Posts by worldrelief
Change Rebuilds: Jerome’s Story
As we round the corner of 2020 toward the end of the year, we’re bringing you more made-for-change stories from across the World Relief community.
Today, World Relief Chicagoland’s Jerome Bizimana shares his story of rebuilding. He fled violence in his home country of the Congo and eventually resettled in Illinois. Jerome now works for World Relief, and his story reminds us that change rebuilds because we serve a God who is in the business of rebuilding.
We hope Jerome’s story excites and inspires you to join us as we come alongside others to rebuild.
Fleeing From Home
It was 1996 and the war had just broken out. The Democratic Republic of the Congo had always been my home. But this was a brutal, bloody war, and it was too dangerous to stay in the country, so my family and I fled. For the next 19 years, we lived in one Tanzanian refugee camp after another. When one camp closed, we packed up and moved to another. It wasn’t perfect, but it was a life away from the war.
One night in 2012, I was attacked by criminals at my home. Luckily, nearby police officers were able to save me from harm, but my assailants escaped. Before fleeing, they told me that they would kill me. They told me that they had to “terminate my life,” but never gave a reason why.
My heart was broken, and from that day forward, I lived in constant fear. I couldn’t sleep, and many nights I would go to bed wondering if I would wake safely in the morning.
My eyes are wet with tears as I write this. I do not usually talk about my past. I prefer to forget the thirty-one years of my life that I lived hopelessly. But I hope that sharing my story will help others by bringing awareness to the need for refugee resettlement support.
Had it not been for the support systems in place, my family and I never would have been given the opportunity to resettle in the United States as refugees. But thanks to the United Nations refugee services, we were given that chance in 2012. We arrived in the U.S in 2015 after three years of waiting.
But relocation was only the first step.
New Challenges
Life in the U.S. was more difficult than I expected it would be prior to my arrival. My family and I had lived a rural life in Africa. This means that we had never rented a house, paid a monthly bill or applied for medical benefits.
I was so confused, and I wondered if I was destined to be homeless. I wondered how I would survive. During sleep, I dreamed of someone breaking into our new apartment and killing us. The trauma from my 2012 attack was apparently still causing me great anxiety and pain, and that pain was now amplified in this new place.
And the culture was so new, too. During the week leading up to my first Fourth of July, I mistook the sounds of fireworks going off at night for bullets. It wasn’t until I was able to speak with my World Relief caseworker the following morning and hear her explanation that I was able to breathe a sigh of relief.
Building Something New
Over the next few years, with the help of the great staff at World Relief Chicagoland’s Aurora office, my family and I slowly built a new life here in the U.S. At first, we survived on less than twenty dollars a week. But thanks to the case managers and employment counselors at World Relief, my family and I continued to work and learn and acquire new skills.
After a while, I started to think about ways that I could give back. I felt so fortunate, and I wanted to help others that were in my situation. In the beginning, I volunteered at World Relief by providing transportation for new refugees who needed a way to get to their appointments. But I wanted to do even more, and so I kept this request in my everyday prayers.
Then one day, a World Relief AmeriCorps Lifeskills Coordinator who had heard about my daily prayer brought to my attention a job opening at World Relief. I first doubted to apply.
“But with my broken English, do you think I will get this position?” I asked.
But he encouraged me to give it a try anyway and leave the rest to God. So I prayed, and then I applied for the job.
A few weeks later, I was offered the position. I am now a Family Support Coordinator at the World Relief Chicagoland Aurora office.
I love working at World Relief because World Relief changes lives. When I do my job, I am helping God’s children. When my service brings a smile to someone’s face, I am happy.
Back in Africa, I lived a life without goals. But now I have many goals. I have hopes and dreams and plans for the future! I go to bed every night feeling safe, and I wake up in the morning without fear.
I never thought I would be living the life I live. But with the support of World Relief, my life has changed. I believe their services are crucial for helping refugees and other immigrants. This helps them build a prosperous life here in the U.S. Even a one-dollar donation to World Relief means a lot. That dollar will save the lives of countless families in need.
Sometimes I wonder what my life would be like if World Relief had not come to my aid. I still do not know the answer, but I do know that supporters of World Relief’s mission empower millions of families like mine. I have nothing to give that can show you how important your love and support is, but I so want to say thank you so much.
I keep each and every one of you in the World Relief family in prayers. Your hands have been helping to change our lives — the lives of vulnerable populations. Today, I pray that you join me in helping immigrants rebuild their lives in the U.S. and empower churches around the world to serve the most vulnerable.
Will you join us by giving today?
Jerome Bizimana is a Family Support Coordinator at World Relief Chicagoland. He was resettled in the U.S. in 2015 after leaving his home in the Congo. Jerome is now a dad of three children, and he loves to travel.
World Relief’s Efforts to Combat Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in Eastern DR Congo Recently Expanded with New Funding Received from the Trust Fund for Victims
December 4, 2020
CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
lauren.carl@pinkston.co
(703) 388-6734
BALTIMORE – World Relief has commenced a new partnership with the Trust Fund for Victims under the International Criminal Court to provide physical rehabilitation to survivors of sexual and gender-based violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo). This project aims to reach 300 women with direct assistance, and over 4,550 people with education and messaging, including family members, community leaders, local authorities and religious leaders. World Relief will work across twelve localities within North Kivu Province, an area rife with conflict and gross human rights violations. Since 2013, World Relief has been working with communities in Rutshuru Territory to spread awareness and education about the prevention of sexual and gender-based violence as well as care for survivors.
