Posts by worldrelief
Here to Stay
A little over a week ago, we received some very sad news. Texas Governor Greg Abbott sent a letter to the federal government announcing that he would halt all future refugee resettlement to the state of Texas – an authority given to states in a recent executive order.
That decision has been a huge disappointment to the hundreds of people seeking refuge in our country.
Texas has historically been a leader in welcoming refugees to the United States, resettling over 60,000 in the last decade, more than any other single state. As a Texan, I know that these resilient women, men and children have become an integral part of the Lone Star State, contributing significantly to our state’s economic growth and becoming beloved parts of our churches, schools and communities.
In his letter, Governor Abbott implied that refugees are a burden. Our forty years of experience working with refugees in Texas has proven that, far from that, they are a blessing to the communities that welcome them.
Many of these refugees-turned-Texans have loved ones abroad who are waiting for approval to resettle in the U.S. World Relief has been reuniting families like these who have been torn apart by violence and oppression for decades. The moment a father sees his children for the first time in several years is a moment that leaves you speechless. It is a moment that illustrates so much of our call as Christians to welcome the stranger. That moment should not be banned in Texas.
Similarly, thousands of the refugees welcomed in Texas over the past decade have been persecuted Christians — families who have fled their homes simply because of the very faith we share with them. At World Relief, we’ve had the privilege of joining with local churches to welcome these brothers and sisters in Christ, trusting Jesus’ words in Matthew 25, that in doing so, we are actually welcoming Him.
Over the past week, we have received calls from volunteers, donors, concerned Texans and churches who love and welcome refugees as part of their core ministry. They’ve asked us what this means for the refugees and immigrants they love and for our office.
We have one answer: Refugees and other vulnerable immigrants are here to stay, and so are we. God has called us to welcome and serve the most vulnerable, and so we continue.
Like you, we are deeply saddened when our leaders choose to turn away from the most vulnerable among us. Nevertheless, we are determined to continue helping you answer God’s call. Immigrants will continue to come to Texas. Thousands of refugees are already part of our communities, and they still need us.
At World Relief, your donations will provide refugees and other vulnerable immigrants with the vital services they need to start their new life. Your voice will help us continue to build welcoming communities in Texas. Your volunteer hours and our church partners will continue to bring people together to create lasting change in the lives of refugees and immigrants.
We celebrated last week when the Federal Court System issued an injunction against the Executive Order that allowed Governor Abbott to restrict the Church’s ability to welcome refugees. That ruling, however, isn’t permanent. While we know the future can seem uncertain, we will not ignore our calling. Together, we will stand with the vulnerable in Texas no matter what.
Troy Greisen is the director of World Relief Fort Worth.
An Extraordinary Yes
Extraordinary. It’s not a word many of us use often. We reserve it for people, times and places that are so exquisite, so set apart, that no other descriptor can carry their weight. As people, there’s nothing we love more than an extraordinary story. Ordinary people who rise up to become champions, superheroes or world leaders. Stories of strength, courage, hope and perseverance. Stories that allow us to dream about the possibilities of the seemingly impossible. Television, theater and books are full of these stories. But what does extraordinary look like in real life? And is it only reserved for the special few; the born-to-be-leaders, the trailblazers, the uniquely gifted?
Perhaps nowhere are these questions better answered than in Bugesera, Rwanda, where a small group of ordinary people are leading extraordinary lives, and where the power of their ‘Yes’ is transforming their community.
Four years ago, 25 men and women in Bugesera said ‘Yes’ to becoming outreach volunteers as part of World Relief’s new Outreach Group Initiative. Their mission? To take messages they’d learned at church out to the most vulnerable families in their community by visiting 10 households a week with scripturally based lessons on health, nutrition, savings and more. These selfless men and women dedicated their time to visiting suffering community members and broken families with messages of love, healing and hope. Little did they know that their example would transform the way World Relief works across much of Sub-Saharan Africa and Haiti, and pave the way for our programmatic impact to multiply in ways we never dreamed possible.
