BWAID Project Catalog

BWAid gives support and training in sustainable community development to the regional bodies of the BWA, and acts as a broker between those who develop projects and those who offer funding. In addition, it continues to coordinate disaster emergency response around the globe, ensuring a speedy and appropriate response. A primary focus of BWAid will be the alleviation of poverty. We will seek to educate and challenge our constituency to live justly and promote change to address poverty. Among  other things it will advocate for change in unjust structures recognizing that the solution to world poverty is not simply a matter of giving aid!

Project Spotlight Psycho-Social Care of Traumatized People Funding Goal: $19,998 USD Central Africa Republic

The projects are indexed by country:

Worldwide | Africa | Bangladesh | Cameroon | Central African Republic | Democratic Republic of Congo | Ghana | Haiti | India | Jamaica | Mozambique | Pakistan | Russia | Sierra Leone | Thailand | Uganda | Zimbabwe

 

Worldwide

Emergency Response Fund

Funding Goal: $100,000 USD

The Emergency Response Fund enables a Baptist response to be made to emergency situations where unusual circumstances disrupt or destroy community life – famine, earthquakes, hurricanes, cyclones, tornadoes, fire, floods, volcanic eruptions, civil strife or war. Since Baptist World Alliance members now have a presence in more than 100 different countries, we have personnel in many areas where disasters occur. It is the local Baptist communities who are on the scene and ministering to their neighbors in times of crisis. They know the situations and the needs. When BWAid receives a request to assist from a member body, it is the Emergency Response Fund that allows us to make an initial response to the crisis.

Baptist World Aid has been assisting member bodies in how to respond in times of emergency as well as helping fund their responses.

The year 2012 brought hardship to many thousands of people affected by disasters. BWAid with the Emergency Response Fund assisted in the following emergencies:

• Earthquake: continue to assist following disasters in Japan, Haiti, Myanmar 
• Ethnic Clashes: India
• Flood Relief: Mozambique, Nigeria, India, Croatia 
• Hunger Relief: Horn of Africa
• Landslides: Uganda 
• Refugees and IDPs: Thailand, Congo, India, Middle East
• Hurricanes: Cuba, Haiti, Jamaica, Bahamas, Sierra Leone, USA 

 

Water 

Funding Goal:  $50,000 USD

Water is a basic element of life. Most people take it for granted. For many it is a daily struggle to find water. Water Purity – In Ethiopia, in the communities of Holle Sire and Awash Belo pure water was the community’s number 1 priority. They were using water from a small river which flowed around the village. The river was used for cattle and washing as well as for drinking and cooking. Water wells are now providing clean water. Water Scarcity - The Rusayo district in Congo is composed of 15 villages. The area has no natural water source so they travel 15km to find water. A project has been done to harness water from the roofs of buildings so that it can be used freely by the population. Storage tanks hold the harvested rainfall.

Water Pollution -In Haiti, not only have people had to wait in lines to receive clean water following the January 12, 2010 earthquake, but they are also battling a cholera epidemic caused by water born bacteria
from contaminated river water. Flood waters from Hurricane Tomas were feared to spread the disease further. BWAid provided support for clean drinking water after the earthquake and also following the
hurricane.

 

Development Training Fund 

Funding Goal: $20,000 USD

Baptist World Aid is seeking to entrust, empower and enable member bodies in their development work. The purpose of this project is to enable conventions and local churches to make their own response to needs within their own countries. The desire is there, and BWAid can provide the knowledge and resources. Training events and seminars are being run to introduce the concept of diakonia/compassion ministries. Specific models of sustainable development will be introduced for adaptation to a particular country's needs, culture and context. Seminars are planned for a different region each year. In September 2012 a development conference was held in Asia in conjunction with the 8th Asia Pacific Baptist Congress. In Europe, BWAid helped bring participants to a conference on Church and Social Action.

 

Funding for Development

Funding Goal: $50,000 USD

Projects relating to development are the best way to lift people out of the cycle of poverty and hopelessness. To give people the ability to improve their lives as well as that of their family is a benefit to the community as a whole. When you support projects of education and livelihood training you are giving skills that will help bring people out of poverty and hunger. By supplying the simple tools and knowledge to plant crops, you are feeding them for a lifetime.

Baptist conventions/unions worldwide are following the call of Jesus to love your neighbor, to feed those who are hungry and to minister to those in need. Baptist World Aid helps them with resources to implement their carefully planned projects, some of which you’ll find on the following pages.

Gifts to Development will allow member bodies to develop projects aimed at eradicating extreme hunger and poverty in their communities. Projects that have inclusive participation of the community, that is, inclusion of women and youth participation from its inception, implementation, governance and evaluation will be given priority. Special consideration is also given to applicants who have sustainable community development in mind as entire areas can be transformed when funding is applied strategically.

 

Hunger Relief

Funding Goal: $100,000 USD

Hunger continues to be one of the greatest problems facing our world today. There are many causes. Natural disasters and human made catastrophes have a devastating effect on food production. Poor people in the developing world spend up to 80% of their income to buy food, usually basics such as wheat, rice or corn.

Government policies make people hungry! Governments in both the developed and developing parts of the world exercise policies that can have an extremely negative impact on the food chain. A price reduction on a commodity in the developed world, often means that the producer in a developing country suffers a loss in income. In the developing world, unfair distribution systems can often cause food shortages.

BWAid doesn't only feed the hungry, but looks at some of the causes, and seeks to alleviate them. Sometimes hunger funds are needed to purchase or ship food to those who are hungry. At other times, we can provide the resources for people to grow their own food.

In the USA, funds can be designated to BWAid from CROP Hunger Walk activities.

 

Medical

Funding Goal: $50,000 USD

aptist World Aid often receives requests for urgent assistance with medical needs. Sometimes the need might be for basic medical equipment, supplies or drugs. At other times the request is to assist with a particular situation that has occurred, e.g. an outbreak of cholera. BWAid needs to be able to offer an immediate response to many situations.

Through the Gifts-in-Kind program BWAid, working with its overseas partners, is able to send shipments of requested medical equipment and medicines that have been donated. Because the contents are donated, BWAid is able to cover the cost of shipping. In 2012 a shipment of food, water purification, metal roofing panels, and medicine/personal hygiene items was sent to Eastern Cuba following Hurricane Sandy for a cost to BWAid of $7,000.

