The Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP) has approved grants totaling $155,000 to fund 10 self-help projects in the United States and abroad.
Across the United States, one of the major struggles for people with criminal convictions is finding work. For many employers, having a criminal record ends the conversation with a prospective employee.
Eight newly elected national committee members to the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP), which empowers economically poor, oppressed and disadvantaged people through its Presbyterian and ecumenical partners, gathered in Louisville recently for a two-day orientation session.
Workers were busy Thursday morning at the Sandy Beach Women’s Cooperative in Hopkins Village, a coastal community in southeastern Belize. This was a big day, not only for the women-owned and operated restaurant, but for the country’s Departments of Agriculture and Cooperatives. The top official was paying a visit to meet with members of the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People.
The clouds opened up on Wednesday, dropping heavy rain and forcing members of the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP) to huddle under a thatch roof to meet with Oscar and Maria Zuniga. The couple lives and works on their farm in southeast Belize and are recipients of grant funding from SDOP.
PLACENCIA, Belize — A little more than six years ago, the families living in remote villages in the Toledo region of Belize were facing some serious problems. Children were undernourished, barely attending school, and there was little income to be made.
There’s a tiny peninsula off the southeastern coast of Belize where tourism is catching hold. As you travel the coastal roads, you will notice new development including high-priced homes and hotels. In between the development, is the small community of Seine Bight, a village aiming to grow as well, with a difference. Unlike the developed areas to the north and south of this village, the residents of Seine Bight are hoping to keep local ownership of the land.
Belize has been described as a country of contrast. The Central American nation is bordered by Mexico, Guatemala and the Caribbean Sea. To the tourist, it is a beautiful vacation getaway with sandy beaches, abundant marine life and various cultural attractions. But members of the Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP) have found much more beyond this tourist image
The Presbyterian Committee on the Self-Development of People (SDOP) approved grants in 2017 totaling $133,753 to fund six self-help projects in the United States and three in Belize. The national committee met recently to approve funding made possible through the One Great Hour of Sharing.
Presbyterian churches across the denomination will turn their attention to people and communities in need this spring. April 8 is Self-Development of People (SDOP) Sunday, an opportunity for congregations to focus on the work to help disadvantaged people and low-income community groups.
