Episcopal Relief & Development
General Information
Episcopal Relief & Development is the international relief and development agency of the Episcopal Church. Taking its mandate from Jesus' words in Matthew 25, it seeks to provide a compassionate response to human suffering around the world. Their programs address the following areas:
Alleviating hunger and improving food supply
Creating economic opportunities and strengthening communities
Promoting health and fighting disease
Responding to disasters and rebuilding communities
For more information, please contact the diocesan coordinator, Karen Kusserow, at khkusserow@kconline.com.
Latest News - Relief Efforts
Please visit Episocpal Relief and Development's website to read about a response to civil unrest in the Congo, which caused Bishop Isingoma and delegates of the Diocese of Boga to flee their homes last week.
Please visit Episocpal Relief and Development's website to read about continued relief and development efforts in Myanmar following Cyclone Nargis.
Please visit Episocpal Relief and Development's website to learn more how you can help them assist the people of the regions damaged by both Hurricane Gustav and Hurricane Ike.
Millennium Development Goals
In 2000, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were established to reduce, by the year 2015, the number of people who live in extreme poverty. Developed by the international community including leaders from 191 countries, the eight goals were endorsed by development institutions and religious bodies. Listed below, each goal works toward alleviating poverty and disease by establishing targets that will directly improve people�s lives.
1. ERADICATE EXTREME HUNGER AND POVERTY by cutting in half the proportion of people living on less than a dollar a day and the proportion of people who suffer from hunger.
2. ACHIEVE UNIVERSAL PRIMARY EDUCATION by ensuring all boys and girls complete primary education.
3. PROMOTE GENDER EQUALITY AND EMPOWER WOMEN by eliminating gender disparities in primary and secondary education.
4. REDUCE CHILD MORTALITY by two-thirds for children under five.
5. IMPROVE MATERNAL HEALTH by reducing the rate of maternal mortality by two-thirds.
6. COMBAT HIV/AIDSD, MALARIA AND OTHER DISEASES by halting, and beginning to reverse, the spread of these diseases.
7. ENSURE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY by reducing by half the proportion of people without access to safe drinking water, reversing the loss of environmental resources, and improving the lives of 100 million slum dwellers (by 2020).
8. DEVELOP A GLOBAL PARTNERSHIP FOR DEVELOPMENT by improving levels of development assistance, promoting good governance, providing access to markets, and offering solutions for indebted countries.
These goals will be realized:
- Providing emergency food aid and long-term development assistance
- Promoting educational opportunities for women and girls
- Supporting infant health and nutrition services
- Securing durable solutions for refugees and displaced peoples
- Developing sustainable, safe sources of drinking water and promoting water as a basic human right to policymakers
- Advocating for just trade rules and the reduction of the debt of poor nations
The Episcopal Diocese of Chicago will be offering a summit on the Millennium Development Goals on Saturday September 20th at St. Edmund's Episcopal Church. Registration and an agenda is available online.