Students in Tamale, Ghana

As a child, you probably hated hearing this from your parents. As a donor to ARDF, you now can say this to us!

And we are doing our homework—each and every time we receive a project for review. The work starts long before a project is up for approval. Using our networks in the Global Anglican Church, we build relationships with Bishops and other Anglican leaders who are already providing development assistance to their own communities. People like Bishop Moses in Wau, South Sudan, who comments, “I think most of the people who are not believers will really see that the church is meeting not only the spiritual needs—which I came to do—but also the physical need.” These personal relationships pave the way for effective transformation on the ground.

These authentic relationships, based on mutual respect and a love of the Gospel, also make evaluating potential projects easy. Expert researchers travel to the field to ask community members about the viability of the project, the actual needs in the community, and the plans for long-term sustainability. We also evaluate the past performance and financial health of our partners. These interviews with stakeholders, potential beneficiaries, and community leaders allow ARDF’s Global Trustees to have informed opinions of each new potential project.

I know the Fiwila project in Mkushi area and I like the work they do for the communities. They have been doing a lot of work in helping communities, especially the farmers. This new project of training farmers is a very good one in that it not only gives them seed funding, but also gives them the much-needed training. Training people in the rural area, especially in farming methods, is lifting them out of poverty. In the past, Zambians used to depend on rainfall to farm, but in areas like Mkushi, which are affected by droughts, it is safer to use other methods of farming. I would therefore highly recommend this project and I believe that it will go a long way in not only lifting people out of poverty, but also tackl[ing] the food insecurity problem.”
– Amos Mbulo, former manager of a commercial bank and large-scale farmer in the Mkushi area

This is one example, from a recently approved project in Zambia. Although we regularly post project summaries to our blog, there is always more in-depth research available on our website. We love sharing this research with you!

When you support ARDF, you are partnering with those on the ground actually implementing the projects. Your role in crucial. But we all want to make sure that donor dollars are effective. Focusing on detailed research ensures this.

Support ARDF knowing your money goes to well-researched projects.

Help raise awareness:
by

The post Do Your Homework! appeared first on Anglican Relief and Development Fund.