With Their Own Hands

According to Bishop Griselda Delgado del Carpio of the Episcopal Church of Cuba (ECC), working with PWRDF has transformed not just people’s livelihoods, but also their attitudes and expectations.  “People in Cuba used to look for help from outside.  But now they have learned what they can do with their own two hands.”

Speaking at St. Peter’s, Erindale, Bishop Griselda went on to explain how these communities of Anglicans who have benefited from the PWRDF-funded program have transformed the lives of their friends and neighbours throughout the towns where they live.  “It is not about receiving, but about sharing,” she said.

Bishop Griselda has known about PWRDF’s work in Cuba for years through the Cuban Council of Churches.  PWRDF has partnered with the Council to provide training to leaders in the churches on the island.  When she was consecrated as bishop in 2010, she began to explore a closer partnership between the ECC and PWRDF.

PWRDF is now working with the ECC to train leaders in community development, including gender issues, farming techniques, and nutrition.  These leaders will in turn train 2000 people in their communities, leading to better access to healthy food, increased income through the sale of excess food and a decrease in gender-based violence through improved understanding and communication between men and women.

Learning to do for themselves, rather than to wait for someone to do for them, has led people to be more confident, creative and hopeful.  And that is perhaps the greatest result this partnership could have!