Deadline Extended for Global Anglican Relief and Development Alliance (GARDA) Survey

January 21, 2010

The opportunity to offer feedback concerning the proposed Global Anglican Relief and Development Alliance (GARDA) has been extended through January 29, 2010. 

Episcopal Relief & Development is gathering feedback about the proposal from the Episcopal Church in order to draft a response on the Church’s behalf. The Alliance, which grew out of a desire expressed by the Bishops of the Communion at the 2008 Lambeth Conference to enhance collaboration and mutual accountability among Anglican relief and development agencies, has been endorsed by the Primates Meeting and the Anglican Consultative Council.

If approved, GARDA can be a crucial way for members of the Anglican Communion to help achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The MDGs have been a priority of the Episcopal Church since 2003 and gained the Church’s renewed commitment at General Convention 2009.

“In the wake of the disaster in Haiti, we are concerned that all those interested in the issues raised by the GARDA proposal have not had an adequate chance to respond,” said Rob Radtke, President of Episcopal Relief & Development. “It is important to us that we develop a unified response on behalf of the Church and we hope that by extending the deadline for the survey, we can get a better sense of opinions and views surrounding GARDA.”

This survey is available for members of the Church and others concerned with humanitarian work to share their insights. Completed surveys must be received by Friday, January 29, 2010, and the results will be collated into a formal response by the end of February.

To learn more, visit www.episcopalrelief.org or call 1-800-334-7626, ext. 5129. Gifts can be mailed to Episcopal Relief & Development, PO Box 7058, Merrifield, VA 22116-7058.

Episcopal Relief & Development is the international relief and development agency of the Episcopal Church of the United States and an independent 501(c)(3) organization. The agency takes its mandate from Jesus’ words found in Matthew 25. Its programs work towards achieving the Millennium Development Goals. Together with the worldwide Church and ecumenical partners, Episcopal Relief & Development strengthens communities today to meet tomorrow’s challenges. We rebuild after disasters and empower people by offering lasting solutions that fight poverty, hunger and disease, including HIV/AIDS and malaria.