Today, the power and potential of our Outreach Group Initiative is unlike anything we’ve seen in nearly 75 years of our work around the world. Reaching hundreds of thousands of people across five countries, their impact is unmatched and their sustainability incomparable. Through mass mobilization, Outreach Groups have become inexpensive, self-sustaining vehicles for transformation, galvanizing a multiplication effect that costs just US $40–50 per life transformed.
In 2018 alone, we saw our outreach volunteer force increase by thousands, catalyzing holistic transformation across entire villages. What makes these groups, and these people, truly extraordinary is that they are not highly specialized social workers or health professionals—they are simply people saying ‘Yes’ to God and reaching out in love to their neighbors. Because of their faith in Christ, they commit their lives daily to a love, patience and perseverance that astounds and transforms. They say ‘Yes’ to acting as teachers, but more importantly, as friends, entering into a deep relational commitment with the lonely, most vulnerable and least loved in their communities. They don’t do this for a paycheck or for reputation, but because of their conviction and deep sense of calling. For some, they do it because they themselves were transformed by an outreach volunteer and because they know it’s through love and in relationship that lives are saved.
Outreach volunteers are ordinary people, doing extraordinary things in the name of Jesus.
Over the last few years, we have seen church volunteers say ‘Yes’ to walking hours each week to come alongside families as they repair broken relationships. We have seen beneficiaries say ‘Yes’ to opening their homes and hearts to church volunteers as they witness change in the lives of their friends and neighbors, and yearn to experience that same transformation. We have seen churches say ‘Yes’ to joining together in unity to expand their ministry of volunteers, reclaiming their roles as true agents of change and engaging with their communities in ways they’ve never done before. And in response to their faith, we have seen God move in extraordinary ways.
In Bugesera, Rwanda, 84% of households reported they had made changes in their spousal relationships as a result of the church volunteer visits, 96% reported changes in their relationships with their children, 91% purchased health insurance, 90% planted kitchen gardens to improve nutrition, and 100% adopted regular (4x weekly) washing and bathing practices for their children. Extraordinary, indeed.
Extraordinary stories begin with ordinary people like these Outreach Group volunteers in Bugesera. As we move into a new year, we’re taking our cue from them because they’re exactly the type of people we aim to be — ordinary people doing extraordinary things in the name of Jesus.
Extraordinary stories begin with a leap of faith, a journey into the unknown, a deep resolve and quiet courage. They begin when we open ourselves up to God’s leading and ask him to reveal a path. They begin with a small next step, and they begin with ‘Yes.’
What will your extraordinary yes be in 2020?
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.
World Relief Grieves TX Gov. Greg Abbott’s Halt on Refugee Resettlement in Texas in FY2020
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
January 10, 2020
CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
Lauren.carl@pinkston.co
703-388-6734
World Relief Grieves TX Gov. Greg Abbott’s Halt on Refugee Resettlement in Texas in FY2020
BALTIMORE – Today, Governor Greg Abbott of Texas officially withheld his consent to resettle refugees in Texas in FY2020. Unlike previous years, the refugee ceiling for FY2020 was announced at the end of September paired with an executive order requiring both state and local authorities to consent to resettle refugees in their jurisdictions. Consenting to resettle refugees does not guarantee that refugees will be resettled in those areas; rather, it allows families and individuals to be resettled there upon arrival into the U.S.
“We are disappointed that Governor Abbott has chosen to close the state’s doors to refugees in 2020,” commented World Relief Fort Worth Director Troy Greisen. “We have seen time and again the amazing contributions that refugees make in our neighborhoods, congregations and the local economy. We grieve the families with members already resettled in Texas that will have to wait even longer to be reunited, and we grieve even more for the loss our communities will experience without their new members.”
