Close to eighty percent of ERD’s program beneficiaries are women. ERD’s integrated community development programs give women access to resources and tools which promote self-reliance and support families and communities worldwide. With Anglican and ecumenical partners, ERD works with local communities to: protect women and their children from preventable diseases such as HIV/AIDS and malaria; provide opportunities for women to earn an income through small business development programs; and teach women improved farming techniques. 

“I am delighted that ERD’s Women’s Development Fund has been launched with an extraordinarily generous gift of $1 million from the Laura Ellen and Robert Muglia Family Foundation,” stated Radtke. “The Women’s Development Fund will support women’s empowerment strategies in all ERD’s programs—from eradicating malaria, to fighting hunger to ensuring safe drinking water and basic health care,” he said.

Laura Ellen and Bob Muglia believe that their gift will help in the social and economic empowerment of women around the world. “God calls us to eradicate poverty. I have seen firsthand how ERD enables women and their families to lift themselves out of poverty and become leaders in their communities,” said Laura Ellen Muglia. “With this gift, Bob and I are investing in women’s futures. ERD’s sustainable development programs transform lives and empower people,” she said. WW

Through the generosity of Laura Ellen and Bob Muglia, the Women’s Development Fund, which enables the empowerment of women through ERD’s ongoing programs that focus on primary health and food security, was launched on Thursday, June 21st, at The Edgewater in Seattle, Washington. At a gathering of friends and donors hosted by Laura Ellen Muglia and the Seattle Women’s Development Council, the Most Rev. Katharine Jefferts Schori, Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church, Radtke, and well over 200 people attended the launch.

The Rt. Rev. Nedi Rivera, Suffragan Bishop of the Diocese of Olympia and Honorary Chair of the Seattle Women’s Development Council, opened the dinner by welcoming guests and introducing the Presiding Bishop. A few notable attendees included: Sandra Swan, ERD President Emerita; Kurt DelBene, ERD Board Member; The Rt. Rev. and Mrs. Cabell Tennis, Former Bishop of the Diocese of Delaware; and the Very Rev. Robert Taylor, Dean of St. Mark’s Cathedral in Seattle.

Dent Davidson, Associate for Liturgical Arts at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Medina, provided music throughout the evening. Jim and Catherine Blundell, musicians at St. Thomas, led guests in “Shosholoza”, a well-know traditional Southern African folk song.  During the event, guests viewed photographs of women from ERD’s programs worldwide.

During her speech, Bishop Jefferts Schori underscored the importance of ERD’s work in achieving the Millennium Development Goals and focusing on Matthew’s gospel to feed the hungry, heal the sick, and clothe the naked. “The work of ERD is especially focused on helping the least of these, and it grows out of an understanding of our interconnectedness, at all levels,” remarked Bishop Jefferts Schori. “ERD’s work is rooted in capacity building, gender empowerment, and environmental sustainability.  Capacity building understands that the poor have gifts with which can be self-empowering, and that a hand up is far more effective in the long term than a hand out.”

ERD is changing the lives of women in communities around the world. For example, in partnership with the Province of the Church of Burundi, ERD is helping women living with HIV/AIDS establish small businesses focused on trade, small livestock, and fruit and vegetable gardening. Many of these women were unable to support their families and contribute to their community due to the social stigma of HIV/AIDS. Through this program, women make a valuable contribution to their communities by operating businesses that cater to the needs of the community. They are able to use the income to purchase food and medicine for their families. Above all, the women’s self-esteem increases substantially.

“Our work is undergirded by the Millennium Development Goals, including gender empowerment (MDG 3) and maternal health (MDG 5),” said Abagail Nelson, ERD’s Vice President for Programs. “At ERD, we recognize that women are vital members of their communities, serving as breadwinners, caregivers, and teachers.”

“When women are empowered, they become the greatest contributors to transformation in the lives of their families and communities,” said Bishop Jefferts Schori. “Many women worldwide do not have the opportunity to reach their full potential as local and global citizens. Episcopal Relief and Development is fully committed to empowering women and improving the lives of their families and neighbors through supporting the Millennium Development Goals,” said Bishop Jefferts Schori.

Because of the generous leadership gift from the Laura Ellen and Robert Muglia Family Foundation along with additional contributions, ERD has set a goal to raise another $1 million from individuals, parishes, dioceses, and other institutions in the western part of the United States by the end of 2007. For more information on making a donation to support the Women’s Development Fund, which supports the empowerment of women through ERD’s ongoing programs that focus on primary health and food security, please contact Brian Sellers-Petersen, ERD’s Senior Major Gift Officer, at bpetersen@er-d.org or (206) 390-0750.