World Mission Fund Grants for Coronavirus response from April 25th to May 19th 2020

Even while lockdown eases in some places, the cases of Coronavirus continue to rise in many others and the effects of lockdown are keenly felt by families living on a day to day income.  Our partners across the world are working in communities to support people through this time.  We are privileged to join in this work, in prayer and through the World Mission Fund grants.  To date since the beginning of a global lockdown in March, the World Mission Fund of the Methodist Church in Britain has dispersed over £325,000 in support, for the work of our global partners. 

Please continue to pray for the essential work of our partners around the world.

The following grants totalling £135,910 were sent from the World Mission Fund between April 25 to May 19th, in conjunction with the Emergency Appeal raised by All We Can and the Methodist Church in Britain, in the coordinated response to this global pandemic.

To give to the Emergency Coronavirus Appeal go to: allwecan.org.uk/Coronavirus  

Bangladesh - Church of Bangladesh: Shalom has been sent £20,000.  Shalom is the social development arm of the Church of Bangladesh and its projects are in contact with many thousands of the poorest and most vulnerable, a number far in excess of the membership of the Church itself. The proposed project from Shalom targets vulnerable groups who are forced to be economically inactive during this time. Shalom will create a list of 5000 of the families most in need and provide rice, potato, lentils, flour, cooking oil, soap, masks and gloves. Shalom reaches almost 120,000 vulnerable people (Church of Bangladesh members, other Christians, Muslims, Hindus) through its development programmes. This contribution will support up to 1000 families.

Cameroon – The Presbyterian Church in Cameroon has been sent £20,000 to contribute to the wellbeing of internally displaced Cameroonians and Cameroonian refugees at the Nigeria border and to contribute to the reduction of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic during the ongoing Anglophone Crisis.  This will be used to alleviate the hunger, improve their living conditions and to support hygiene practices.  This will be used to support up to 1500 persons. The Presbyterian Church in Cameroon has also been supported by All We Can during this period, through the distribution of hand sanitiser to medical staff and internally displaced persons.

Indonesia - Gereja Methodist Indonesia (GMI) have received £9,991 to contribute through two kinds of interventions, emergency help and reconstruction (especially for the economic sector, including agriculture, livestock, small businesses and help for students).  This initial request is for emergency help, which will run from May to July 2020 and will provide food for 3,000 families. The United Methodist Church (GBGM) has been approached to fund the support for 1,750 families and this grant from the Methodist Church in Britain will support the remaining 1,250.

India –The Henry Martyn Institute has been sent £10,000 The Henry Martyn Institute (HMI) has been under lockdown from 20th March and the State Government has announced that there will be no relaxation until after 29th May.  In Hyderabad the crisis so far is caused more by hunger and poverty than the Coronavirus itself. HMI is particularly badly hit, as there is no income now from rentals and programmes. The Institute foresees a very tough year ahead. 28 students got stranded at the college by the imposition of the lockdown, of which no notice was given by the Indian Government.  They have no money and no choice but to stay in the college accommodation. HMI is giving them rice and dal once a day to feed them till the end of the month.  Faculty and Programme Staff have taken a cut in their salary, but the less-well paid support staff have not. This grant will help to feed the students and the families of the staff, hopefully until such time as normal functioning resumes. The email from the Director concludes, ‘Your help going to be big support.  Thank you for being on our side.  I have only tears to “Thank you”.  May God protect all of you.’

Nicaragua -£16,100 has been sent to Iglesia Evangelica Nacional Metodista de Nicaragua to support the church in purchasing relief packages for those affected by self-imposed quarantine and social distancing measures. The Methodist Church in Nicaragua will enable its 23 churches to provide relief packages to 20 families per church (460 families). Its members and churches are located mainly in areas of poverty. These communities have seen their the economic situation decline further because of diminishing incomes and job opportunities due to the large numbers of people choosing to self-isolate.  It is currently impossible for the church to source PPE for their communities, as pharmacies have sold out of hand sanitisers, facemasks, etc. Each £35 relief package will include staples such as beans, rice, oil and toilet paper. 

Nigeria - £20,000 has been sent to the Methodist Church Nigeria.  This will provide Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and hygiene consumables for frontline workers at MC Nigeria health facilities.  This will be for Physicians, Nurses, Pharmacists, Physician Assistants, Midwives, Lab Technicians, Cleaners, Janitors and Receptionists. There are workers in five hospitals that require varying forms of protection. 

Peru – £12,000 has been dispersed to the Methodist Church in Peru to support the nationwide ‘Bread of Hope’ initiative. This will provide relief packages for the most vulnerable communities in Peru that have been affected by COVID 19 lockdown measures. The church’s contribution to the Bread of Hope initiative is encouraging its congregations to contribute towards food relief packages that cost $28 each. They aim to support 600 families (approximately 3000 people) who are in a critical state of poverty because of the lockdown.   They will identify the most vulnerable families in their communities and target families with elderly and young children, single mothers and pregnant women.

Pakistan

Church of Pakistan, Raiwind Diocese has been sent £13,700 to support 500 families who are on the lowest income or have lost all income because they were living on a daily wage.  The church will procure, package and distribute food packages.  

Church of Pakistan, Diocese of Hyderabad has been sent £19,625 for the immediate support for its clergy and parish staff in its 26 parishes and 350 lock-down affected families of daily wages workers and widows. This immediate support will contribute to retention of staff in the Diocesan parishes during three months (April, May and June) by providing them with financial support to allow them to buy food and meet other needs of their families during lock-down. It will also allow 350 lock-down affected families to have food for at least one month and survive during the lock-down. 

Church of Pakistan, Lahore Diocese has received £4,100. This will be used working with the women’s desk network to provide families with food and contribute toward facemask and training. Brick kiln workers and families will receive help and training on preventing infection in the slums. The Women’s Fellowships will make 2,000 masks. 80 lay workers who are no longer receiving pay from their local churches will receive £30. 

Uganda - Methodist Church Uganda (MCU) has received £10,000 to enable the church distribute food relief and hygiene items to communities receiving no support from the government. The targeted beneficiaries are communities around the local congregations. MCU has seven circuits with over 35 congregations in rural and semi-urban areas of Eastern part of Uganda. The goal is to support 1500 people from its communities especially households with disabled and elderly persons, children and highly disadvantaged women.

To read more about the work of the World Mission Fund go to the World Mission Fund page 

For other recent COVID-19 related WMF grants read:

Methodist Church grants of £65000 to help overseas church meet Coronavirus challenge - for grants during March 2020.

World Mission Fund grants for Coronavirus assistance - for grants from April 8th-24th 2020