF’s work in Canada.

Africa

1994 was a year of great joy -- the elections in South Africa and tremendous tragedy -- the genocide in Rwanda. Since then, PWRDF has continued in partnership with organizations committed to peace-building. In South Africa the focus of efforts was on community peace building and healing of memories after years of communal and racial violence. In Rwanda and Burundi the focus was on repatriation and reconciliation efforts between Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups. Support was provided to peace initiatives in Mozambique.
       A constant component of the work in Africa has been to strengthen efforts to promote Gender and Development awareness. In East Africa two of the Anglican churches have developed Gender and Development Desks for their community development programs. The partners supported by PWRDF in the Sudan and in Ethiopia have also promoted Gender and Development in their programming.
       Working in partnership means strengthening the capacity of partners to undertake development work. Resources from PWRDF have been used for training programs and staff development for many of our partners in Africa.
       Much of PWRDF support went to the integrated community development programs of partners in Mozambique, Uganda, Tanzania, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia and the Sudan.

Asia and the Pacific

A critical struggle in Asia is the struggle about economic models. The Philippines and Sri Lanka considers themselves to be one of the Asian economic “Tigers” following the example of Korea and Malaysia but these economies have been showing signs of wear and tear. Job losses, devaluation of currencies and high inflation have all been part of efforts to salvage the model of newly industrialized countries (NICs). PWRDF and partners in the region have gathered around the meetings of APEC (Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation) held in Manila in 1996 and Vancouver in 1997. Their message has been that people, not markets, should dictate government policies.
       New governments in both Sri Lanka and the Philippines were welcomed with optimism but over the years this has turned to disappointment. In Sri Lanka the civil conflict between Tamil and Sinhala populations has been waged on military fronts. PWRDF has supported partners’ efforts at peace and reconciliation as well as ongoing community development projects.
       In the Philippines, PWRDF continues to work in partnership with the Philippines Advisory Group -- an expression of partnership in which PWRDF’s partners in the region gather to provide direction for PWRDF’s work in the Philippines and discuss how they might help PWRDF’s work in Canada. PWRDF financial support continues for community development work, innovative programs of disaster preparedness and social justice groups.
       PWRDF continues to support work in Bangladesh and over the past triennium began to phase out support to programs in China, Burma and India in an effort to focus PWRDF attention and resources in a way that makes a difference rather than being spread too thin.

Latin America and the Caribbean

In the Latin American region most military governments have been replaced by civilian governments but the new governments have done little to improve the lives of the poorest of the population. In fact, in many ways, they are worse off. The globalization of economies and free trade has resulted in the poor become poorer and more marginalized. They are increasing distant from the decision-making processes that affect their lives. Mexico is a case in point where the gap between the rich and the poor is growing and violence in society has become endemic.
       In Central America, PWRDF has supported peace building initiatives in El Salvador and Guatemala as well as the efforts of partner organizations to develop sustainable alternatives in health care and income generation. Special attention has been given to programs supporting indigenous women, especially in Guatemala and Mexico where they are victims of multi layered violence.
       A strong focus for PWRDF has been Brazil -- not one of the world’s poorest countries but a society in which the face of poverty is desperate indeed. Street children, indigenous people and poor rural women have all borne the burden of a society which favours the rich and the powerful. PWRDF’s partners have developed programs to reach out to the poor and the marginalized and strengthen their participation in society.
       Due to the significant role played by Cuba’s Protestant churches in opening up new areas of community participation, PWRDF’s support to ecumenical partners in Cuba has become important for housing, health and agricultural programs.

Global
PWRDF has continued to support a number of global programs. Through the World Council of Churches and ecumenical coalitions such as Inter Church Action, PWRDF has supported programs in many parts of the world focusing on health and sustainable agriculture. PWRDF has also provided supported to south/south exchanges for information and learning through the Frontiers in Mission program. The Anglican Church’s participation in global campaigns such as the landmines campaign and the Fair TradeMark campaign have been supported through global grants.

Canada
An exciting development over the last triennium has been the strengthening of the Canadian program. This program has focused on strengthening community development initiatives in aboriginal communities across Canada. A full time staff person was appointed, and in 1997, the budget for work in Canada increased and criteria for PWRDF support have been developed.
        Exciting work has begun in partnership with the Nuu-Chah-Nulth Economic Development Corporation in British Columbia in an international partnership with Maori in New Zealand and Miskito in Nicaragua developing joint ventures in fisheries and forestry. PWRDF has supported Nets’enelu 97 - a women’s artisan group in NWT - to develop an enterprise incorporating traditional handwork into fashion clothing design. PWRDF has promoted a partnership between the Six Nations International Development Agency and the First Nations Technical Institute to develop both a policy think-tank on aboriginal issues and a newsletter and electronic communications to share the learnings from the think-tank with indigenous and non-indigenous organizations in Canada.

The Full Report

• Introduction
• Partnerships with Parishes and Dioceses
• Response to Disasters and Refugees
• International Development
• Financials: Diocesan Contributions
• Financials: Balance Sheet