 

Micah Challenge

Amount Needed: US $1,500 USD

In 2000, the nations of the world adopted eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) for the alleviation of poverty (see page 3). Targets were set for all of these goals, and nations have made commitments for meeting these targets by 2015. We are now 2 years out from the target year. The Micah Challenge is a global Christian movement encouraging Christians to be committed to the poor and hold governments accountable for their pledge within the Millennium Development Goals.

Micah Challenge works to educate, train and resource Christians to become a global voice on poverty, encouraging Christians to be informed, to engage and to speak out for justice.

In 2004, the Baptist World Alliance General Council approved the following statement “CALLS UPON the nations of the world to take seriously the Millennium Development Goals of the United Nations in the desire to halve current levels of poverty by 2015.”

Christians around the world have been supporting this movement. Many Baptists are involved in their own countries. Read more on the Micah Challenge at www.micahchallenge.org

This project will enable Baptist World Aid to support the work of Micah Challenge.

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Africa

Facilities for Peace Work (Funding Goal: $90,600 USD for 3 years)

     Organization:  Peacebuilding, Healing and Reconciliation Programme (PHRP)

PHARP has been teaching people how to respond to conflict through reconciliation since 1994. Pastors, community leaders, teachers and youth have been trained on conflict transformation, trauma healing, reconciliation and discipleship. With the skills and knowledge they learn from PHARP trainees are involved in training others to respond to violent conflict in non-violent means for a better future.

Baptist World Aid has helped fund training through PHARP following the Rwanda genocide and most recently has helped fund the empowerment of Sudanese youth in communicating peace. PHARP responded to the post-election violence in Kenya in 2007-2008 when people were traumatized, teaching them to prevent conflict and transform it for the better as a way of living.

The project is aimed at building the capacity of church and community leaders in the areas of trauma healing, forgiveness, reconciliation and discipleship. It will also work with church schools in peace related training and implementation. The project will teach churches how to apply biblical principles in responding to conflict and build better relationships when trust has been corroded. The project will also seek to bring
Christians and Muslims together to work for peace.

PHARP will hold 2 major workshops in the first year with participants from 6 countries (DR Congo, Kenya, Uganda, Cote Devoir, Cameroon and Nigeria) and train ten people from each country. The second year the trained participants will go and train in their communities. Each participant will be expected to train 30 people on the same topics. A committee to support the work of the trainees will be formed. The trainees will train others in their communities. The third year PHARP will evaluate the project and visit communities that have received the training to see how they can be further strengthened.

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Bangladesh 

Agricultural Development

Funding Goal: $26,648 USD
Pledged Donation: $18,000 USD
Remaining Need: $8,648 USD

     Convention/Union: Bangladesh Baptist Church Sangha (BBCS)

Poultry:
This project comes from an earlier (2008) project done for a BBCS hostel in Dinajpur district in the northern part of Bangladesh. In that project we assisted the school with income by helping to enable them to rotate crops on a piece of land they owned. They now want to start a poultry project which they see as self supporting after one year. The objective again is to increase income for the hostel and to provide protein for the students through the meat and eggs. The project includes costs for construction of the poultry shed, feed and medicines and salaries for two staff persons.

Tractor, Generator and Shed: 
A tractor will be used for plowing project land for agricultural activities and used for income by renting it to plow nearby lands. A generator is needed for alternate power for the poultry business and for security. With the tractor, there is need for the shed to store the tractor and protect materials being stored for the farm.

Pond Excavation and Fish Culture: 
The pond will be located on the same hostel property as the other two requests. In the northern part of Bangladesh, there are not sufficient rivers or canals for fish culture. Ponds are the main way of providing the fish. Fish is a large part of the diet and the project will provide for the hostel and local people and provide extra income also. The project includes the excavation for the pond, the baby fish, fish feed and salaries for two workers.

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Cameroon 

Credit to Eradicate Hunger & Poverty

Funding Goal: $29,255 USD
Pledged Donation: $12,000 USD
Remaining Need: $17,255 USD

     Convention/Union: Native Baptist Church of Cameroon (NBC)

This project is a conclusion to a long observation on poverty by the Native Baptist Church (NBC). Many people come to NBC to ask for financial assistance. While they are in need of immediate assistance, NBC believes that most of them are able to earn money themselves through business opportunities. They are in need of a loan and council to enable them to do business.

This project is to assist in their financial credit program (FECREF) to assist people to get small loans. FECREF was set up as a microfinance institution of NBC in January 2009 and now has 250 members. Every year about 85 women join the program. To make the program legal, they must have $31,000 or 14,000,000 cfa on deposit. If they do not have this the Ministry of Finance will not allow FECREF to operate. This project will enable the program to have legal status and continue to operate.

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Central African Republic

Training Center for Women and Girls (Funding Goal: $22,220 USD/year for 2 years 2012-2013)

Funding Goal: $44,440 USD
Pledged Donation: $38,000 USD
Remaining Need: $6,440 USD

      Convention/Union: Association of Baptist Churches of CAR

The Association of Baptist Churches of CAR is establishing a training center for women to teach the disciplines of sewing, cooking and accommodation, hair dressing and office management. The Center is taking what they already know and developing and mastering their skills to give them the know-how of revenue generating activities.

The Association has the building but are in need of the necessary equipment for the classrooms; i.e. sewing machines, stoves, fridge, generator, hair dryers, etc.

BWAid is being asked to assist with $60,000 or $20,000 a year for three years.

 

Psycho-Social Care of Traumatized People (Funding Goal: $19,998 USD)

    Convention/Union: Association of Baptist Churches of CAR 

The CAR goes through successive crises when different regimes follow. Civil or military conflicts affect the stability of the country. Rebellion continues to traumatize the civilian population by taking hostages, burning villages, amputating arms, sexually violating women, killing men and burning Bibles.

The Association has already organized three (3) workshops on Trauma Healing in the Eastern part of the country. This project will continue to:

• educate the traumatized 
• provide the Word of God 
• distribute free Bibles and New Testaments 
• encourage a traumatized victim to have a heart willing to forgive. 
• prepare reconciliation of man with his neighbor, and also with God. 
• healing the trauma 

The aim of the project is to educate the victims in their trauma and heal them in the light of Scripture, creating a spirit of forgiveness and of reconciliation.

