The Evangelical Mission in Solidarity (EMS) is again investing more than 3 million euros in joint projects to improve the living conditions of many people around the world.

The community of EMS members has again approved a funding amount of EUR 3.04 million for the 2025 and 2026 funding period. This is the same amount as in previous years. The funds will go to projects for which individual EMS members were able to apply for in 2023 and which the EMS Mission Council approved in 2024.  Around half of the funds will be used for education and training. Just over a third (37%) will be used for diaconal projects, including poverty reduction. Ten percent will be invested in projects for justice, peace and the integrity of creation, and seven percent in projects to spread the Gospel.

In the coastal region of Labakkang (South Sulawesi/Indonesia), the “Algae Against Poverty” project is teaching farmers how to use the sea to cultivate algae. The raw material of the future is a renewable resource, binds large amounts of CO2 and can be used in a variety of ways: from superfoods to bioplastics. “By cultivating algae, the project participants not only improve their income situation, but also contribute to the preservation of creation and social coexistence. Because of its interreligious nature the project brings Muslims and Christians together through learning and working,” says Christine Grötzinger, who coordinates the international projects at the EMS office in Stuttgart.

With the support of the EMS community, the Church of North India (CNI) is setting up a healthcare network in villages in the Punjab region bordering Pakistan.

And in South Africa, a country with high youth unemployment, the Moravian Church in South Africa (MCSA), a member of the EMS, is setting up a nationwide youth ministry. The aim is to ensure that all young people in the country have reliable points of contact to help them with challenges related to work, health and identity.

A total of 47 projects will be funded. Ten percent of the funds will be used for additional small projects. The project work improves the living conditions of many people around the world. This is possible because, on the one hand, donors support the work of the EMS and, on the other hand, the members of the EMS work together as partners. They listen to each other. They help each other and combine their commitment to work together for peace, solidarity and good living conditions for as many people as possible. They share a common conviction: Together we are stronger than we are alone.

Information: Christine Grötzinger, Head of Unit Programmes and Projects, groetzinger@ems-online.org, Tel. +49 711 636 78 34