| Type | International relief and development agency |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1940 |
| Location | 815 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10017 |
| Website | http://www.er-d.org/ |
Episcopal Relief & Development is the international relief and development agency of the Episcopal Church. It helps to rebuild after disasters and aims to empower people by offering lasting solutions that fight poverty, hunger and disease. Episcopal Relief & Development programs focus on the following areas:[1]
In 2009 Episcopal Relief & Development spent 85% on its programs and only 15% on administration and fundraising. Because of investment income and support it receives in the form of contributed services from the Episcopal Domestic and Foreign Missionary Society, 92% of cash donations go directly to Episcopal Relief & Development's programs.[1][2]
First established in 1940 as the Presiding Bishop’s Fund for World Relief (PBFWR), the organization assisted European refugees during World War II and later went on to support Palestinian refugees, children in Estonia and displaced persons in Germany and Hungary. It also provided disaster assistance and supported small development projects world-wide. The organization was renamed Episcopal Relief & Development in 2000 to emphasize its disaster relief efforts and a new focus on community development. Since their adoption in 2006, it has striven to support the Church's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) which are aimed at reducing extreme global poverty by 2015.[3]
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Episcopal Relief & Development supported reconstruction projects in New Orleans and the Gulf Coast.[4][5]
Episcopal Relief & Development has a longstanding partnership with the Episcopal Diocese of Haiti, of which the key component has been the Haiti Development Initiative. Prior to the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Episcopal Relief & Development worked with the diocesan development office (Centre Diocesain de Developpement Integre et de Secours or CEDDISEC) to assist local communities in identifying needs and implementing development projects. The initiative also included training development agents to oversee projects in their communities and coordinate disaster response efforts.[6]
Immediately following the earthquake, Episcopal Relief & Development worked with the Diocese, IMA World Health and other organizations to provide assistance to thousands who were left injured or homeless. The earthquake left the infrastructure of Haiti’s capital, Port-au-Prince, including Holy Trinity Cathedral and diocesan offices, in ruins and affected one in three Haitians, roughly three million people.[7]
In the months since the quake, Episcopal Relief & Development’s work with the diocesan development office shifted to meet the longer-term needs of those affected. In the three months following the disaster, Episcopal Relief & Development and the Diocese of Haiti’s work was primarily focused in eight parishes: Léogane, Darbonne, l’Acul, Trouin, Grande Colline, Bainet, Mathieu and Buteau. In April 2010, work also began in the parish of Carrefour. In January 2011, the agency published a one-year report detailing the work accomplished since the earthquake and future plans for the program.[8]