World Council of Churches Office of Communication
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7 December 2000

Ogoni Peoples in Nigeria receive grant from World Council of Churches
WCC announces anti-racism grants


To mark Human Rights Day on Sunday 10 December, the World Council of Churches (WCC) has announced grants totalling US$58,000 from its Special Fund to Combat Racism to twelve anti-racism projects around the world. Among the recipient organizations are the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (Nigeria), the South African Council of Churches, the Meeting Centre for Reflection and Solidarity (Dominican Republic), and the Ecumenical Commission for Refugees in the Czech Republic.

The grants recognize three categories of particular concern: anti-racism work, support to women suffering under racism and the situation of Indigenous Peoples. Special Fund grants over the past 30 years have gone to groups in 50 countries and have totalled over US$12 million.

The complete list of recipients of this year's grants is:

1. Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Nigeria US$ 6,000
2. South African Council of Churches (SACC), South Africa US$ 7,000
3. Christian Conference of Asia (CCA), Hong Kong, SAR, China, US$ 5,000
4. Meeting Centre for Reflection & Solidarity (ONE RESPE), Dominican Republic, US$ 6,000
5. Ecumenical Commission for Refugees in the Czech Republic, Czech Rep., US$ 6,000
6. Comissão Ecumênica Nacional de Combate ao Racismo (CENACORA), Brasil, US$ 5,000
7. Black Association for the Defense of Human Rights (ASONEDH), Peru, US$ 5,000
8. Interfaith Prisoners of Conscience Project (IPOC), USA, US$ 2,000
9. Southeast Regional Economic Justice Network (REJN), USA US$ 2,000
10. Federacion Ecuatoriana de Indigenas Evangélicos) (FEINE), Ecuador, US$ 5,000
11. Church of South India, India,US$ 5,000
12. Ecumenical Coalition on Third World Tourism (ECTWT), Hong Kong, SAR, China, US$ 4,000

Click to full list with extensive description of each grant.

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The World Council of Churches is a fellowship of churches, now 337, in more than 100 countries in all continents from virtually all Christian traditions. The Roman Catholic Church is not a member church but works cooperatively with the WCC. The highest governing body is the assembly, which meets approximately every seven years. The WCC was formally inaugurated in 1948 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Its staff is headed by general secretary Konrad Raiser from the Evangelical Church in Germany.