The DR Congo continues to be one of the world’s worst places to be a woman, according to many peace and security index ratings. In a 2018 survey by UN Women, 35,000 cases of sexual and gender-based violence were recorded in DR Congo in that year. World Relief believes this estimate is low and assumes that many cases of women’s and girl’s rights abuses go unreported. In light of the turbulence caused by the current COVID-19 pandemic, this number has likely skyrocketed in North Kivu where women are still the first victims of conflicts and domestic abuse, and cultural norms often relegate them to second-class citizenry.
“We are committed to fighting sexual and gender-based violence in all its forms by addressing root causes and building just communities that protect the rights and dignity of all women and girls. We are also committed to restoration of victims at the physical, emotional, relational, and spiritual level,” said Scott Arbeiter, president of World Relief. “We are especially grateful for this new partnership with the Trust Fund for Victims to help provide rehabilitation for survivors and education to local leaders.”
Sexual and gender-based violence includes war rape, domestic violence, child marriage, female genital mutilation, threats of violence to coerce and manipulate, all rooted in gender inequality, harmful cultural norms and the abuse of power in a predominately patriarchal society. The consequences of sexual and gender-based violence are far more devastating beyond any single (or multiple) incident and often lead to life-long repercussions for women. Many continue to experience physical, mental and emotional trauma long after the incident. The effects that follow include rejection out of her household, community stigmatization, pregnancy and especially for young girls whose rape has led to a pregnancy, vaginal fistulas (an open wound) that can often lead to incontinence, heaping more shame and feelings of worthlessness.
Little justice is offered to women in a country where these acts of violence have reached epidemic proportions; perpetrators are too often not held accountable, and if tried, many can bribe their way into impunity. In coordination with local grassroots establishments who hold much influence, World Relief and the church will work together to support women impacted by sexual and gender-based violence. Through two main objectives, the aim of this larger partnership is to successfully reintegrate them back into their families and communities by providing them with the necessary skills to thrive. This project seeks to:
- Provide physical rehabilitation to 300 women survivors and their children through individual counseling, Survivor Groups creation, building out a framework to train trauma care providers, training local leaders and volunteers on sexual and gender-based violence, as well as mobilizing them to educate their communities on sexual and gender-based violence sensitivity, care and prevention.
- Reach 37 survivors with physical medical rehabilitation through the treatment of fistulas via non-charge surgeries in partnership with a local woman’s hospital, and provide integration kits to these survivors to restart their livelihood activities.
World Relief and the Trust Fund for Victims have launched this project for an initial 12 months with plans to reassess a continued partnership in future years in North Kivu Province. Thanks to this funding, World Relief is able to expand its footprint deeper into other internal programming in Ituri Province by working with local churches to understand the relevance of gender equality and empowerment.
Heather Woodward, international director of finance and operations at World Relief, who has worked extensively on setting this project up between the TFV/ICC and World Relief, says, “World Relief is honored to participate in the mission of the Trust Fund for Victims ‘to support and implement programs that address harms resulting from genocide, crimes of humanity, war crimes and aggression by providing physical, psychological, and material support to victims and their families.’ By providing dignified care, seeking peace and restoration in communities through survivors groups and counseling, World Relief desires to show women and families who have been violated that they are worthy and loved by God, despite the injustices they have experienced. In partnership with the Trust Fund for Victims, World Relief will continue to champion gender equality and the rights of women and girls.”
For more information about World Relief and how you can help, visit https://worldrelief.org/.
To download a PDF version of this press release, click here.
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About World Relief
World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that brings sustainable solutions to the world’s greatest problems – disasters, extreme poverty, violence, oppression, and mass displacement. For over 75 years, we’ve partnered with churches and community leaders in the U.S. and abroad to bring hope, healing and transformation to the most vulnerable.
Learn more at worldrelief.org.
World Relief Remains Resilient in Fight Against HIV/AIDS
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
December 1, 2020
CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
lauren.carl@pinkston.co
(703) 388-6734
BALTIMORE – This World AIDS Day, World Relief renews its commitment to eradicate HIV/AIDS. At the end of 2019 there were an estimated 38 million people living with HIV, and HIV continues to be a major global health issue. This year’s theme is “Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic: Resilience and Impact.”
World Relief has worked in HIV/AIDS prevention and care for more than 25 years, starting in Malawi and Swaziland. In the years following the genocide in Rwanda, the HIV prevalence rate was estimated at 13% of the population. World Relief saw a critical need to work with the government, communities, and churches to raise awareness, create support groups, establish home care for people infected, and improve care for orphans. World Relief Rwanda’s HIV/AIDS programs reached over one million people during this critical period.