World Relief and the Evangelical Immigration Table sent letters to 15 governors from 2,669 evangelical leaders asking they provide consent to refugee resettlement. The letter sent to Governor Abbott included over 340 signatures from Texas evangelicals.
“This action by Governor Abbott is out of step with other governors around the country, including 19 Republican governors, who have said they welcome refugees to their state,” said World Relief President Scott Arbeiter. “It’s out of step with our heritage as Americans. And most importantly, it’s out of step with our Christian prerogative to care for those in need and the stranger. We have been grateful for the leadership Texas has historically shown as a welcoming community and are deeply saddened that they are now choosing to abdicate that role, instead closing their door to refugees altogether. We urge the remaining eight governors who have not yet issued their consent to resettle refugees to consider doing so quickly.”
To date, 42 governors have issued their consent to resettle refugees in their states, and 86 local officials have similarly requested refugees in FY2020. The remaining governors and local entities have until January 21st to provide consent, at which time resettlement agencies must submit funding requests to the State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration for FY2020.
For more information about how you can help, World Relief’s refugee resettlement work and other projects, visit worldrelief.org.
Download the PDF version of this press release.
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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.
Love Grows Greater
“The world is indeed full of peril, and in it there are many dark places. But there is still much that is fair. And though in all lands, love is now mingled with grief, it still grows, perhaps the greater.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring
The world is indeed full of peril, and there are many dark places within it. We find this to be true every time we turn on the news. Stories of displaced people, violence and natural disasters pepper our screens in a staggering display of devastation and loss.
Ebola has, once again, threatened the health of thousands throughout the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Last spring, Cyclone Idai wreaked havoc across Malawi, and in the fall, Hurricane Dorian killed thousands more in the Bahamas. Ongoing conflict in South Sudan has forced millions to seek protection in camps encircled by barbed wire, with little hope of returning home. Yemen has become the world’s worst humanitarian crisis according to the U.N., with three-quarters of the population requiring basic assistance and protection. Renewed fighting in Syria has left 140,000 men, women and children displaced, and hundreds of thousands of the Rohingya people have fled violence in Myanmar to nearby Bangladesh, where they are still living in tent cities under leaking tarps and battling rampant disease.
The magnitude of this darkness, pain and loss can feel overwhelming. We weep at the suffering, injustice and pain felt by so many — the hatred, dehumanization and abuses of power that keep so many from achieving their God-given potential. We lament recent developments within our own country that have made it harder for those seeking refuge to find it.
Yet, we still have hope because there is still so much to hope for. One of the many miracles of this life is that what seem to be mutually exclusive states of being, actually mingle together to create an intricate web of human experience: joy and sorrow, light and darkness, hope and despair. Out of the greatest tragedies rise stories of love that defy all hatred. Despite all odds, hope still flourishes and love endures.
Together, we are bringing the love of Christ to suffering families around the world. We are witnessing love grow greater through the joy and hope provided by the thousands of World Relief partners, local church leaders and volunteers giving of themselves every single day.
Love is growing greater in South Sudan as tens of thousands of displaced children receive medical care, education and relief from malnutrition.
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, volunteer trainings on health and hygiene are helping prevent the spread of disease in areas affected by Ebola.
In Turkana, Kenya, where one of the most hostile climates in the world exposes people to repeated droughts and famine, lessons in raising drought-resistant livestock and crops are enabling families to break the cycle of poverty and dependence in their community.
In Yemen, where millions of people are at risk of illness and disease due to ongoing conflict, thousands of vulnerable families are receiving lifesaving emergency provisions of clean drinking water and learning about cholera prevention and treatment, sanitation and hygiene promotion.
In Malawi, 650 families received livestock and farming materials and are now rebuilding their farms after Cyclone Idai’s devastation.
And in the United States, God’s people are fighting back against the rising tide of fear and division in our nation, building welcoming communities of love and refuge where vulnerable immigrants can begin rebuilding their lives and homes.
