Stories & Info

Simon Apa is a 39-year-old farmer in Ghana. For years, he struggled to provide for his wife and three children — but, fortunately, that hasn’t been the case since he started raising pigs. 

Within five months of receiving the pigs, they had multiplied and were ready to be sold in the market. With this new income, Simon was able to pay back a loan and buy a tricycle (‘motor-king’), which he is now using to transport goods from his farm. He also plans to use it for commercial purposes to earn extra income and pay for his children’s education.

Simon is very grateful for our support. “It has changed my financial situation,” he says. “God bless you all.” 

I’m excited to introduce Episcopal Relief & Development’s virtual timeline, featuring key moments in our 75 Years of Healing a Hurting World.

Advent is a season to anticipate the coming of Christ. And what better way to celebrate the spirit of the Christ Child, than to love one another as Christ loved us!

When Hurricane Sandy hit the US East Coast two years ago, I was hunkered down with my cat in our apartment in Brooklyn. 

The room at the top of the stairs is a shared home office. The Reverend Alden Besse is on the left, his wife Barbara on the right. Hers has a computer and file cabinets. She’s the organized one, the one who does e-mail. Alden’s side of the room is awash in post-its, newspaper clippings, books and small mountains of other stuff. One desk chair looks to be in a permanently supine position. It appears quite possible that a small but powerful bomb just went off.

What has been increasingly clear in the last few months is the valuable role of faith communities in our troubled world.  In Liberia, populations affected by Ebola are more inclined to listen to health messaging from their priests than from the government health officers. In Central America, church leaders have been uniquely positioned to bridge gaps between government and armed groups and to fight for justice. In the Philippines, the Church has provided visionary leadership in transforming communities as they recover from the devastating typhoon.