“Ending a global health crisis takes commitment and resilience from generation to generation,” said Scott Arbeiter, president of World Relief. “So much of what we do is educational – from preventative messaging to educating the person with the infection to guiding the local community who may have stigmas and misunderstanding about HIV/AIDS. World Relief provides full and complete information to youth about sex and HIV risk, enabling them to make better choices for their lives. While progress has been made, we remain at great risk of a resurgence beyond the current 38 million living with the disease.”
World Relief addresses the issue in partnership with the local churches through strengthening family relationships that enhance marital faithfulness and the value of women, advocating for testing and adherence to treatment, and encouraging family economic growth. World Relief especially focuses on East and Southern Africa, where as of 2019, 20.7 million people lived with HIV, making it the region most affected by HIV in the world. In 2020, as part of the President’s Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief’s (PEPFAR) Faith and Community Initiative, World Relief launched the new SCOPE HIV, in Malawi to address gender as both a driver and a barrier in reaching the last mile with HIV care and treatment, and preventing new HIV infections by reducing sexual and gender-based violence.
”HIV is still one of the leading causes of death in developing countries and is an issue that takes dedication and collaboration across organizations and communities,” said Tim Breene, CEO of World Relief. “According to the World Health Organization, 690,000 people died from HIV-related causes in 2019, and 1.7 million people were newly infected, largely due to gaps in HIV/AIDs service. This is roughly half as many deaths as the world experienced from COVID-19 in the first eleven months of 2020. HIV/AIDS is a huge crisis globally that has been going on year after year for decades, without a vaccine. This is why it is critical for organizations and nations to not give up on their efforts and to continue making HIV/AIDS a top priority.”
Research has shown that faith-based organizations have lowered the barriers of access to health services and have helped those infected not only get the treatment they need but maintain access to it.
To download a PDF version of this press release, click here.
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About World Relief
World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that brings sustainable solutions to the world’s greatest problems – disasters, extreme poverty, violence, oppression, and mass displacement. For over 75 years, we’ve partnered with churches and community leaders in the U.S. and abroad to bring hope, healing and transformation to the most vulnerable.
Learn more at worldrelief.org.
How Marie Holst is Making Change
As we approach the year-end season, we are giving thanks for everyone who partners with us at World Relief — people like Marie Holst, a member of our Changemakers community.
Marie has been partnering with World Relief for 36 years. Today, she shares why she loves being a member of the World Relief community and why she believes all of us are made for change.
How long have you been partnering with World Relief, and what first prompted you to make a gift?
I have been giving monthly to World Relief since 1984, which if my math skills serve me right, is 36 years. I had graduated from high school, found employment and began making a regular income. When I went off to college, I was looking for an organization worthy of donating a percentage of my income. I was impressed with World Relief because they spread God’s message of hope and love to the world through tangible life-giving means. World Relief does not just come in and preach to people. They clothe, feed and train them to have sustainable lives. Through that love, they can share the good news of Jesus.
By giving to World Relief, I felt that I was supporting the Great Commission when Jesus told his disciples to go and witness to people locally, regionally and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). I am not equipped to go as a missionary to the ends of the earth, but I can support those who do.
When you think about the impact your gifts have had, what are you most proud of?
To be honest, I’m most proud of how my gifts have had an impact on my own family. When I married my husband, Dave, I shared with him my views on giving. God loves a cheerful giver and blesses those who are faithful to Him in their charity (2 Corinthians 9:7). Now, with two children, we are able to be role models for them. Opening up our grip on finances and giving to God from the top of our income has an amazing way of freeing us from the unpleasantness of greed and worry. Our family is truly blessed in our attitudes regarding money.
Having said that, I am truly appreciative of World Relief and its efforts to change the world. I would not have continued giving to them for 36 years if they were not having a tangible impact all around the world today.
Why should someone consider partnering with World Relief today?
The world today is in such need. With natural disasters, poverty, famine, disease and war, the world needs relief and the good news of Jesus more than ever. World Relief takes a restorative approach to these issues, providing emergency resources when needed, but also taking long-term action to assist people to restore their lives. If you give a man a fish, he will be fed for a day. If you teach a man to fish, he will be fed for a lifetime. World Relief understands this and is in the business of teaching people how to build sustainable lives and supporting them with the resources they need to do it.
How have you seen faith or the Church change hearts in your community?
I can’t deny the most obvious is the Church’s response to the COVID-19 crisis. Across the board, I have seen fellow Christians stepping up to offer the hope that Jesus brings. Churches of all denominations have changed swiftly to be able to minister to people despite quarantines and social distancing. Many churches have implemented online services that will continue to reach people at home. I see God moving in this crisis to change His people, bring flexibility and expand the circle of people that He can reach.
There are a lot of people stepping up to support local organizations, such as food pantries. People are also jumping in and helping those in need, who may have lost their jobs due to COVID. I am amazed at how God’s people are stepping up to meet needs in these crazy times.
What does the phrase “we are made for change” mean to you?
I hear there are people who are invigorated by change. I personally prefer stability, things that are known and comfortable. However, I cannot stand injustice, poverty, hunger, hurting or lostness. These things break God’s heart, and so they break mine. If we are not the hands and feet of Christ on this earth, then who will be? The Church is the body of Christ. We are made to change the world for the better.