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Democratic Republic of Congo

Capacity Building for Poverty Reduction (Funding Goal: $ 13,000 USD)

    Convention/Union: Baptist Church of Central Africa (CBCA)

This project will be implemented in the North and South Kivu Provinces of DR Congo. The area has suffered through years of war and unrest. The economy is based on farming, animal breeding, small trading, transport and handicraft.

The CBCA since 2008 has organized church members into associations in order to reflect together on ways to reduce poverty in families. At present, the CBCA is supervising 46 associations called “groups of solidarity” whose aim is to take initiatives for poverty reduction through small credits.

This project has two parts – first with existing groups of solidarity, they will focus on how to improve their activities. Focus will be on reinforcing the capacity of the group leaders. In the second part, new groups will 
be created. Training will be given on how to run their associations. Seed money will come from their own contributions and once the group is empowered, the members will be able to continue with the project without external support. The interest they make from the small credits will help them to cover running costs and increase their capital. Members at the local congregation level will meet weekly for education on cooperatives. These weekly meetings are not only money oriented, but they also are opportunities to educate members on issues of nutrition, cleanliness and the protection of the environment. At the district level, meetings will be held every three months.

 

HIV/AIDS Counseling Program (Funding Goal: Yr 1 $17,553 Yr 2 $10,630 Yr 3 $11,930 USD)

Funding Goal: $40,113 USD
Pledged Donation: $27,078.60 USD
Remaining Need: $13,034.40 USD

     Convention/Union: Union of Baptist Churches in Congo (UEBCO) 

The UEBCO has, with the help of BWAid, organized two information, education and communication seminars on HIV/AIDS in different locations in Goma and North Kivu Province. These seminars were attended by 1227 persons. The seminars instructed people on the cause and prevention of HIV/AIDS and taught them how to care for those who have the disease. The participants are committed to fight the disease by teaching their neighbors on the disease.

This project is a continuation from these successful seminars. This project will establish a counseling office and equip the UEBCO health center with HIV/AIDS test materials. It will also continue the seminars in six
additional locations.

The budget will cover the cost of the registration fee, office equipment and expenses, training of counselors, seminars in six locations and HIV/AIDS test materials.

 

Hunger Relief for People Living with HIV/Aids (Funding Goal: $ 18,332 USD)

    Convention/Union: Union of Baptist Churches in Congo (UEBCO) 

The UEBCO has with the help of BWAid, organized education and communication seminars on HIV/Aids in different locations in North Kivu. It has also organized an HIV/Aids Counseling program that is helpful to People Living with HIV/Aids (PLHIV/Aids). In this program the UEBCO has continued the education of people about HIV/Aids by trained counselors, encouraging them to be tested. They continue to receive people into the counseling office for advice. Those who were already living with the disease have been comforted and assisted with food. The number of PLHIV/Aids is increasing. Others are coming to join their brothers and sisters to make an association (Matumaini Women Initiative). By joining together they hope to have a stronger voice.

For the continuation of this program and for these people to survive, they are requesting help with income generating activities. The activities include selling cassava flour, meat, bread, beans, vegetables, fruits in a cafeteria. To do this, they need to raise their business capital. This project will provide $300 to each to be paid back in monthly payments.

Part of the project funding is to help fund the ongoing operation of the counselors program. In order to fund ongoing expenses, and have their office working well, they will raise money by operating a feeding shop.

 

Orphan Education and Training 

Funding Goal: $32,497 USD
Pledged Donation: $24,497USD
Remaining Need: $8,000 USD

    Convention/Union: Union of Baptist Churches in Congo (UEBCO) 

The Union of Baptist Churches in the Congo is now a fellowship of 102 churches with 9,371 believers working in North and South Kivu and Maniema provinces. The country has seen the hardships of war and also the devastation caused by HIV/Aids. Both have left a heavy load on the children.

BWAid worked on a small project to provide funding to pay school fees for orphans who were living with extended family. These families were financially poor already and then had the added burden of additional children to care for. Often choices had to be made as to who could attend school, with their own children having priority.

This project is an extension of the earlier project. It has expanded the number of children receiving assistance, paying school fees for 135 orphans. However, it goes beyond the basic school fee and will assist 23 older orphans with training in manual skills. It will also develop a program whereby the project can be continued after BWAid funding is completed. Through the development of a hen farm and making a public secretariat business available it is planned that the income from these two businesses will continue the project.

School fees – Fees would go directly to the schools (UEBCO schools) for a one year scholarship grant.

Technical Training – Twenty three (23) orphans have been identified who are above the age for primary school. They will be trained in carpentry or tailoring, staying at the training center. The project will provide them with essential tools and materials so that when their training is completed, they will be able to support themselves.

Income Generating -1) Hen Farming – Chickens will be raised for sale. Chicks will be purchased when price is low, cared for with feed, and then sold when price is higher. 2) Computer shop – the UEBCO will provide a room in their facility where the public can have access to work on computers, printers, and photocopy machine.

 

Pig Farming 

Funding Goal: $28,046 USD
Pledged Donation: $20,000 USD
Remaining Need: $8,046 USD

     Convention/Union: Baptist Community of Western Congo (CBCO)

The CBCO is requesting assistance with a project to help fight against malnutrition in the region of Sona Bata. The project will help 200 families joined together in an association. The region of Sona Bata is inhabited to a great extent by people who have lived formerly in the cities. Their effort to ensure their self-subsistence in the breeding of small livestock has not been very successful.

Members of the association will be introduced to the modern techniques of breeding in the smaller live-stock. The CBCO has two buildings they hope to use however, they currently are in a state of decay. The project will rehabilitate the two buildings and train 20 stockbreeders. The project will raise and fatten pigs to ensure a protein balanced diet. It will also carry out income generating activities likely to raise the purchasing power and to improve not only their food, but also their living conditions (school clothes, expenses, habitat).

