Episcopal Relief & Development has been awarded a major grant by the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to support its work in Zambia and Kenya.
Episcopal Relief & Development is proud to announce that it has received a $1.4 million grant from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation to expand its integrated Early Childhood Development program (ECD) in Zambia and to extend the program into Kenya. The four-year grant will enable the organization and its local partners, Zambia Anglican Council Outreach Programmes (ZACOP) and Anglican Church of Kenya Development Services (ADS-Nyanza), to impact 7,600 families including 14,880 children under the age of three, many of whom are impacted by HIV/AIDS.
“We are extremely grateful for the continued partnership of the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation and its commitment towards early childhood development and vulnerable children,” said Robert W. Radtke, President of Episcopal Relief & Development. “This generous grant recognizes the significance of our work and represents a strategic priority for Episcopal Relief & Development as we strengthen and expand the program in Zambia and Kenya.” …
… The impact of the program has been transformational, changing how parents, particularly fathers, connect with their children on a deeper, more responsive level. It has trained 742 volunteers and engaged over 6,000 primary caregivers and almost 10,000 children under the age of five. Parent-child activities which promote children’s cognitive development skills more than doubled from 38% to 79%, motor skills increased from 43% to 79%, and social skills improved from 75% to 92%.
“Young children impacted by HIV/AIDS can now receive care that supports their health and development,” said Felicia Sakala, ZACOP’s Country Director in Zambia. “Our children and their families are much better served when we work within the family unit and share essential parenting practices which family members can easily adopt.”
This is the third and largest grant that ERD has received from the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation since 2011. The latest grant will support new and expanded programs in rural Zambia and in Kenya.
Learn more about the work of ERD and the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation here.