Is there anything else you’d like to share with our readers?
I just want you to know that World Relief did not prompt me or pay me to write any of this. I’m just an average person with an average life in the American Midwest and sharing my heart with you.
God is good. If He is calling you, take a step of faith. He will count your faith as righteousness (Romans 4:3, 5&9, Galatians 3:6 , James 2:22-24). Trust Him.
Join Marie and thousands of others like her in creating change that lasts by giving to World Relief. Your gift today ensures a better tomorrow for millions of people in the U.S. and across the globe.
Karyn Bryant has worked with donors and philanthropists to put love into action for causes they feel passionate about. She joined World Relief’s strategic partnership team in January 2020. When not working, you might find her cooking, floating on a river or spending time with her husband and two young children where they reside just outside Sacramento, California.
20 Reasons to Give Thanks in 2020
It’s Thanksgiving week. The time has come when we would normally gather with family and friends, celebrate the start of the holiday season and reflect on the things we’re grateful for. This year, those celebrations won’t be possible for many of us, and the practice of gratitude likely feels especially difficult. Many of us are simply yearning for an end to 2020. Yet it’s during times like these that it’s more important than ever to count our blessings and find joy and gratitude amidst the chaos. In doing so, you may find there’s still much to be thankful for in 2020.
We asked 20 of our staff and partners around the world to share just some of what they’re grateful for this year and how they’ve seen God’s faithfulness shine through in 2020. We hope their responses encourage you, as they have us.
What are you grateful for in 2020?
Cesalie Nicimpaye, Country Director, Burundi: I give thanks that God has been so faithful during the uncertain days of COVID-19, followed by the Burundian presidential election and the death of our president. Our strength in the Lord was renewed and we were able to lean on his promises. God spoke to us in different ways and kept us safe.
Jamie Berry, Foundations Manager, Cascade, CO: 2020 was a year of refining. It was so hard on so many levels, but when things were dark, hard and hopeless, we saw God show up the most in brilliant ways. We remember those moments of joy and faithfulness because they stand out so bright in such dark times.
James Misner, SVP of Partnerships, Baltimore, MD: God moved us further apart than ever before (physically), only to make us closer than we could have envisioned. He provided for us when we thought there was not a way, and gave us hope, energy and inspiration to keep going. For that, I will forever be thankful.
Elias Kamau, Country Director, Kenya: We are so grateful and so encouraged by the faithfulness of God! In 2020, we doubled our country programming and launched a new Church Empowerment Zone.
Charles Franzén, Baltimore, MD: I’m grateful that our humanitarian country programs remain strong and even expanding with steadfast country leadership. We are convicted that although times are now tough, God is in control and will show the way so that we continue to serve those in greatest need wherever we work.
CityWell Church, Church Partner, Durham, NC: We are so grateful to be in partnership with World Relief Durham and for the important work they do in our community and for each one of God’s children. Through our partnership [in 2020], we’ve been able to offer meals and financial assistance to families, even in the midst of this global pandemic.
Moses Ndahiro, Country Director, Rwanda: Looking back at 2020, one thing that comes to mind is God’s faithfulness. It has been a difficult season, but God provided not only the financial resources we needed to serve the most vulnerable but he also protected our staff. No one up to now has died because of COVID-19 or accidents.
Bethany Seremet, Director of Partnership Engagement, Baltimore, MD: I saw the Holy Spirit dump buckets of color and creativity on the old ways of thinking and doing and beautifully declare – See, I am doing a new thing!
Adula Gemta, Country Director, Sudan: I am thankful that we were given the opportunity to bring hope to the hopeless and demonstrate Christ’s love across Sudan in 2020.
Nathan Riedy, Director of U.S. Programs Fundraising, York, PA: I’m grateful that in 2020 God made sure that World Relief would continue to be a light for refugees and immigrants in the U.S., despite almost every force working against it.
Ric Hamic, Former Country Director, South Sudan: I am so thankful for our incredible staff in 2020, many who sacrificed their leaves to continue providing lifesaving services and to scale up for COVID-19 in an incredibly difficult environment.
Jeff Walser, Director of Partnerships, Tampa, FL: The world was shaken and we were left with what cannot be shaken. Our faithful God worked in mysterious ways. Through shadows and uncertainty, He was faithful and creative. And he dazzled us with his bright designs.
Karyn Bryant, Changemakers Lead, Sacramento, CA: In 2020, many of us finally woke up in a new way to the injustices and vulnerabilities of both ourselves and our world. It was needed, and for that I am grateful.
Jean Nyandwi, Country Director, DRC: Despite the challenges of COVID-19, I’m so grateful that in 2020 we were able to bring God’s love to a new group of socially outcast members of society, the Pygmies, in the remote villages of Ituri, Tanganyika, and North Kivu Provinces.
Selina Máté, Volunteer, Durham, NC: I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to watch [my mentee] graduate high school, begin her first job and start college this year. It’s been nothing but a blessing, and I am so thankful to have spent the last year mentoring her while she begins to navigate adult life.
Tim Breene, CEO, Boston, MA: I’m thankful that the last year has shown us once again the wisdom of placing our trust in God; it has shown us that disruption can be a spur to creativity and that God’s solutions are often different and bigger than anything we could put in a business plan.
