The latest set of grants from the Church of the Brethren’s Global Food Initiative (GFI) have been announced. They support ministries in Burundi, Rwanda, and Uganda that are connected with Church of the Brethren denomination in each country including the Great Lakes Bible School, Farming God’s Way training, and a goat and chicken farming livelihood project.
agriculture
Global Food Initiative closes out 2025 with last set of grants for the year
The last set of grants for 2025 from the Church of the Brethren’s Global Food Initiative (GFI) rounded out the year by supporting needs around the world, from Honduras to Rwanda, Nigeria to Ecuador, as well as local projects in Pennsylvania.
GFI grants support food ministries at Church of the Brethren congregations, agriculture efforts in South Africa and Venezuela
The Church of the Brethren’s Global Food Initiative (GFI) has given its latest round of grants to support food ministries at four Church of the Brethren congregations in Illinois and Ohio; the Beyond Abundance Program of Phahama Grain Phakama in South Africa; and the purchase of electric mills for indigenous Amazon communities to grind cassava, via the Church of the Brethren in Venezuela.
Latest round of GFI grants support agricultural training and farming in Africa, clean water in Haiti
The Global Food Initiative (GFI) has given its latest round of grants to support well drilling by the Haiti Medical Project, an agricultural training component for students at the Great Lakes Bible School in Rwanda, and “Farming God’s Way” in the Church of the Brethren in Burundi.
Global Food Initiative grants aid food security and related work of church partners
The Church of the Brethren’s Global Food Initiative (GFI) has issued a recent round of grants supporting work for food security and related needs including $15,000 for purchase of farmland in Uganda, $6,470 for a well project in the Democratic Republic of Congo, $825 for a farming project of the emerging Tanzania Church of the Brethren, $5,000 in continued support for the Soybean Value Chain project of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria, and $15,000 for the Wings of Blessing and Hope Farm Poultry Project of ASIGLEH, the Church of the Brethren in Venezuela.
Global Food Initiative gives four grants to start off the year
The Church of the Brethren’s Global Food Initiative (GFI) has given its first round of grants for 2024, supporting an aquaculture project in the Dominican Republic, a grain mill project in Burundi, a maize mill project in Uganda, and Syntropic training in Haiti. Two grants made in 2023 have not previously been reported in Newsline, for a school-based organic food production and environmental awareness effort in Ecuador, and to First Church of the Brethren, Eden, N.C., for its community garden.
Jennifer Hosler to manage the Global Food Initiative for the Church of the Brethren
Jennifer Hosler has been hired by the Church of the Brethren as part-time manager of the Global Food Initiative (GFI), in the Global Mission office. She begins working for the GFI as a remote employee from Washington, D.C., on April 22.
Last round of grants for the year announced by denominational funds
A last round of grants for the year 2023 were given from three funds of the Church of the Brethren: the Emergency Disaster Fund (EDF–support this ministry with donations at https://churchofthebrethren.givingfuel.com/bdm); the Global Food Initiative (GFI–support this ministry with donations at https://churchofthebrethren.givingfuel.com/gfi); and the Brethren Faith in Action Fund (BFIA–see www.brethren.org/faith-in-action).
EYN farmers suffer violence in northeast Nigeria, interview with EYN district secretary for Wagga
Clergy of Ekklesiyar Yan’uwa a Nigeria (EYN, the Church of the Brethren in Nigeria) have counted 107 farms harvested by Boko Haram said Mishak T. Madziga, EYN district secretary for the Wagga district, in an exclusive interview. In addition, he reported several deaths of EYN members at the hands of the terrorists. EYN president Joel S. Billi, who was in the area to celebrate the autonomy of a new local congregation, confirmed the report of many farmers losing their farms to Boko Haram in this critical time of harvest.
Polo Growing Project: An incredibly good news story
In mid-summer, due to distressing weather conditions, the prospect for the 30 acres of corn that make up the 2023 Polo Growing Project appeared bleak. But at harvest in mid-October, the results were no less than astonishing, the crop yielding an average of 247.5 bushels per acre. Net proceeds for the project stand at $45,500, a notch above last year’s near-record earnings of $45,000.
