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Humanitarian and Disaster Response
Caribbean churches in the eye of the storm take action
In March 2019, Anglican clergy and lay leaders from the Caribbean gathered in Grenada for a “Pastors and Disasters” workshop. Churches are frequently at the forefront of responding to disasters and play a key role in building resilience in their communities. PWRDF supported and presented at the workshop that was hosted by the Church of the Province of the West Indies, the Anglican Alliance (of which PWRDF is a member) and US-based Episcopal Relief and Development. Participants shared their experiences of disaster preparedness and resilience, and learned best practices using the Pastors and Disasters Toolkit. This resource distils knowledge and experiences gathered from across the Anglican Communion and provides tried and tested practical tools for churches to respond effectively. “I have gained knowledge and confi dence from using the Pastors and Disasters tools,” said Tina Beazer, the Long Term Recovery Director of the Virgin Islands Diocese. “When I go back, I plan to discuss with the Archdeacon and start putting it into practice.” The toolkit has been put to the test during subsequent hurrican seasons.
A step towards recovery
In September 2019, the Bahamas faced the fury of Hurricane Dorian, a category fi ve hurricane. An estimated 700,000 people felt Dorian’s impact. PWRDF quickly deployed a grant of $20,000 to Episcopal Relief and Development (ERD), the relief and development agency of the Episcopal Church in the United States. ERD, in collaboration with the Anglican Alliance, was able to directly support the Anglican Diocese of The Bahamas and The Turks and Caicos. Anglicans across Canada donated more than $200,000 to support recovery efforts. Serving the most vulnerable
Yemen has spiralled into one of the biggest humanitarian crises in the world. According to the United Nations, 24 million people (80% of the population) are in dire need. Sustained confl ict and lack of access to humanitarian relief has led to severe malnutrition. In 2019, PWRDF contributed $35,000 from its equity in the Canadian Foodgrains Bank to a food distribution project operated by ADRA Yemen. The project was able to distribute food baskets six times to more than 1,100 households in Harib Al Qaramish District in Marib Governerate. Several Foodgrains Bank members contributed their equity which was then matched by Government of Canada funds.
Seeds of hope in the path of a cyclone
In March 2019, Cyclone Idai tore through Mozambique, Malawi and Zimbabwe. PWRDF joined with its Zimbabwe partner, TSURO Trust, to address long-term food security. Idai had wiped out crops and seeds for the planting season leaving people in Zimbabwe without food and without a source of income. By September, a $429,000 seed distribution project with TSURO Trust, the Canadian Foodgrains Bank and the Government of Canada, was underway. Eligible farmers received seeds just in time to plant before the rainy season. In ward 10, the maize crop and fi nger millet outperformed expectations. Farmers who transplanted young fi nger millet to other farmers earned 10% of the value the crop produced by the transplants.