Gibson Nkanaunena, Country Director, Malawi: We celebrate and give thanks that through faith, courage, persistence and resilience, we were able to serve over 1.9 million most vulnerable people across 13 districts of Malawi in the midst of an unprecedented and deadly COVID 19 pandemic.
Bryan Wilkerson, Church Partner, Lexington MA: My congregation and I are so grateful that through World Relief, we’ve been able to be the hands and feet of Jesus in the world, serving the most vulnerable.
Lance Morgan, Donor, Waukesha, WI: I am so thankful that even in a year of so much upheaval, I have been able to use my gifts and my resources to bless other people. I just feel so humbled that God would use me to help and bless others, and I’m thankful for that.
Heidi Guttschuss, Education Manager, Sacramento, CA: I’m especially grateful for the incredibly creative staff I work with at World Relief, coworkers who are encouraging and keep coming up with new ideas to help us all thrive, and supportive leaders who do an amazing job guiding us through unknown territory
Francesca Albano currently serves as Director of Branded Content at World Relief. With a background in Cultural Anthropology and a graduate degree in Strategic Marketing Communications, she connects her interests in societal studies and global cultures with her training in brand strategy and storytelling. Francesca is especially passionate about grassroots community development and the treatment and advancement of women and girls around the world.
Made for Change Gift Guide
At World Relief, we believe that every single one of us is made for change — both in our own lives and in communities across the globe. This holiday season, we’ve created a list of companies and products that embody our commitment to change in our Made for Change Gift Guide.
Each of these companies is committed to serving those in vulnerable situations by partnering with World Relief. When you purchase a gift from this gift guide, you’ll not only support the work of World Relief, but you’ll be investing in small businesses across the U.S as well.
So what are you waiting for? Shop the gift guide, and create the change you know you were made for.
prettyinside.
For the woman (or man!) in your life that wants their outside to shine as brightly as their inside, pick up a few face masks from Musee Bath’s newest line, prettyinside.
Prettyinside is built on the belief that all women are beautiful, that they are created in the image of God and that beauty is more than skin deep. Empower the women in your life to take a look in the mirror and channel their inner strength, courage and beauty. All prettyinside products are sourced with the best plant-based ingredients for your skin. The packaging is 100% recyclable, and a portion of all sales go to support refugee women through the work of World Relief.
“World Relief is one of the foremost organizations addressing the needs [of refugees], and because this is a beauty brand and it’s targeted to women, I wanted to work with somebody that worked a lot with women and children. We are incredibly excited to be partnering with World Relief are so thankful for the work they do that makes a difference in the lives of so many women around the world.” – Leisha Pickering, founder
Pen + Pillar
For the writer and kind-hearted giver in your life, shop owners Taylor and Justin have created a series of notebooks, greeting cards and art prints that your loved one is sure to enjoy. Each gift is inspired by Taylor and Justin’s love of nature, travel, community and warmth. A portion of each purchase goes to support World Relief!
InSenseUSA
For the people in your life who need to indulge in a little self-care, InSenseUSA is your go-to shop. This collection of candles, soaps and bath bombs are all handcrafted with love in Wheaton, Illinois.
Shopowner Al Alsaadi and his parents fled their home in Iraq several years ago and were eventually resettled in the U.S. They got connected with World Relief, and with hard work and a resilient spirit, they rebuilt their live in the Chicago suburbs. Al is now a design engineer, part-time college professor and small business owner. He’s excited to give back to World Relief because of how much he feels World Relief has given to him.
“I am excited to give to World Relief simply because I wouldn’t be here, and I would not succeed in my life without World Relief. From the first day I came to the States up until to this moment — of having my own small business — Word Relief is on my side helping me. We are in this life to change someone’s life. We might be planning on doing it or not, but if we stop for a minute and think through it, we might have changed someone’s life just by smiling and saying good morning.” -Al Alsaadi
When You Can’t Go Home
This beautiful book is perfect for the avid reader and art lover in your life. Seattle-based artist Karisa Keasey spent two years interviewing refugees and painting portraits to accompany their stories. She combined the artwork and stories in this stunning book you can purchase on her website. 50% of the profits will be donated to World Relief.
“These are tough times right now and we are all in need of healing. Healing happens in community, and community happens by pouring into others. World Relief embodies this community and knows what it is like to walk alongside some of the most vulnerable.” – Karisa Keasey
Refugee Bath Co.
Love. Energy. Nourish. Soothe. These are just a few of the words used to describe the bath bombs from Refugee Bath Co. whose mission is to provide opportunities for refugees in Washington to thrive.
Give the gift of fun and indulgence to a special friend or family member in your life, and why not throw an extra bath bomb set in the cart for yourself? When you enjoy these products, you make a difference in the lives of refugee women and men in the United States, as a portion of their profits are donated to refugee support services.
Hawa Images
Not sure what to get your parents or grandparents? How about a family photoshoot? Mark a special moment in your life with a photo package from Illinois-based photography studio, Hawa Images. Studio owner Roxanne Engstrom believes in the power of story to inspire people to empathy and action and donates a portion of her proceeds to World Relief. Roxanne is now booking for 2021.