 

Sexual Violence Based on Gender & Post Conflict Healing Program (Funding Goal: Yr 1 $18,106, Yr 2 $16,483 Yr 3 $30,960 USD)

    Convention/Union: Community of Baptist Churches in Eastern Congo

DR Congo has had a long period of wars and hostilities. The consequence of the atrocities is that children and youth are traumatized and begin to develop hate, vengeance, revolt and delinquency of every kind, whereas the future of the country is in the youth.

This program aims to train responsible youth to prepare them for the future development of their country. Mass media has played on reports of the sexual violence in the DRC. Other forms of violence – mass killings, systematic torture, forced recruitment and forced labor, etc. – have been committed on a massive scale but receive far less attention and resources. Conceptualizing sexual violence as somehow “abnormal” or outside other forms of violence by being gendered has ultimately contributed to dehumanizing those who rape (and ultimately, those who are raped). It is particularly evident in a context where other forms of violence are committed on a large scale against civilians, but largely and comparably receives much less attention.

In a context of a corrupt judiciary, rampant poverty, decreasing stigma and the almost total absence of basic health and social services, the focus on sexual violence as a particularly serious crime and the resources provided specifically for survivors of rape give rise to situations where allegations of rape become a survival strategy.

The CEBCE through this program wants to bring trauma healing to its rural churches through a program of Training of Trainers and the social reintegration of trained incumbents. The program would work with the
“Alternative Violence Program”. CEBCE has already had members trained in the program and would multiply and reinforce the capacity of these in order to de-traumatize people in the region. It is hoped to help 3,000 households between the ages of 10 – 65.

 

Tomato Project for Buzi 

Funding Goal: $31,037 USD
Pledged Donation: $20,000 USD
Remaining Need: $11,037 USD

     Convention/Union: Union of Baptist Churches in Congo (UEBCO) 

Buzi District is composed of many villages. The area has fertile soil accepting different seeds such as banana, beans, sorghum, tomatoes, cassava, potatoes, etc. However, due to the economic situation people have preferred to farm bananas instead of other crops. This is because the selling of bananas and the making of beer from it are principal activities of the families to raise income. Some 80% of the people in the district earn their living through farming activity. People who are not farming in the region depend on fishing.

In recent years banana crops in the area have suffered from an agricultural disease called wilth bacteria. The disease makes the leaves yellow and dries them and the fruits become yellow before they mature. The prevention for the unaffected bananas is to destroy the attacked plants. If the whole plantation is infected, then all bananas are destroyed. They have had 90% of their banana crops destroyed.

This project will help to organize 254 farmers in the region (Farmers Together) to develop experimental fields as well as their beneficiary fields. Research confirms that the main seed to farm for these people facing financial crisis and to get income for purchasing food and alleviating hunger is tomato. The tomato takes five months to be harvested. A seed nursery will be made and then seeds distributed to members. Follow up visits will be made to the fields to check on the progress and visits to the beneficiaries will be done to determine how the project is going. The budget for the project includes the cost of the tomato seeds, building the seed nursery, renting an experimental field, watering cans and insecticides.

 

Women’s Project for Agriculture (Funding Goal: $39,579 USD)

     Convention/Union: Community Of Autonomous Baptist Churches—Wamba-Bakali (CEBAWB)

The CEBAWB will be working through five churches in the Kwango-Lunda region. The Kwango river runs between the Angola Republic and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The majority of the people are Angolan
refugees that have fled their home country because of war and are now living along the shores of the Kwango and Wamba rivers inKwango-Lunda. This is a new field of work for the CEBAWB with 5 local churches now.

These refugees live in deplorable conditions, receiving no aid from the international community or from their home country. The women of the local churches have formed themselves into groups to work in agriculture to fight against hunger. Each church has 6 groups. Their difficulty and request for this project is to be supplied with tools, seeds and fertilizers. With a total of 1,910 women involved in the program, the budget has been set to address the need for tools and seed.

Tools: Hoes, machetes, rakes, shovels, wheel barrows, etc.
Seeds: Cassava, maize, soya, tomatoes, bean, groundnuts, etc.

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Ghana 

School Supplies for Early Childhood Development Center 

Funding Goal: $32,948 USD
Pledged Donation: $20,000 USD
Remaining Need: $12,948 USD

     Convention/Union: Ghana Baptist Convention

Education has been one of the main approaches adopted by the Baptist Relief and Development Agency (BREDA) of the Ghana Baptist Convention in its effort to eradicate the inimical practice of the trokosi slavery system in Ghana. The trokosi system is a form of slavery whereby people, mostly virgin girls, are sent to live permanently in some shrines to atone for the crimes committed by their relatives. The low level of education in the Mafi Area of the Volta Region has made it difficult to convince the communities to desist from these human right abuses. Consequently the Early Childhood project was initiated to use education as a tool to fight this negative practice and also provide these communities which are largely deprived and impoverished a means of escaping the poverty gap through education.

The Ghana Baptist Convention is therefore seeking financial support to provide school supplies for these school children to mitigate the challenge of inadequate teaching and learning aids as well as furniture for the centers. The items to be provided include textbooks, exercise books, pencils, pens, uniforms and classroom furniture (writing desks and chairs). The project will supply learning materials to 500 children, 250 dual classroom furniture pieces and provide uniforms for 500 pupils.

• $25 will provide 2 text books and 4 exercise books, 2 pens and 2 pencils for a child 
• $50 will provide two sets of class room furniture and two sets of uniforms 
• $100 will provide 9 uniforms for 9 children

Haiti

Cisterns (Funding Goal:  $ 33,330 USD)

     Convention/Union: Baptist Haiti Mission

In Haiti, only one out of ten people in rural areas and one of four in urban areas have access to improved sanitation. This lack of access to sanitation is a key reason cholera quickly turned into an epidemic after it first appeared in late 2010.

Baptist World Aid prior to the 2010 earthquake in Port-au-Prince, was working with the Baptist Haiti Mission on a project to put in toilets for community schools and churches. Following the earthquake and cholera outbreak, the project was increased to provide additional toilets. A total of 100 toilets have now been constructed.

This request is continuing the sanitation work to improve the health of families. All the various regions need this type of assistance. Priority will be given to the most needy communities. One cistern will hold 15,000 gallons of water. They hope to construct 5 cisterns in each of 8 regions. The cost of construction per cistern is $4,376.

