The Primate’s World Relief and Development Fund (PWRDF) is accepting donations to support disaster relief work for areas affected by Hurricane Sandy.
The late season tropical cyclone, which killed about 40 people in the Caribbean on Friday, is also expected to affect parts of the U.S. eastern seaboard as well as the maritime provinces in Canada.
PWRDF–the relief and development arm of the Anglican Church of Canada–has pledged an initial grant of $20,000 for Cuba, which was severely hit by the storm. The funds will help support the relief efforts of the Cuban Council of Churches (CCC) in the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Granma, Holguin and Las Tunas. About 50,000 people will be provided with food, water, bedding, hygiene kits and counselors, said PWRDF in a press statement.
Bishop Griselda Delgado del Carpio of the episcopal diocese of Cuba has appealed for solidarity and prayers for affected areas. In an e-mail update to the Archbishop Fred Hiltz, primate of the Anglican Church of Canada, Delgado said reports from clergy indicate that heavy rains and wind have caused “massive destruction” of housing and agriculture. She is planning to visit some of the affected areas in Santiago de Cuba.
“We continue in prayer, asking God for strength and hope to work together in reconstructing the emotional, material and spiritual life of this population,” said Delgado.
PWRDF is also monitoring needs in Haiti, which was also affected by the hurricane, and is in contact with dioceses in Canada that are in the storm’s path. These dioceses include Huron, Niagara, Ontario, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec, Fredericton, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island, and Toronto.
PWRDF will provide funds through Action by Churches Together (ACT) Alliance, a global alliance of church-based groups that work together in development and humanitarian assistance.
For more information on PWRDF’s response to Hurricane Sandy, contact Naba Gurung, at [email protected], or at 416 924 9199 ext. 321. For donations, contact Jennifer Brown, administrative associate, by email at [email protected], or by phone at 416-924-9192 ext. 355; 1-866-308-7973