“I believe welcome is part of who God intends His people to be and partnering with World Relief continues to expand my view of the world and our interconnectedness with one another. We are made to be molded and changed by God and one another. I see a clearer and fuller picture of the kingdom of God from my friends who have been on the immigrant and refugee journey, and I am so thankful to learn from and with them. “
– Roxanne Engstrom
The Path Membership
Give the gift that keeps on giving. For the person in your life who is passionate about advocacy, justice and fighting back against poverty, violence and oppression, gift a membership to The Path — World Relief’s monthly giving community.
The Path community is committed to advocating for people in vulnerable situations and doing whatever it takes to see our world transformed. Through their gifts each month, Pathmakers create welcoming communities and provide vital services for refugees and other immigrants; they reduce early marriages and support women’s empowerment initiatives across the globe; they build resilience and create lasting change in communities around the world, and so much more.
Gift The Path and spread the gift of lasting change.
Amazon Smile
Did you know your Amazon purchases can support World Relief? They can through Amazon Smile! Every time an Amazon Smile customer makes a purchase, 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases will be donated to a charity of your choice.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for from one of the amazing businesses in this gift guide, or if you’re already shopping on Amazon, then follow the steps below to shop on Amazon Smile and Amazon will donate to World Relief on your behalf:
Visit smile.amazon.com and sign in to/register for your account
Type World Relief Corp. of National Association of Evangelicals as your selected charity
As you shop, be sure you’re using smile.amazon.com to make purchases (the same products are available on smile.amazon.com as on amazon.com or the mobile app).
Rachel Clair serves as a Content Writer at World Relief. With a background in creative writing and children’s ministry, she is passionate about helping people of all ages think creatively and love God with their hearts, souls and minds.
World Relief Reaches Nearly 700,000 People with COVID-19 Preventative Messaging and Assistance
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
November 9, 2020
CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
lauren.carl@pinkston.co
(703) 388-6734
BALTIMORE – To date, World Relief has reached nearly 700,00 people with messaging by staff and volunteers on preventative messaging, medical assistance and education in Haiti, Cambodia and across Africa in countries such as Burundi, DR Congo, Kenya, Malawi, Rwanda, South Sudan and Sudan to help combat the pandemic. Additionally, over 11 million have been reached by World Relief through radio and mass messaging campaigns. World Relief recognizes the devastating loss of 1 million lives to COVID-19 over the past nine months and its disproportionate effect on poor and marginalized populations.
According to the United Nations, there are nearly 80 million people globally who have been forcibly displaced, and COVID-19 has only made their existing challenges more severe. Country borders have closed to travel, many countries lack basic health equipment or expertise to deal with existing medical challenges and most refugee camps are ill-equipped to handle the evolving medical needs caused by a global pandemic. Global hunger has been significantly exacerbated by the economic impacts of efforts to contain the pandemic. Nearly 700 million people in the world are chronically hungry, and right now, coronavirus is endangering another 132 million.
“The pandemic has inevitably impacted all of us in some way. We grieve with those who have sacrificed plans, lost loved ones, been isolated from their families, struggled financially due to economic shutdowns and job losses, or lacked access to essential healthcare. It is rare when the whole world suffers united from a single tragedy,” said Scott Arbeiter, president of World Relief. “But we have to acknowledge the ways in which this health crisis disproportionately impacts the most vulnerable among us. They are at the greatest risk of increased hunger, poverty and violence as a result of the social and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.”
World Relief’s international teams mobilized to increase education with awareness campaigns and training sessions and address issues caused by the pandemic, such as food insecurity, domestic violence and lack of access to healthcare. During the month of September alone, World Relief’s teams have served an estimated minimum of 106,320 beneficiaries with various COVID-19 interventions. World Relief COVID-19 project staff have conducted training for health facility staff and supervision visits to isolation and treatment centers.
“Despite closures and restrictions, continuing our international development activities has been essential as the pandemic has evolved,” said Myal Greene, SVP of International Programs at World Relief. “The need is immense – and it’s sure to continue growing due to the impact of the pandemic on the developing world. We are continuing to reach the most vulnerable households with health education, food support and access to tools that protect their health, like COVID-19 kits, thermometers, disinfectant, soap and masks.”
“This has undoubtedly been a year of great change. We’ve had a longstanding history of embracing change, and I believe we can lessen the impact and bring hope to many thousands of the most vulnerable by responding to the opportunities that often come with disruption,” said Scott Arbeiter, president of World Relief.
World Relief has been serving the vulnerable for the last 75 years, across 100 countries. To learn more about World Relief’s work to create sustainable change for the most vulnerable or donate to their mission, please visit worldrelief.org.
To download a PDF version of this press release, click here.
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About World Relief:
World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that seeks to overcome violence, poverty and injustice. Through love in action, we bring hope, healing and restoration to millions of the world’s most vulnerable women, men and children through vital and sustainable programs in disaster response, health and child development, economic development and peacebuilding, as well as refugee and immigration services in the U.S. For 75 years, we’ve partnered with churches and communities, currently across more than 20 countries, to provide relief from suffering and help people rebuild their lives.
