The Presbyterian Church in Canada’s development and relief agency, Presbyterian World Service & Development (PWS&D), will receive grants worth over $1.5 million to help improve the health of women and children in developing countries. The announcement was made by the Prime Minister of Canada’s Office on September, 27.
The Muskoka Initiative on Maternal, Newborn and Child Health was sponsored by G8 nations, under the leadership of Prime Minister Stephen Harper, on June 25, 2010. Proposals were invited from organizations that had at least 3 years of experience in the field of child and maternal health in developing countries.
One of the beneficiaries is PWS&D that will receive $1,519,610 over a period of three years to implement projects to improve maternal health services for women and children in Afghanistan and Malawi. According to Ken Kim, PWS&D Director, “This support from the Canadian government demonstrates PWS&D’s proven history of conducting solid programming and will allow us to improve the lives of even more women and children.
The Afghanistan chapter of the project will aim at improving the overall health of women, and reducing maternal death rates. The aim can be achieved by providing sufficient training, improving health facilities, and reforming public outlook towards the health and well-being of women.
The project in Malawi will aim at improving the reproductive health and helping people gain better obstetric services. According to an estimate, up to 17,000 children will be benefitted by the project.
PWS&D’s purpose of planning and implementing development programs and emergency relief activities will be boosted by not only funds from the government but also by private donations made by churches and individuals. Any Contribution to PWS&D can be made by contacting the local Presbyterian churches or directly to The Presbyterian Church in Canada, 50 Wynford Drive, Toronto, Ontario, M3C 1J7.
