Stories

Our Stories of Lasting Change are filled with hope, inspiration and love in action. They reflect the experiences of Episcopal Relief & Development partners, staff, participant communities, volunteers and friends who are moved to make a measurable difference in the lives of vulnerable women and children and help communities prepare for and recover from climate-influenced events. Join us on this life-changing journey. Subscribe below!


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Thursday, Feb 08, 2024

Finding Support After Fleeing Ukraine

Anna, Dmitry and Kristina, three teenage university students, lived in the suburbs of Mariupol in Ukraine. As soldiers filled the streets and parked their tanks, they also began to loot apartments. A friend recommended they go to a refugee support center in Budapest, which an Episcopal Relief & Development partner was running through the ACT Alliance. They traveled by train and, after five days, found a place to stay in Budapest, Hungary. There, they were provided food, shelter and emergency supplies.

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Thursday, Jan 25, 2024

Partnering to Create More Equal Relationships in Burundi

In rural Burundi, Episcopal Relief & Development partners with the Service Anglican pour le Développement Communautaire (SADC) to support a safe house for survivors of gender-based violence. Through counseling, resources and community engagement, survivors are empowered and faith leaders equipped to challenge harmful gender norms. Ultimately, the program transforms lives like Chantal’s, who, with her family, found support and positive change through the safe house initiatives.

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Monday, Jan 01, 2024

Offering Love & Kindness for 2024

As we enter 2024, Episcopal Relief & Development President & CEO Rob Radtke, reflects on growing up in a rectory and asks what greater gift we can offer each other this coming year than love and kindness.

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Thursday, Dec 21, 2023

Taylor Swift, Beyonce and Lasting Change

What can a Taylor Swift and Beyoncé concert teach us about creating lasting change in the world? Teri Lawvner, Chair of the Episcopal Relief & Development Board, shares her reflections and insights.

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Tuesday, Nov 21, 2023

Grateful at Thanksgiving

Josephine Hicks thanks her family for their contributions to faith, education, and public health while highlighting Episcopal Relief & Development’s impactful community work this Thanksgiving.

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Wednesday, Nov 08, 2023

Celebrating 15 Years of Shared Ministry

In 2007, two young boys from St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Bethesda, Maryland, collected coins from students during Sunday School for Episcopal Relief & Development’s Gifts for Life campaign. Fifteen years later, the church celebrates the ongoing efforts and their nearly a quarter-million-dollar contribution.

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