Learn more at worldrelief.org.
World Relief Affirms Need to Pray For and Work With the President-Elect Biden on Key Humanitarian Issues Following Election
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
November 7, 2020
CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
lauren.carl@pinkston.co
(703) 388-6734
BALTIMORE – Following President-elect Joe Biden’s acceptance speech, World Relief President Scott Arbeiter and CEO Tim Breene issued the following response:
“For over 75 years, World Relief has worked with both Republican and Democratic administrations and with people of all political affiliations as we seek to catalyze churches and communities in service to the most vulnerable, both in the U.S. and around the world. World Relief has had the unique privilege to partner with churches to help alleviate poverty, respond to natural disasters, combat violence and oppression and resettle and rebuild the lives of more than 300,000 refugees over the past 40 years. Though leaders change, we remain committed to work with the president in our mission to serve those Jesus called the least of these.
“We recognize the growing need to continue to partner with the U.S. government to respond to urgent humanitarian crises around us, including to COVID-19, extreme food insecurity, gender-based violence, and natural disasters. We urge President-elect Biden to uphold his campaign promise to pursue comprehensive immigration reform within his first 100 days in office and to reverse current immigration and refugee policies that put vulnerable individuals in danger, especially the travel ban and the historically-low refugee ceiling. We also call on the president-elect to make good on his public pledge last week to work with leaders in the faith community to ensure the flourishing of all people and the pursuit of justice, peace and equality. We charge American churches to ready themselves to welcome refugees and immigrants in vulnerable situations, and we look forward to mobilizing more churches to welcome the foreign-born, promote peace and alleviate poverty around the world under this administration.
“The election results underscore what most Americans have felt over the past several years: that our country is deeply divided. We believe that our elected officials have a responsibility for helping to heal those divides, but so does each citizen. As a Christian organization, we particularly believe that local churches have an integral role to play in healing, a role we have seen churches lead in countries such as Kenya that have gone through bitterly divisive and even violent election seasons. As World Relief CEO Tim Breene writes in a recent reflection, Blessed are the Peacemakers, ‘Whatever our political and doctrinal preferences, we are called to be people of peace, and to love one another… It is not too late for church leaders to remind their congregations that we are all made in the image of God. And that ultimately, we will come before the throne of the Lamb together in peace, as …a great multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language, worshiping in adoration to our God.’”
To download a PDF version of this press release, click here.
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About World Relief
World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that brings sustainable solutions to the world’s greatest problems – disasters, extreme poverty, violence, oppression, and mass displacement. For over 75 years, we’ve partnered with churches and community leaders in the U.S. and abroad to bring hope, healing and transformation to the most vulnerable. Learn more at worldrelief.org.
Blessed are the Peacemakers
Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the sons and daughters of God. — Matthew 5:9
A Contested Election
On New Year’s Day in 2008, my wife and I arrived in Nairobi and witnessed up close the horrific aftermath of a disputed election result between the incumbent President Mwai Kibaki and his opponent, Raila Odinga. Within minutes of the announcement of Kibaki’s victory, violent protests broke out in the street, alleging Kibaki had “stolen” the election.
Police moved to quash the unrest, but the violence quickly escalated along tribal lines. As many as 1,400 people died in less than two months, and an additional 600,000 people were displaced from their homes, as Kenya slipped dangerously close to outright civil war. The church in Kenya remained silent.
Determined not to see a repetition of such violence again, local World Relief staff and other community leaders from around Kenya committed to work on peace and reconciliation in the run-up to the next election in 2011.
Together with my wife, Michele, who grew up in Kenya, I joined them as we worked with pastors in the Kibera slums of Nairobi and in the White Mountains, north of the city where some of the most horrific violence had taken place. Our purpose was clear: To call them to the central truth that all people are made in the image of God and that as believers, our identity in Christ comes first, before either national identity and tribal identity.
Evil Has Left The Room
Our time with these pastors was a powerful lesson for me of the importance and power of both personal and community reconciliation. We were there to catalyze healing across tribal boundaries, but we quickly found ourselves drawn into the circle of repentance and forgiveness ourselves, rather than simply facilitating the healing of wounds.
In the White Mountains, as pastors and local leaders explored the enmity and distrust between them, the legacy of Kenya’s colonial history and the missteps of the colonial transition were too obvious to ignore. As one leader after another repented for the actions of his tribe and asked for and received forgiveness, my wife and I were drawn into the circle to ask for and receive forgiveness for what we, both Brits, had done to this beautiful country and its people.
As we knelt in prayer listening to one another’s confessions and the granting of forgiveness, the total stillness of the place was suddenly broken by a gale force gust of wind crashing doors and windows open. After a few seconds, everything was still again. Then one pastor spoke, “Evil has left this room.”
Repentance and Returning
Many of us in the U.S. today struggle with why we should repent for what was done generations before we were born; many of us struggle with repenting for injustice that we are not directly and personally inflicting upon another person or group of people, despite the fact that this was modeled for us in the Bible by both Nehemiah and Daniel.
