Network Council: ARDF Seeks Help for Average Anglicans
“The average Anglican is a black African female, living in a rural African village with four to seven children. Her husband is not at home because he is in the city trying to earn money for the family. Water and food are scarce because of cyclical drought conditions,” said Canon Nancy Norton, Executive Director for the Anglican Relief and Development Fund (ARDF), in a report delivered at the Annual Council Meeting of the Anglican Communion Network on August 1.
ARDF, the relief and development arm of the Anglican Communion Network, raises money in North America to fund approved projects for relief and development in the Global South. In its brief two years of operation, ARDF has raised $2.1 million to fund 59 projects in 20 countries. “We want to see real life-change in any projects that we do,” said Canon Norton, “Our goal is to provide efficient and effective relief with measurable results using orthodox Anglican implementers.”
One recent project in Olinda, Brazil was a $35,000 grant that helped some of the 43,000 poor Olindian children who live in that city’s garbage dumps. ARDF funds provided a way out for these kids who have no hope of changing their situations without outside help. “ARDF projects always have a spiritual element,” said Canon Norton. “One of the things we want is for our donors to see real transformation of lives when the project is over. Over 80 percent of our projects have met or exceeded the expectations set for them.”
“We work to match U.S. Anglican parishes and dioceses with projects in the Global South where an ongoing relationship of aid can be developed. Except for Canon Norton, ARDF does not have any staff. “We partner with dioceses and others that have staff on the ground in the areas where our projects are based.”
The ARDF board of trustees includes six Global South primates who make the decisions about which projects to fund. The Most Rev. Justice Akrofi, Archbishop of the Province of Western Africa, the newest ARDF trustee, was able to attend a portion of the Annual Council Meeting. “The American trustees don’t vote… they listen, give input and help raise money,” said Canon Norton, “It’s an amazing conversation between the primates… it’s not a competition of any kind.”
Canon Norton also announced that the Rev. Mike Murphy has been appointed as the new chairman of ARDF. Murphy replaces the Very Rev. Dr. Peter Moore, who was instrumental in the formation and development of ARDF. Dr. Moore will continue as an ARDF trustee. Murphy, a successful businessman and a priest of the Anglican Mission in America, is currently serving in a church-planting effort.
What can average Anglicans in the U.S. do to help? Pray, designate an ARDF representative, budget for ARDF in mission budgets and introduce ARDF to individuals capable of giving gifts. “We are one piece of the Network itself, but we do our own fundraising,” said Canon Norton, “We have $163,000 in grant projects being funded right now and an opportunity to fund an additional $350,000 in projects following trustee approval this month. The whole purpose is to produce life-change,” continued Canon Norton. “We are all about partnerships that help bring that about.”
For more information about ARDF, visit www.anglicanaid.net.