Love grows greater when we respond to God’s leading. It grows greater when we share stories of faith, endurance and sacrifice and stories of God doing impossible things. For every story of darkness we hear, a story of faith, hope and love springs up beside it. This is God’s tender mercy at work — His light dispelling the darkness. In the midst of disasters, injustice and conflict, “these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
A Season of Lasting Change
On Christmas Eve, we celebrate and anticipate the birth of Jesus.
A thousand years before Christ was born, the Israelite elders approached the prophet Samuel and asked him to appoint them a king. They saw a king as the solution to all of their problems as a nation.
But God knew a king wouldn’t solve the deeply entrenched and longstanding issues their nation was facing. Poverty, violence and oppression — these things and more plagued Israel, just as they plague our world today. God knew that if he was going to bring real and lasting change, he’d need to do something radical, something unexpected, something that would uproot the sin that caused so much suffering and grow into a global movement.
That something was Jesus.
This Christmas, we’ve been celebrating the lasting change God brought to us through Jesus. He weeds out and redeems the sin in our own lives and invites us to join him in creating lasting change in the lives of others.
Those of you who have been journeying with us through our Christmas Devotional know that change that lasts often starts small, but it rarely stays that way. Change that lasts takes time. It grows deep roots, then spreads to impact others. Jesus understood this far better than the rest of us, and this holiday season, we celebrate him as Immanuel, God with us.
If you haven’t yet, we invite you to join us in our study of lasting change throughout scripture. Download the Change That Lasts Christmas Devotional and invite God to show you what lasting change he wants to do in and through you.
Merry Christmas!
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.
Possibility in the Face of Complexity
Naomi’s Story
Naomi, her husband and three daughters were living in Mahowe, a small village in Malawi, when Naomi’s husband died. That day forever changed her life. Not only was her husband gone, but so too was her family’s source of income and daily security. Naomi and her daughters tried to rebuild their lives, but Naomi’s physical condition made things difficult. Partially blind in one eye, she struggled to earn enough money to send her oldest daughter to school, let alone meet basic needs for her and her daughters.
Sadly, Naomi’s story is not unique. In fact, more than 735 million people around the world — around 10% of the world’s population — live on less than $1.90 per day, making it difficult for them to earn a living, buy food, access health care or send their children to school. The consequences of such extreme poverty extend far beyond one generation, as uneducated children struggle to earn a living as adults, in turn making it difficult for them to send their children to school and ultimately trapping them in a vicious cycle of generational poverty.
Yet economic poverty isn’t the only kind of poverty that affects people around the world.
A Complex Problem
Hourt Rous is one of the 80% of Cambodians living in a rural area where women are taught that their sole role in life is to be a housewife and to raise children. Because of this belief, women like Hourt never have the opportunity to go to school or the chance to learn basic health practices and important lessons in child development. Hourt grew up in a home where she was taught health and nutrition were important only once children reached school age.
“I never knew nutritious food affected [a young] child’s development. In our culture, we are taught that our children’s physical appearance, health and food intake is [only] important when they reach school age.”
In Cambodia, much of rural childcare is based on cultural beliefs. Therefore, when Hourt became a mom, she began raising her children in the same way she had been raised, setting the stage for her children to do the same and continuing the cycle of poor health and education from generation to generation to generation.
These two stories have a great deal in common. Naomi, a physically disabled widow, was left as the sole caretaker for her girls, unable to provide basic needs for her family. Hourt, a female in rural Cambodia, wasn’t given the same access to education as the men in her community, which ultimately prohibited her from learning how to create a future for her children. Both these women were trapped in a multi-faceted cycle of poverty that is perpetuated by lack of access to education and healthcare and often determined by social status, age and gender, geography and ethnicity.
Complex but not Impossible
Solving poverty is complex. But complex does not mean impossible.