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India

Community College/Skills Training (Funding Goal:  $32,854 USD)

     Convention/Union: Assam Baptist Convention

Youth in India as elsewhere, are a powerful force. It is a time of identity forming. Youth of today are the leaders of tomorrow. They value education. The role of educational institutions should be to involve young people to benefit from the literacy schemes as well as equip them to face life meaningfully and shouldering responsibility.

There is a large untapped group of youth in those who have dropped out of school/college. Many have had to leave for economic reasons.

This project is to start a community college/school to equip them with life coping skills and hands on skills. There are employment opportunities available in Assam particularly in the construction industry, where the need is for skilled masons. There is need for youth skilled in TV repair, mobile phone repair, beauty parlor, bakery, fruit and jam making. Young people can be empowered with these skills.

The program would last for 12 months. At the end of the 12 months of training a diploma would be issued and they would be ready for placement in jobs.

The Assam Baptist Convention is running a school in Nagoan, Nowgong Mission High School. The school has a few unused rooms which can be converted into classrooms and hostel accommodation for the project. The school can be affiliated initially with the Community College in Chennai, and later on become affiliated with Open University (IGNOU).

The request comes for assistance for the first 3 years with the majority of requested funds needed the first year for start up costs.

 

Day Care Centers & Tailoring Classes (Funding Goal:  $6,110 USD)

     Convention/Union: Maharashtra Baptist Society

The project involves 3 day care centers for preschoolers run in slum areas of Mumbai. Children are cared for and fed a meal while their parents are day laborers. These children would otherwise be out on the streets. The day care centers help in getting the children ready so that they can have access to the government schooling.

The tailoring classes are to help women become employed to assist their family’s income. Morning and afternoon sessions are held Mon. – Fri. Women who complete the one year course are employed usually in garment factories. The center currently has 12 machines. With this project they are hoping to increase the numbers in the program and open classes in an additional location so as to teach more women.

 

Health Clinics for Slums of Mumbai 

Funding Goal: $12,998 USD
Pledged Donation: $11,000 USD
Remaining Need: $1,998 USD

     Convention/Union: Maharashtra Baptist Society 

Mumbai is the sixth most populated city of the world. Each year many people migrate to Mumbai. As with any large city, Mumbai has many slum areas. This project will target four such areas.

Malaria, tuberculosis and polio are some of the diseases that have made a comeback in the city in the past few years. Mumbai also has 0.25 million cases of HIV. The health clinics will be set up in conjunction with a MBS church in each of the four areas. The areas were picked because there are more than 600 families who are suffering and affected with HIV/Aids. The people are daily wageworkers who cannot afford the health services of private clinics and hospitals.

The areas will be surveyed for a month and then free health camps will be conducted on a regular basis with the help of local doctors. The program will benefit men, women and children in terms of improved access to health care in the slums. The program will be important in the development of a strategy for addressing issues of women’s health in slum regions. It will also create a cell of trained women health workers that will be an important asset for the slums beyond the project period.

 

Miqlat Ministry Piggery Farm (Funding Goal: $15,429 USD)

     Convention/Union: Nagaland Baptist Church Council 

Miqlat Ministry is an outreach ministry to sex workers in based in Dimapur, a commercial hub and strategic business center of Nagaland. Miqlat works under the umbrella of the Nagaland Baptist Church Council Women’s Department. It exists to be a voice for the voiceless. Its vision is to share the love of Jesus to sex workers and help them improve their quality of life. Its mission it to empower these women through the power of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and restore them the dignity and honor of their woman hood in the likeness of Christ.

Miqlat offers counseling, prayer support and alternative income generating projects that help the women live dignified lives. It currently has a candle making project, a tailoring, soap making, catering, and a card making project besides a small cafeteria and a vegetable and flower garden. However, these projects do not bring in enough income. Therefore, Miqlat needs a larger income generating project that will sustain its programs and ministries. Since pork is a main diet staple among Nagas, it is believed that a piggery farm can be quite lucrative and generate enough income to help sustain the ministry of Miqlat and the former sex workers it supports. Funds from the project will be used to start a piggery farm and it is believed to become self-sustaining after the first year.

 

Rural Health Development 

Funding Goal: $49,812 USD
Pledged Donation: $37,000 USD
Remaining Need: $12,812 USD

     Convention/Union: Lairam Jesus Christ Baptist Church 

Lawngtlai District, in the Southern region of Mizoram is sandwiched between Myanmar and Bangladesh. About 75% of its population depends on jhuming cultivation as their main occupation. The area has suffered from unstoppable immigration that has added to the rise of the existing health problems. Maternity deaths and malnutrition are common.

The Lairam Jesus Christ Baptist Church took on the responsibility of establishing a medical institution to look into the root cause of the rise in maternity deaths. This led to the founding of their medical center and hospital in 2001. The Center is recognized as a full-fledged hospital by the government of Mizoram but receives no assistance.

This project proposes the establishment of three (3) medical sub-centers as divisions of the hospital in three strategic rural locations within the district. The selected locations are geographically placed in the far flung region of the district where the population is financially incapable of traveling for medical services. They will be established with the intention of providing essential medical attention to pregnant women and children.

Each center would require two trained nurses capable of giving basic and immediate medical treatment to patients, giving medical attention to pregnant women, providing safe and healthy deliveries and child care. A laboratory technician and laboratory equipment are among the fundamental needs of the medical sub-centers. The efficiency and success of the centers will be dependent on the addition of a medical
store (pharmacy). One of the largest obstacles faced by people in rural areas is the lack of sufficient medicine. The centers will also have an awareness building program to educate the population on health issues.

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Jamaica

Greenhouse Project (Funding Goal: $38,824 USD)

     Convention/Union: Jamaica Baptist Union

The Jamaica Baptist Union has partnered with the Jones Town Baptist Church to implement an income generating project that will engage several members of the community by providing employment, much needed income and supply of food at a cheaper cost to the members of the community. The project will see the construction of two greenhouses on properties leased by the JBU for a period of five (5) years and is renewable. The land will be farmed with cash crops such as tomatoes, sweet potatoes, peppers, etc.

