Lent Event Outcomes
Since 2005 Lent Event has raised more than $2.7 million for a range of projects that have helped and continue to help transform the lives of our overseas church partners in Asia, Africa and the Pacific. The focus of these projects has been education, health (including water and sanitation), peace-building, economic and social empowerment, as well as partnering with women for change. View this short video to hear from Rob Floyd about the practical outcomes achieved through Lent Event and to learn more about current projects click here to browse the UnitingWorld website.
Previous Outcomes For South Australian Projects
Midwifery Training School in South Sudan
South Sudan was involved in a civil war for more than two decades which destroyed virtually all infrastructure. Today South Sudan has among the highest maternal mortality rates in the world, with 10,000 mothers dying each year. Each day there are over 580 complications during birth, with only 1 in 10 births attended by skilled birth personnel.
UnitingWorld is now working with the Presbyterian Relief and Development Agency (PRDA) to train young women from throughout South Sudan in basic maternal health care. Each woman at the midwifery school is being trained for 18 months before returning to their home communities. Every one of them will become a life-saving presence for mothers and babies.
In December 2012 the first cohort of midwives graduated from Leer Midwifery school and are now working as midwives in local hospitals and communities. There has already been a reduction of maternal and infant mortality rates in the region. Through Lent Event, the generous support of Australian congregations has enabled 25 more students to start the course in 2013. Peace building and conflict resolution between communities in South Sudan has also been encouraged by recruiting trainees from all over the country, many with different values and belief systems.
Livelihood Development in Papua 
Despite an abundance of natural resources, to date, Papua has been the least developed region of Indonesia. Many Papuans live in poverty and rely upon subsistence farming and fishing to survive. Because of this, many Papuans live along the coastline in fishing villages.
After the destruction of a Tsunami a few years ago, many homes and fish farming nets were destroyed in the fishing village of Tabati. Through Lent Event and support of Uniting World, fishing nets and supplies of fish have been replaced and the fishing village is thriving once again, providing financial income to this community.
Livelihood Support in the Philippines
Over one million indigenous peoples live in the Cordillero region of the northern Philippines. They are among the poorest and most marginalised populations in the country, with 42% of all families living below the poverty line.
South Australia has a longstanding friendship with the United Church of Christ in the Philippines in North Luzon. Through Rev. Andy Tiver and workers from our partner church, this community development project is providing hope to many by developing better farming and small scale mining practices. This is improving community safety and increasing the returns of their vegetable growing in an environmentally sustainable way.
These communities are particularly vulnerable to natural disasters such as typhoons, so through Lent Event, training in disaster preparation and response strategies has also taken place. The people of this region want to convey their gratitude to the people of the Uniting Church in SA for their prayers and support.
Papua New Guinea Microfinance Project Update:
As life in Papua New Guinea becomes more modernised and reliant on cash for many daily needs, families can no longer solely rely on their traditional, subsistence lifestyle to support themselves. In this context learning business and financial management skills is becoming an increasing priority for women. So too is the ability to access small loans that can assist women in developing their skills into a small business that can then generate an income for their families.
Our partners in Papua New Guinea refer to this practice as 'seed' microfinance, emphasising the expectation that something will grow out of the opportunities given to women. In the same way the coconut tree starts out as a seed and once matured contributes to the community in shared food resources and shade, microfinance also produces growth that ultimately supports the health of families and the whole community.
Over the past few years the Microfinance project has changed the lives of many women and families. In particular, access to small loans and participation in business training has given Papua New Guinean women an opportunity to see themselves and their skills in a different light, with many now viewing themselves as leaders in their families and communities.
The training they receive through the program has enabled women to develop and use their own strengths and skills, such as baking and sewing, to earn an income and to become financially independent. Women have also learnt and practiced new skills, such as budgeting and saving money, allowing them to pay children's schools fees and provide for other basic needs. Encouragingly, the small scale projects encouraged teamwork among family members, strengthening family relationships and respect for women.
In the coming year the Microfinance project will continue to offer business loans and training to women in Papua New Guinea. In response to feedback from participants and community leaders, the training will be expanded to include marketing, financial literacy and business development. More focus will also be placed on training women to train others. This will result in more women in rural areas having access to the program and being able to improve their own lives as well as the lives of their families and the wider community.
Health Clinic – Evangelical Christian Church, Papua, Indonesia Update:
Through the support of Lent Event, additional renovations to the Medical Clinic on the island of Numfor, Papua, Indonesia has enabled a kitchen, warehouse, laundry and ironing room to be built. Additional building work is needed for the sanitation requirements of the Clinic. With the additional training of a midwife, funded by a generous donation from SA, the Clinic will be fully operational shortly and guarantee a greater survival rates for both mothers and children being born in this remote region of Papua.
One of our South Australian projects in 2011 was to support the Livelihood Program in the North Luzon area of the Philippines. Here, Rev. Andy Tiver is working with our partner church in providing new and more reliable ways for indigenous people to provide income for themselves and their families. This enables these communities in remote mountainous areas to better sustain themselves.