Understanding the full complexity of poverty is at the very core of our work at World Relief. In places most impacted by poverty, well-intentioned NGOs frequently struggle to create lasting change because they either fail to address the root causes of poverty — gender discrimination, conflict and inequitable access to education, to name a few — or fail to acknowledge that poverty is multifaceted.
Rarely is a community only struggling with physical poverty, economic poverty or geographical poverty. Rather, they are often struggling under the weight of more than one type of poverty. When organizations address poverty as a single issue and fail to acknowledge root causes, they create quick fixes and partial solutions that fail to produce holistic, long-term transformation.
But it doesn’t have to be this way. At World Relief, we believe God gave us a plan to save our broken world, and it begins with his church, and his people, leading the way.
As we engage in communities around the world, we harness and amplify the influence of the local church — the largest, most influential network on the planet — to model Jesus’ holistic method of addressing and alleviating poverty. By empowering pastors, local leaders and volunteers, the church moves as the hands and feet of Jesus. People are seen, loved and given opportunity for new life. Through him everything changes.
Jesus and Holistic Change
In Luke 4, Jesus begins his ministry by declaring,
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free.”
Luke’s gospel is filled with stories of Jesus seeking out the poor in body, in community and in spirit. He heals a man of leprosy and a woman from her issues of blood, invites a tax collector into his inner circle and gives life to a widow’s dead son. He even heals a Jewish oppressor’s beloved servant.
To the leper and woman with the issue of blood, Jesus brought physical healing; to the tax collector, Jesus provided acceptance; to the dead son Jesus gave life; to the Jewish oppressor an example that no one is outside the love and care of God.
Jesus saw the tax collector, men, women and children, the sick, the oppressed, the lonely. He came toward them and provided for their needs, bringing restoration to the whole person, reversing life circumstances and breaking cycles. Over and over again, the gospel of Luke reveals Jesus’ love and care for the poor and the outcast, those marginalized by their economic status, gender and/or ethnicity.
Breaking Free and Moving Forward
Naomi began to break the cycle of generational poverty when she joined a savings group sponsored by World Relief. Through the group, Naomi has been able to invest in her family’s future. A year later she says,
“I now have the opportunity to interact with my friends and to improve my life. I have also joined my colleagues in helping the vulnerable in our community through the group’s social fund, a weekly fee which goes to the community’s needy individuals.”
In the same way, Hourt changed her family’s story when she joined a women’s group through her church and learned about children’s health. She began to implement what she was learning, providing the nutritional support her children need as well as promoting and protecting their access to education.
“I know that if I want my children to be wise and have a good future, I have to play a role in supporting the process of development,” Hourt says.
Not only has she improved her children’s health, but Hourt is also sharing what she’s learned with others.
“I take health lessons to teach households and improve everyone’s health in my community,” she says.
Although Naomi couldn’t see a future where her family had resources for food or education, her local church did. Although Hourt didn’t understand the importance of proper nutrition during early childhood, her church did. And, although both women felt unseen, unnoticed and forgotten, they weren’t.
Following Jesus’ examples, the church came as the hands and feet of Jesus with love, care and provision for Naomi and Hourt’s needs. The church came to lift them up and bring the restoration of Christ. It is in this restoration that Naomi, Hourt and thousands of others have been empowered to reverse their circumstances and break the cycles of poverty.
Now, they are one of the thousands around the world, coming with love, care and provision for others in need, breaking the cycle of poverty and propelling change that lasts.
Dana North serves as the Marketing Manager at World Relief. With a background in graphic design and advertising and experiences in community development and transformation, Dana seeks to use the power of words and action to help create a better world. Dana is especially passionate about seeking justice for women and girls around the world.
