The following is the written report, which contains some additional information:
The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) is the Anglican Church of Canada’s agency for sustainable development and relief. With the support of Anglicans across Canada, PWRDF partners with organizations working to increase healthy pregnancies and births, reduce gender inequality, relieve hunger and break the cycle of poverty in the world’s most vulnerable communities. Against a backdrop of climate change, PWRDF strives to address the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals for 2030.
The Diocese of New Westminster PWRDF Unit Group had not met since before the pandemic lockdown. In 2022 our Unit Group gathered again, updated our contacts list, and got busy re-energizing this important ministry.
We connected with the work of the Canadian Food Grains Bank, organizing a diocesan educational event and letter-writing campaign, flying in an overseas partner from Kenya, Florence Nduku. This event was strategically hosted in the constituency of NDP leader and MP Jagmeet Singh, at All Saints Burnaby.
We then sent representation to Ottawa to meet several MPs, and advocate for government funding for PWRDF-supported conservation agriculture as an effective response to both climate-change and global hunger.
From there our representation went to Toronto for the PWRDF National Gathering to meet directly with another of our overseas PWRDF partners, Josephine Kizza Aleddeki of the St. Jude Family Projects in Masaka, Uganda.
We brought these connections back to the Diocese of New Westminster and organized the first meeting of Parish Representatives since January of 2019. Together we updated the reps about our work globally and in Canada, celebrated the outreach of various committed parishes in the diocese, met with Kim Umbach to share our thoughts and questions with the national PWRDF office, and encouraged all our members to network and support each other.
We are now working together to organize the second annual diocesan Wild Ride, an opportunity to support PWRDF with your favourite activity.
A big thank you to our Bishop, John Stephens, for his unfailing support of PWRDF, and to Peter Goodwin for leading our diocesan efforts for many years. Thank you to our volunteers and Parish Reps, who have kept the work going in our parishes through these difficult times. Thank you to our partner agencies like Canadian Food Grains Bank for their expertise and advocacy, to our Canadian Indigenous partners for their persistence, and our overseas partners for enacting effective programs to fight global hunger and climate change. Thank you to our donors who make this work possible, and all of those reading this for your interest. Bless you all, and bless our God for the ongoing guidance, strength and wisdom that allows us to be Christ’s hands and feet in this world.
Find out all about our important work at www.PWRDF.org, or from the Diocesan webpage, https://www.vancouver.anglican.ca/diocesan-ministries/unit-groups/pages/primates-world-relief-and-development-fund.
Together, may we continue to respond to global crises, advocate effectively, proactively support development projects, and work diligently towards a truly just, healthy and peaceful world.