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Week of Compassion Committee approves major commitment Tucson, Ariz., Dec. 6, 2002 -- The Week of Compassion Committee, meeting at Saguaro Christian Church in Tucson, Ariz., Nov. 22-23, approved a major commitment of $100,000 toward a new Church World Service initiative in Africa. CWS, in cooperation with its historic partners in Africa and the United States, is on the verge of launching a major five-year program to address the root causes of hunger and poverty in four regions on the African continent. The Week of Compassion grant will be a significant step in CWS's initial goal of raising $1 million from its member communions. For details about the Africa initiative visit the CWS website: http://www.churchworldservice.org. In other action, the WOC Committee also approved a $50,000 grant for emergency relief and community development projects in Bosnia and Serbia through the CWS Balkans Program. Other development grants approved by the committee include:
Additional projects funded through local church partners include a food production project for unemployed coffee workers in Nicaragua, an agricultural development project in Sulawesi, Indonesia, and agricultural and water projects in Ecuador. The committee also received reports from the WOC director on a number of appeals the committee is currently supporting, including major appeals for relief and rehabilitation in Afghanistan and food assistance and production in drought-stricken southern Africa. Over the past year Disciples through WOC have been able to provide $228,000 for relief and rehabilitation for Afghanistan and $38,500 for the famine in southern Africa where some 15 million people are at risk. Altogether this year, Week of Compassion has responded to more than 130 emergency needs throughout the United States and the world. The committee also approved establishing a more formal relationship with the Souper Bowl of Caring, the grassroots, youth-oriented hunger effort. Already, more than 400 Disciples youth groups participate. Every dollar raised goes directly to hunger programs of the group's choice. The new relationship will enable Disciples groups to consider WOC hunger projects in addition to local community projects. The committee postponed approval of the 2003 program and operating budgets until additional input can be received from a number of partners. Because of a decline in regular giving in 2002 of more than $250,000, numerous cuts will have to be made in the 2003 budget and WOC will seek to minimize the impact of those reductions as much as possible. Prior to the meeting, the committee spent one day with Humane Borders, Inc. Humane Borders is a faith-based organization with offices in First Christian Church in Tucson and has become nationally and internationally recognized for its life-saving work of providing water stations in the Arizona desert for undocumented migrants. On average, one undocumented person dies each day in the desert. Humane Borders has been credited by people on all sides of the immigration issue as saving hundreds of lives. WOC has provided grants to Humane Borders for its water project through the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in Arizona. Judy Meneghin of Murray Hills Christian Church, Beaverton, Ore., and Dan Webster of First Christian Church, Wilmington, Del., were honored for two years of service as co-chairs. General Minister and President Richard L. Hamm named Deborah Morgan, pastor of Saguaro Christian Church, Tucson, Ariz., to chair the committee in 2003. -- end -- 02-100 Contact: |