This agricultural project will be located on abandoned housing lots in the Inner City community of Jones Town, in the city of Kingston. The unemployment rate of the community is approximately 70% , with most persons at or below secondary level education and those employed earning approximately $50 per week. The land is on a flat land mass, with the necessary basic facilities for electricity, piped water and proper drainage provided. The project will alleviate poverty, hunger and provide a means of alternate livelihood for those at risk.

The beneficiaries (approximately 200 persons) have been actively involved with the project since its inception. They approached the Jones Town Church to seek assistance with starting the project. They were involved in the identification of the land and were engaged in the project by providing labour and security and will be involved in the selling of the produce. They will also be involved in a local committee chaired by the church.

Greenhouse projects are being successfully done throughout Jamaica. Crops of sweet pepper, lettuce and tomatoes are bringing financial returns. Each crop of sweet pepper and tomato will be produced in three-monthly cycles over a period of five years. Over that 5 year period, the estimated revenue is budgeted at $115,610.00. The revenue earned can be used to continue the greenhouse project in Jones Town and other areas. The skilled learned can be used for self-employment.

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Mozambique

Majla (Women’s Hands) Income Generation 

Funding Goal: $9,721 USD
Pledged Donation: $7,500 USD
Remaining Need: $2,221 USD

     Convention/Union: Baptist Convention of Mozambique 

In the surrounding areas of Maputo City, in the Southern region of Mozambique, a group of women are seeking to implement the production of chickens for meat in the local market. Currently most of the chicken used for consumption in the Maputo area is from Brazil or South Africa. The women are seeking to implement ideas from a Dorcas Aid Training project held in South Africa this year.

The Baptist Convention will oversee the project and be responsible for submitting reports, etc.

The main impact on the beneficiaries will be to generate income and change living standards by promoting working habits, and responsible commercial linkages. The project will be sustainable through funds generated. Funds will be used to purchase chicks and chicken ration for the continuity of the project and its expansion.

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Pakistan 

Empowerment of Women through Vocational Training Center (Funding Goal: $14,852 USD)

     Organization: Save & Serve for Christ Ministries Pakistan

Save and Serve for Christ Ministries was started to help the Christian community, many of whom are poor, illiterate and live below the poverty line. In a country where Christian make up only one percent of the population, many face discrimination and persecution because of their faith. Christians are often subject to accusations of blasphemy and face constant threats to their lives and livelihood. Many women find work in homes as servants or maids and are often subject to rape and harassment by their employers. Those who find work in factories often face forcible conversion to Islam.

Save and Serve’s current ministries include Adult Education, providing a Safe Home for persecuted families, Pastoral Care and Christian Prisoner’s Spiritual care through weekly jail visits and relief for the oppressed community. The Vocational Training Center will open a Community Based Office for self help that will train women to be self-supportive and self-reliant. The center will offer income generating activities and classes like tailoring that teach women how to sew so that they can sew from home and earn a living while being able to take care of their children
and their home at the same time instead of having to work outside the home for long hours. Women will also be taught about finance and other social issues so that they are fully empowered and educated about issues particular to women. Children will also benefit as studies show that children of mothers who have better education and health grow up to be better citizens. It is hoped that 45-50 women will go through this training center every year.

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Russia

Assistance for Orphans in the Children’s TB Sanatorium (Funding Goal: US $ 14,657)

     Convention/Union: Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptist 

Christian Mission “Brotherhood of Compassion” of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians Baptist have existed since 1988. The Mission runs several programs including hospitals for people with mental illness, boarding schools for disabled children, orphanages, a Baby Home for HIV positive children and TB Sanatorium, and outreach ministries for refugees, ex-prisoners, two soup-kitchens to feed the poor, a Christian Summer Camp for 100 children and teenagers from shelters and children’s homes as well as give financial support to thirty organizations that work with disabled people, invalids and the poor.

This project is to provide assistance to children living in the TB Sanatorium near Moscow in Saltykovka Town. The State provides some assistance but it is not enough. The project will help purchase needed medicines, vitamins, food, hygiene and sanitary items for children between the ages of 3-12 years. About 700 children will benefit from this project.

The Sanatorium was built in 1936 and is in very poor condition. Members of a local Balashikha Baptist Church have already visited the place and provided it with blinds, curtains and bed sheets, besides performing a concert on Easter Sunday and bringing clothes, books, toys, pencils for the children. Members of the church also conduct weekly Sunday School and share their faith with the children, staff and parents and invite them to church.

 

Moscow Baby Home #7 for HIV Infants (Funding Goal: $10,656 USD)

     Convention/Union: Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists 

Christian Mission “Brotherhood of Compassion” of the Russian Union of Evangelical Christians-Baptists have existed since 1988. The Mission runs several programs including hospitals for people with mental illness, boarding schools for disabled children, orphanages, a Baby Home for HIV positive children and a TB Sanatorium, outreach ministries for refugees, ex-prisoners, soup-kitchens to feed the poor and hungry, a Christian Summer Camp for 100 children and teenagers from shelters and children’s homes as well as financial support to thirty organizations that work with disabled people, invalids and the poor.

The Moscow Baby Home #7 for HIV Infants is situated in the central district of Moscow. It was opened in 2000 for babies born with mothers with AIDS. The government supports the children’s home with money for AIDS medication but not for any other medications. However, most of the children have other medical problems and needs that come from being HIV infected, both physical and mental.

Funds from the project will be used to purchase medicines and disposable diapers. Support is also given to the children so they can grow to become physically and spiritually healthy citizens. Brotherhood of Compassion also organizes special events for the children especially during Christmas and Easter. The staff in the facility also benefit as they are encouraged by the help and support given by the Brotherhood of Compassion and serve the children more wholeheartedly as a result.

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Sierra Leone

Peace Building Workshops/Micro-Credit (Funding Goal: $30,777 USD)

     Convention/Union: Baptist Convention of Sierra Leone 

Building peace is a journey of hope. It is an ongoing effort to raise people’s consciousness of the quest for peace in the communities. This project seeks to assist in the process of stabilization and reintegration of communities through peace building support in the form of workshops, counseling and material assistance. The program will cover a three year period and will be implemented in all eight area associations of the Convention. These workshops will be Training of Trainers (TOT). The people trained will be messengers of peace. They will focus on the key aspects of:

• Knowledge – increased understanding of conflict and peace building in the community. 
• Skills – increased ability to improve performance in mediation, conflict resolution, trauma counseling, and organizing peace building activities. 
• Attitudes – to show commitment, persistence, loyalty and patience. 