Perhaps our attitude is one of denial – a wishful blindness to the realities of another person’s life; perhaps it is a lack of curiosity – the implicit assumption that there really is equal opportunity for all, and if somebody is struggling, it’s because of some flaw in their character.
Perhaps it is a sense that “this is not mine to fix.” Perhaps it’s because we are just too consumed with the concerns of our own lives in a world that seems increasingly chaotic, or that we have never really understood or experienced the divine flow of love that calls us to love one another as God has loved us.
For healing and progress, we must first submit to repentance and forgiveness through honest self-evaluation. The Hebrew word that we associate with repentance — “teshuvah” — is more accurately translated as “returning.” We are called to return to our true selves as God made us and see in others the same image of God that is reflected in our own being. But repentance is incomplete without a commitment to repair.
Repentance is a movement of the heart and is an essential part of healing, but it must be accompanied by changes to systems that, whether intentionally or unintentionally, too often exclude those on the margins of our society.
Sadly, too many of us have failed people of color, women, the unborn, children and others, both in our communities and corporately as a nation. We have not protected immigrants, refugees or the poor. We have not treated with dignity those who hold different opinions. We have not always used our faith as an example, a light shining in the darkness.
Commitment to Love
Today, our society is more divided than ever before as we enter this election week nervous about what might happen, but beneath our concerns I am sure most of us hold on to the belief that the kind of violence we saw in Kenya could never happen here. Most Kenyans thought the same.
Sadly, we live in a time when the moral foundations of our society are seen as under assault – whichever side of the political divide you fall on. In the heated rhetoric of the day, the conditions for an escalation in violence lie just beneath the surface.
Whatever our political and doctrinal preferences, we are called to be people of peace, and to love one another. As Jesus taught in Matthew 22, the greatest commandment is to “love God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind … and to love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”
It is not too late for church leaders to remind their congregations that we are all made in the image of God. And that ultimately, we will come before the throne of the Lamb together in peace, as described in Revelation 7:9. A great multitude from every nation, tribe, people and language, worshiping in adoration to our God.
Tim Breene served on the World Relief Board from 2010 to 2015 before assuming the role of CEO from 2016-2020. Tim’s business career has spanned nearly 40 years with organizations like McKinsey, and Accenture where he was the Corporate Development Officer and Founder and Chief Executive of Accenture Interactive. Tim is the co-author of Jumping the S-Curve, published by Harvard Publishing. Tim and his wife Michele, a longtime supporter of World Relief, have a wealth of experience working with Christian leaders in the United States and around the world.
World Relief Laments Trump Administration Signing Lowest Presidential Determination on Refugee Admissions in American History
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
October 29, 2020
CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
lauren.carl@pinkston.co
(703) 388-6734
BALTIMORE – On October 27th, President Trump signed the Presidential Determination (PD) on refugee admissions, setting the refugee ceiling for FY2021 at 15,000, the lowest in U.S. history. Currently, there are approximately 80 million people forcibly displaced around the world, and due to COVID-19 and natural disasters, many of those displaced are facing greater hardships and difficulties. World Relief urges the United States to lead by example to offer refuge to those who have nowhere else to go and restore the refugee ceiling to the historical norm of 95,000.
“The issuance of the lowest refugee ceiling in history is further evidence of the administration’s lack of compassion toward vulnerable refugees and immigrants who are displaced due to conflict and persecution and facing even more dire circumstances due to COVID-19,” said World Relief President Scott Arbeiter. “Despite this administration’s clear promises to protect persecuted Christians, the actual resettlement of Christian refugees from countries known for persecution drop about 90% in some cases over the last four years. We have abandoned our moral responsibility to honor our word and help the vulnerable.”
The Presidential Determination states that 6,000 previously unused spots from FY2020 were incorporated into the FY2021 ceiling of 15,000, which is an unprecedented position by the State Department. In addition, the new categories created for refugee admissions will further limit those who are eligible to be resettled through the program, including large numbers of Congolese refugees, unaccompanied minors and others. This position is an abdication of the leadership the United States has traditionally shown in times of humanitarian crises. While resettlement was paused for a time due to COVID-19 this year, the intensive national security and medical processes all refugees undergo mean that the program can and should be expanded to save lives.
“We urge President Trump to hear the cries of Americans advocating for vulnerable lives and those desperately in need around the world,” commented Tim Breene, World Relief CEO. “This decision by the administration does not represent the values that America was founded on – like human liberty, religious freedom and equality that should extend to those facing persecution abroad. If our nation promises to be a country under God, then we must help our hurting neighbors and allow more refugees to resettle in the United States.”
Join World Relief in urging Congress and the president to reconsider and set a FY2021 refugee resettlement target at 95,000 by visiting https://worldrelief.org/advocate/.
To download a PDF version of this press release, click here.
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About World Relief:
World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that seeks to overcome violence, poverty and injustice. Through love in action, we bring hope, healing and restoration to millions of the world’s most vulnerable women, men and children through vital and sustainable programs in disaster response, health and child development, economic development and peacebuilding, as well as refugee and immigration services in the U.S. For over 75 years, we’ve partnered with churches and communities, currently across more than 20 countries, to provide relief from suffering and help people rebuild their lives.
Learn more at worldrelief.org.
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