News Briefs: November 2, 2006
Think about planned giving for All Saints’ Sunday
Next weekend, the church celebrates All Saints’ Sunday. It is a time for remembering the people that God has put into our lives, and the work of the Holy Spirit carried out through them. Many congregations will remember the faithful who have died during the past year.
Canadian Lutheran World Relief invites you to think about planned giving as part of your All Saints’ Sunday. Planned giving is a way of expressing thanks for God’s work in your own life. It is a donation from your estate that can be made during your lifetime or through a will. Your financial advisor can provide details on the enhanced tax benefits and return on income for which you may be eligible.
“Planned giving is a valuable part of the contribution base of CLWR,” says Executive Director Robert Granke. “In the last year alone, almost half a million dollars was raised in this way.” Planned gifts support long-term development projects that give communities the skills, tools and resources needed to create lasting change in their lives.
– CLWR News Service
CLWR development work reaches new communities in Mozambique
Wandson Mbiriacon Jassi was born in Tete province, Mozambique, but fled his homeland when civil war tore his country apart in the 1970s. As one of 1.7 million refugees who found temporary homes in neighbouring countries like Zambia, he eventually came to serve the Lutheran World Federation (LWF), the coordinating agency for his refugee camp. In 1992, Jassi braved landmines and other threats and re-entered Tete province to evaluate the situation there on behalf of LWF.
Now, fifteen years later, the veteran LWF staff member is stationed in the Chifunde district of Tete province. Along with Tsangano district, Chifunde is in the first stages of LWF long-term development, which is supported by Canadian Lutheran World Relief. There is much work to be done. In Chifunde’s district centre there is no reliable water and one grinding mill that serves a large geographic area. Crop selection and practices are not as effective as they could be, and flood-susceptible fields are located right along the shore of a river because there is no irrigation system. Through CLWR support, Jassi will be able to share his practical knowledge and bring LWF resources to these communities.
– CLWR News Service
Canadian officials’ plate too full to attend hunger conference
According to the Canadian Foodgrains Bank, Canadian aid officials say they “couldn’t make it” to a major United Nations meeting this week in Rome at the halfway point in the 20-year campaign to halve global hunger. Ten years ago, with 185 countries pledging support, cutting global hunger in half within two decades seemed feasible. Today, the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) reports that perhaps by 2050 the number of hungry people might be halved. Current estimates are that 820 million people suffer from hunger in developing countries.
Two mid-level Agriculture and Agri-food Canada staff members were left to fill the chairs for the usually large Canadian delegation at the meeting. “It’s disappointing,” says Stu Clark, representing Canadian Foodgrains Bank, a non-profit organization working to end hunger in developing countries. “Ten years ago, at the World Food Summit, Canada played a major role at the Summit, with hundreds of Canadians involved.”
Canadian Foodgrains Bank is a Canadian-based Christian organization that helps provide food and development assistance to people in need on behalf of 13 members, including Canadian Lutheran World Relief. For more information on this story, visit www.foodgrainsbank.ca/whatsnew/newsreleases.
– With files from Canadian Foodgrains Bank
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