Focus will also be on community dialogue, forgiveness and reconciliation of relationships, security promotion, promotion of social and cultural reintegration, conflict resolution and conflict mediation mechanisms. 

The project also has a program for amputees. A total of 50 amputees will be identified within the BCSL operational areas. The project will seek to assist them in micro-credit enterprises. A designated amount will be given to each amputee for a period of 1 year. As the funds are collected, they will be given to another set of 50 amputees at the end of the year. It is hoped that this assistance given will help them to improve their lives so they no longer are begging in the streets. A referral service for the amputees will also be established to provide them with orthopedic services.

 

School Development in Rural Areas (Funding Goal: $28,886 USD)

     Convention/Union: Baptist Convention Sierra Leone (BCSL) 

One of the aims of the social ministries of the Baptist Convention Sierra Leone is to reduce the country’s illiteracy rate. The provision of basic education and increasing access, especially in the rural areas, are
still key challenges in most rural communities in the country. Equally challenging is the provision of facilities at junior secondary school level to meet the growing demand from children successfully completing primary education in all parts of the country.

At present the BCSL has 4 senior secondary schools, 3 junior secondary schools, 1 vocational center and 20 primary schools. The school fees or charges are generally very modest, about $25 per child for the whole year in primary schools and $400 per student in tertiary institutions. Funds are needed to supplement these payments. Despite the difficulties, students in BCSL schools continue to perform excellent in both internal and external examinations.

BCSL would like to maintain this excellent performance of their schools and therefore is requesting financial assistance on behalf of the schools. Their budget is for 3 years and includes scholarships for 50 junior secondary school students per year, allowances for 100 teachers, food and transportation for students traveling to take their exams, maintenance of school buildings and providing accommodation for 50 teachers.

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Thailand 

Support for Refugee Basic Education on Thai-Burma Border (Funding Goal: $16,665 USD)

     Convention/Union: Karen Refugee Committee 

Education in not only to enable a person to read and write but in essence, education promotes personal, social, political and economic development and it helps a community grow and prosper. In the context of a marginalized society such as refugees residing on the Thai border over the last two decades, education is very essential and important to them, to their family, and to the whole refugee community. The Karen Refugee Committee Education Entity (KRCEE) was established in 2009 and acts as the representing body of refugee education along the Thailand-Burma border in 7 Karen refugee camps. KRCEE’s core activities and responsibilities are to implement, manage, oversee, administer and coordinate the overall educational systems and services delivery in the 7 Karen refugee camps from basic education to higher education. School enrollment in the 7 camps is 31,973.

Working with the KRCEE the project would provide some financial assistance for assessments, training and workshops, evening classes, publications and support for teacher trainers.

Project activities:

• Assessments: Having a well defined, standardized and systematic assessment will revamp education systems and enhance the quality of education in the refugee camps. 
• Training and Workshops: staff capacity building is one of the essential mechanism for organizational development. 
• Publications: Allows KRCEE to externalize itself with other organizations and agencies working with refugee's education. It is also a communication tool for conveying information. 
• Resident Teacher Trainers' Support: financial support plays a crucial role in providing the quality of education and in sustaining long-term commitments of trainers in their work. 
• Evening Class: Provides educational opportunity for former students who have not completed their secondary school. Teachers are refugees themselves and KRCEE is accountable for providing their monthly salaries.

Uganda

Greening Uganda (Funding Goal: $ 37,303 USD over 2 years)

      Convention/Union: Uganda Baptist Convention

Deforestation is rampant in Uganda. This has been caused by carelessness in clearing vegetation, including trees, for mainly agricultural activities, firewood, for cooking, the building industry, etc.
Little has been done to sensitize the public on the effects of deforestation or on the conserving of the environment. The Uganda Baptist Convention realizes that if stern measures are not taken into account now, this phenomenon is likely to plunge the country into a desert in the near future.

The Uganda Baptist Convention through its development department, and in conjunction with its Youth department, has initiated a project called “Greening Uganda”. The project will spearhead the movement of
environmental conservation by reaching out to all different communities in Uganda by mobilizing and sensitizing the public on the needs and importance of the planting of trees and demonstrate other necessary measures to combat climate change. The hope is to plant 100 million trees by the year 2015.

Specific objectives:

• Raise well and sustainable managed tree nurseries.
• Establish, monitor and manage tree nurseries
• Provide extension and environment awareness to tree farmers and the general public
• Mobilize the youth to engage in community development such as this for the purpose of employment

Zimbabwe

Abundant Life for All—Operation Neighbor Care 

Funding Goal: $11,110 USD
Pledged Donation: $10,000 USD
Remaining Need: $1,110 USD

     Convention/Union: National Baptist Convention

Working to respond to the challenges caused by HIV/Aids in Gokwe South District in Zimbabwe, Abundant Life for All (ALFA) is striving to respond through different aspects of assistance such as tuition assistance for orphaned and vulnerable children, providing a youth center, the provision of IT training and materials, etc. They are working to fight off the key drivers of HIV and Aids with grassroots community driven initiatives.

BWAid has looked at supporting a small portion of the program through supporting a pass-on scheme of goats for 100 child headed households and assistance for income generation projects for youth and widows.

Out of a total $200,000 budget for the overall program, BWAid is seeking to assist with goat project and the income generating project.

 

Bridge of Hope

Funding Goal: $40,907 USD
Pledged Donation: $29,404 USD
Remaining Need: $11,503 USD

     Convention/Union: Sponsored by All Africa Baptist Fellowship and Baptist Union of Southern Africa 

In the Triangle area of Zimbabwe, Bridge of Hope Ministries was started by Rev. Zijena after he visited forty-two schools in the area. Schools have no buildings and lack all basic infrastructures. The needs of the children include food, proper educational infrastructures, stationery, uniforms as well as spiritual needs. This project has four parts: feeding orphans, educational support, a borehole to provide clean water
and the communal food garden to alleviate hunger. The borehole and garden are seen as the first priorities.

