Grow Local
For the last several years the Diocese of Rupert's Land has supported the Grow Hope initiative through the Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF), in partnership with the Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB). Last year was a very successful program, with the Diocese of Rupert’s Land raising over $47,000 to support a program in Tanzania to support Congolese refugees. To learn more about the Grow Hope 2023 program, visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ETX5XdCpM8&t=2s
Leveraging the success we have been enjoying over the past years, we are once again launching the Grow Hope program. We will once again be supporting a program in East Africa, but this year, it will be based in Kenya….a brief description of the program is as follows:
“The project would be a six-month project to support 330 drought affected households (227 female-headed and 103 male-headed households) in 4 communities of Laisamis sub-County in Marsabit County. The project participants will be actively involved in cash for work in the establishment or rehabilitation of community structures including fencing off pasture lands, repair of roads destroyed by floods, fencing off water structures, setting up multi-purpose nurseries (to produce vegetable, fruits, and other tree seedlings) among other identified activities. Participants will work in 11 groups and will be provided with seeds of vegetables, fruits, trees and fodder, including tools. Training, extension, and input support will be provided for kitchen gardening (to produce vegetables such Amaranth, cow pea, green gram, red kidney beans and African Leafy Vegetables), beadwork, household level poultry production, and other income generating activities. The groups will receive trainings to establish village saving and loan associations. They will engage in the leadership workshops for gender equality and prevention of gender-based violence in their communities”
As you can see this is a very worthwhile project, and our support is critical. Remember that the money we raise can be matched 3 or 4x by the Canadian Federal Government.
The 2024 Grow Hope program will follow the same procedures as in the past. We have worked with a farmer in the Starbuck area of Manitoba to donate part of his crop to the Grow Hope project. We will pay the grower $300 an acre to cover some of his costs. He will then donate the proceeds of the crop to the Grow Hope project. For reference, last year we paid the grower $12,000 for his input costs (to grow soybeans), and he then later donated the proceeds of 40 acres of his crop ($19,000).. Our plan is to have the grower donate 40 acres of crop once again to support Grow Hope which means we will need to raise $12,000 in the diocese.
Here's How You Can Participate
The number of parishes supporting Grow Hope has been increasing over the years, and we continue to thank you for you continued support, for those who have been donating, and we especially encourage parishes who have not been involved before to join the program!!!
We have tried to make the donation process as simple as possible. When making a donation at your church to Grow Hope, simply ask the treasurer in your parish to indicate the donation is for ‘Grow Hope’ and at the end of the year (harvest time) simply send the money to the Diocesan Office, and they have an account set up for Grow Hope to which your donation will be allocated. For more information, please contact your parish PWRDF representative, or the Diocesan PWRDF Representative (The Rev. R. Susan Smandych) at pwrdf@rupertsland.ca.
Come, be a local partner by making a donation! Your gift will be multiplied several times over, all to improve the lives of folks living a world away. Help grow local to feed global.