03/05/2015

ELCA funds support projects that sustain families, communities worldwide

The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) contributed $3.3 million in 2014 to Lutheran World Relief to fund 28 projects in 14 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America. Lutheran World Relief is a ministry of U.S. Lutherans.

“Through Lutheran World Relief, the ELCA deepens and extends its relief and development work carried out by the ELCA Global Mission unit and supported with ELCA World Hunger and Lutheran Disaster Response–International funds,” said the Rev. Rafael Malpica Padilla, executive director for ELCA Global Mission.

The projects cover a range of strategic priorities including agricultural production and food security, income generation, disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, local capacity building and gender sensitive livelihood support, according to a Feb. 20 letter from Lutheran World Relief to Carl Stecker, director for Global Diakonia, ELCA Global Mission. “In many cases the ELCA support was used to complement and scale up work funded through other donors,” stated the letter. ELCA World Hunger funds provided partial or full support for projects in Burkina Faso, Niger, Mali, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Philippines, India, Nepal, Colombia, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras.

“Improving the livelihoods of local populations is often the main objective of Lutheran World Relief’s work. The programs focus on women, young people and men who are introduced to new skills and tools. It’s a joy to see the result – people who have pride in their expanded ability to support themselves and their families and play a role in strengthening the resilience of their communities to economic and climate-related shocks,” said Stecker.
“These commitments can be kept only in anticipation of the generous gifts provided to ELCA World Hunger and are made with regard to where the church's best capacities meet great needs with a vision toward ending hunger,” said the Rev. Daniel Rift, director of ELCA World Hunger and Disaster Appeal.

For 2015, the ELCA is allocating $2 million for Lutheran World Relief to support “development work in places where the ELCA does not have a companion church relationship or where The Lutheran World Federation is not an implementer,” said Malpica Padilla.

ELCA World Hunger funds disbursed through ELCA Global Mission–Diakonia support the development projects of 49 Lutheran companion churches and other direct bilateral partners, including support to The Lutheran World Federation, Church World Service and Lutheran World Relief, said Stecker. “We are in 62 countries.”

“In addition, we are providing The Lutheran World Federation more than $7 million to support its programs and projects. Of that amount, more than $5.4 million is allocated to support the Federation’s Department for World Service and more than $1.2 million for its Department for Mission and Development,” said Malpica Padilla, who added that in 2015 the number of development projects supported by ELCA Global Mission–Diakonia is 157, which is 24 more projects than in 2014.

The Lutheran World Federation is a global communion of 144 churches representing more than 70 million Christians in 79 countries. The ELCA is the communion’s only member church from the United States.