On behalf of the All Africa Baptist Fellowship Southern African Region, the Director of The Deeds of Love Ministries of the Baptist Union of Southern Africa, visited Bridge of Hope Ministries to compile a report on the needs and opportunities in this area. It was determined that Deeds of Love Ministries will undertake to mentor Bridge of Hope Ministries for at least two years. This would give the project proper supervision and accountability. A budget is presented as follows: 

• Feeding orphans: $17,704 
• Educational Support: $ 7,416 
• Well: $ 8,500 
• Garden: $ 3,200

Green Environ & Agroforestry (Funding Goal: $40,330 USD)

Convention/Union: Emmanuel Baptist Church

The project hopes to "reverse the adverse effects of global warming through planting seeds of life and liberty, hope and power, health and wealth, justice and peace."

The project will set up and manage tree and plant nurseries. mobilize communities at grass roots level to see environmental issues as part of peace initiatives, planting and managing trees through processes of reforestation of swampy areas, mountains and hills, mobilizing and donating green projects and services to children and the youth, and promote ideas of reduction, recycling and reusing of materials for good environmental protection.

The project will take place in Harare where they have lost most of the hills, mountains and where there is poor waste disposal, in Guruve, Marondera and Rusape where nature has been destroyed by uncontrolled farming and mining.

The goal is to plant 15,000 trees by 2015 for land reclamation. It will establish 100 professional tree and plant nurseries in areas of operation, reaching 100 schools, 200 churches, 20 government departments, 50 non-government organizations through championing and mainstreaming environmental protection programs.

The communities will be able to breathe clean air and the nurseries will be self sustainable and give employment to one thousand people.

 

Income Generation Through Rearing Broiler Chickens (Funding Goal: $22,176 USD)

Convention/Union: Baptist Convention of Zimbabwe 

Tafara Baptist Church runs a day care center and nutritional center on its premises. Among other activities, the center provides food to orphans and vulnerable children. This project would provide income for the church. It would also provide training in chicken rearing for the people chosen to manage the project, giving life skills beyond their involvement with the project. It also would provide income for those who would be selling the chickens in markets. It is hoped that unemployed youth and women will assist with this.

Day old chicks are obtained from breeding companies and then raised for 21 days on a starter diet and another 21 to 28 days on a finisher diet. At that time the birds are ready for marketing, either as live birds or slaughtered and dressed.

For Phase I of the project, a 50 square meter chicken house would first be constructed with a capacity for 500 broiler chickens. Training would be done with the selected persons from the congregation to manage the broiler production. Equipment would be purchased and the first set of chickens would be purchased. After the first 2 batches, the initial capital input plus the proceeds would be expected to run the project on a self sustaining basis. Phase II would have an additional 150 square meter chicken house to enable the rearing of a minimum of 3 batches of 500 birds in such a way that different batches mature at 2 weekly intervals. There must be a 2 week rest period before another batch is brought in to allow for cleaning, with disinfectant and germicides to prevent cross-batch transfer of disease and parasites.

The church programs will be the initial market for the birds, and then members of the congregation and nearby community will be able to purchase the live birds. For the remaining chickens, members of the
congregation will be selected who are keen on selling live birds at open markets. A price will be determined by the project management team. The venders can then sell at their selected points at a marked up price that will be determined by the prevailing market force.

 

Livestock for Hope  (Funding Goal: $33,300 USD)

Convention/Union: United Baptist Church of Zimbabwe

Zimbabwe is divided into 5 Agro ecological regions. Most of the rural churches of the United Baptist Church are in the hot and arid region. Crop production in these areas is not possible hence people suffer
from perennial food insecurity. Goats, sheep and chicken are the major livelihood assets. The harsh economic conditions that the country has undergone over the past decade did not spare these communities.
The UBC Livestock for Hope Project will lay the foundation for sustainable recovery of food security by leveraging on livestock as the major asset by church and non-church members in the UBC districts of Save and Checheche. It is estimated that 18% of the population (2.2 million) people are currently food insecure. With 6 million orphaned and vulnerable children in Zimbabwe, an estimated 100,000 households are led by children. Lack of capacity to utilize livestock as a vital source of livelihood has resulted in households going without food, and children dropping out from schools as people move in search of food.

Funds for the project will be used to construct a livestock auction facility. Through training in small livestock, church members and non members in these two areas are expected to increase their livestock numbers and engage in a marketing process that will make them realize the true value of small livestock within the communities. To ensure the project is sustainable, District Administrative technical staff will be used in the project. All training will be done by District Veterinary Department and Agricultural Extension Officers in the target districts.

 

Poultry Project 

Funding Goal: $38,094 USD
Pledged Donation: $27,000 USD
Remaining Need: $11,094 USD

Convention/Union: United Baptist Church of Zimbabwe

The United Baptist Church in Zimbabwe has developed a business plan to establish and operate a poultry egg production business. This plan has been created by volunteer experts specifically for the church. By empowering the church and its members with the knowledge of how to produce eggs, they will be able to break the cycle of extreme poverty by improving their nutrition uptake as well as develop and improve their personal and the churches financial and economic position.

The project has been developed using the mission of SERVE: Sustain; Educate; Replicate; Volunteer; and Empower. The proposal has been developed as a comprehensive model for sustainability, where progress is measured not only in economic terms, but environmental, cultural, health and social factors are also considered. One of the cornerstones of the church is to create ministries that can become economically, environmentally and socially self-sustaining. Self-sustaining indicates the church creates enough revenue through diverse business opportunities to accommodate ministerial operating expenses. The poultry operation makes up one segment of this operation. The main goal is not to create a church that relies on donations and handouts from church members to sustain their operations and ministries. The goal is to make it economically independent and at the same time to provide opportunities for the whole church and its members to grow economically as well as spiritually.

BWAid is requested to assist with Phase 1 of the project. An initial 2 coops capable of housing a flock of 1250 birds each will be constructed. This phase will act as a start up varying the age of the flock. It will also access the production ability of the chickens and test the channels to market and verify market prices. This phase also includes the cost of training and refining the operations. It will develop local leaders, managers, and entrepreneurs taking the project to the next phase. Phase one will last approximately 80 weeks.

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