Project Grants - Who We Are - Women's Inter-Church Council of Canada

Generous donations made through the World Day of Prayer have enabled WICC, the Canadian coordinator, to fund a variety of programs and initiatives in Canada and around the world which speak to the Council’s four areas of focus and priority: justice, women’s issues, ecumenism and the growth of women’s spirituality.

In fact, we are pleased to report that well over half a million dollars has been granted by WICC to 160 organizations for projects that benefit women and children around the world and here in Canada from WDP offerings over the past 6 years. To learn more about our WDP 2009 grant recipients click here.

Grant applications are to be received in our office no later than March 1st of each year.

From the least coins collected around the world, more than $1 million has been granted by the International Committee of the Fellowship of the Least Coin (ICFLC) to projects that benefit women and children around the world. Close to $200,000 in FLC offerings in Canada over the past 7 years has been contributed to the global FLC fund by WICC. Grants are issued to a number of project areas: literacy, health, social justice, education, leadership development and disaster relief. Click here to learn more about the 2008 FLC grant recipients.

As WICC is the coordinator of the Fellowship of the Least Coin program in Canada, requests for FLC grants are made thorough our office. For additional information, contact our office directly.

Gifts in Action – WICC Project Highlight

A New Start: Providing a Livelihood for Displaced Women

Budaburam Refugee Camp, Ghana:

Single Mothers Empowerment Program

This camp is home to more than 35,000 refugee Women and children who fled Liberia during the civil wars. Served mostly by NGOs and volunteers, camp Budaburam's Single Mothers Empowerment Program is designed specifically for the purpose of empowering these displaced women in an effort to make them self-sufficient. In the atrocites of war, it is women and children who suffer most. Each of the mothers has her own tragic story and memories of the war, and their narrow escape to safety. Many suffered violent sexual abuse, rapes and other gross injustices. These are the victims we help. Our mission is to respond to the cries of the Orphan, the Widow and the Refugee by providing food, shelter, clothing, medicine and education to those left hopeless because of war. We mentor, teach and train these women. This training will enable them to find jobs or establish small businesses on the camp and support their children. Single mothers have started to sell goods at the market such as rice, oil, juice, hair care products and used clothing.

Sewing centre manager with the aprons A project grant from WICC has made these women come alive with purpose and passion, knowing there is hope for a better tomorrow. I can verify that each and every dollar is going towards these women. We have excellent accountability and leaders of integrity who are giving proper oversight to this work. Contracts are signed by the women participating in small business, and after two months, they bring back their initial capital to show that they have not used it up on daily needs.

Every year a team from Provision of Hope visits the Budaburam Refugee Camp assisting as many needy as possible. We meet with our leaders there to discuss further possibilities and strategies, always trying to empower people to help themselves. With so many needs, it really feels like there is never enough to go around. They would line up pleading for assistance. Many were single mothers who had absolutely nothing to provide for their children. Some came hungry, others sick. We left there last January knowing we had to do something for the single moms. When this grant came, we knew it was time to begin.
For more information, visit the Provision of Hope website.

The organization profiled above has received project funding from WICC grants funded by money donated to the World Day of Prayer. For more information on these projects, click here.