World Relief and the Evangelical Immigration Table Urge Governors in 15 States to Accept Refugees
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
December 11, 2019
CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
Lauren.carl@pinkston.co
703-388-6734
World Relief and the Evangelical Immigration Table Urge Governors in 15 States to Accept Refugees
Leading refugee advocacy groups rally 2,669 signatories in support of refugee resettlement
BALTIMORE, Md. – Today, World Relief and the Evangelical Immigration Table coordinated and sent letters to 14 state governors, and to Arizona Governor Ducey this past Friday, to respond to the president’s executive order that requires state governors and local authorities to provide consent to resettling refugees. A total of 2,669 evangelical leaders collectively signed on to show their support for refugee resettlement in their communities. This total includes the evangelicals in North Carolina who signed the letter offering their support following Governor Cooper providing his consent to Secretary Pompeo on Tuesday, December 10th. This total also includes the 294 evangelicals who signed an additional letter sent to Arizona Governor Doug Ducey on Friday, December 6th, which was followed shortly by the governor offering his consent for refugee resettlement in Arizona via a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.
In September, President Trump signed an executive order requiring each state and locality to provide written consent to allow refugees to be resettled there. This order could block resettlement altogether in many states where the governors do not provide consent and will prevent many refugees from resettling in their family members’ communities, even after being lawfully admitted into the country. Such written consent must be provided to the Department of State by December 25th.
“After being forced to leave their countries to escape war, persecution or natural disaster and being legally allowed entry to the U.S., the last thing refugees should have to experience is being denied access to communities in which they wish to dwell,” said Scott Arbeiter, World Relief president. “Halting the resettlement of refugees to states will disrupt families and could lead to the end of vital ministries by local churches. We’re grateful to Governor Ducey in Arizona for joining fifteen other bipartisan governors in continuing to allow refugees to be resettled in his state, and we hope and pray that the governors in other states will carefully consider the thousands of their constituents who are voicing their desire to serve and embrace refugees in their communities.”
More than 2,669 evangelicals from Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington and Wisconsin joined their voices in letters to their state’s leadership, including:
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659 in Tennessee,
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340 in Texas,
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294 in Arizona,
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231 in Georgia and
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136 in North Carolina.
“I’m so grateful that Governor Ducey has given official consent to allow refugees to continue to be welcomed in Arizona.” noted Dennae Pierre, Executive Director of the Surge Network in Phoenix. “Evangelical churches and ministries in our state have been active in serving newly arrived refugees for decades, and we look forward to the continued gift of loving our neighbors fleeing persecution. Evangelicals across our state and others have made it clear – we want to continue welcoming refugees into our communities. We pray that additional governors will follow Governor Ducey’s lead to officially consent to allow refugees to be welcomed into their states in response to the president’s executive order.”
All of the state sign-on letters are available here.
Download the PDF version of this press release.
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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.
About the Evangelical Immigration Table:
The Evangelical Immigration Table is a broad coalition of evangelical organizations and leaders advocating for immigration reform consistent with biblical values.
Learn more at evangelicalimmigrationtable.com
A Truth We Cannot Keep for Ourselves
Keeping a Secret
Theo was keeping a secret from Lydia, his faithful wife of four years. He’s a good and decent man, an employee at World Relief Rwanda. He’s a dynamic communicator, a man committed to his church, his work and his wife. So what was Theo hiding?
It wasn’t an infidelity or even an indiscretion. He hadn’t lost money gambling or stayed out too late with his friends. He hadn’t disrespected his wife in any blatant sort of way, so what was this secret he was keeping? What couldn’t he bear to share with his wife? It’s likely not something you ever would have guessed.
You see, Theo’s secret was that he was attending a class — a training at work on gender equity — designed to help our Rwandan staff gain a biblical understanding of how men and women are created equally and can, and should, lead together. The training is one of the many tools we use in our work against violence and oppression across the world to emphasize the truth that all people are created in God’s image.
Gender Equity and Biblical Truth
Even though gender equity is biblical, in the countries where we work, most people, like Theo, believe that women are not created equal to men and that only men are qualified to hold leadership positions. This makes it difficult to talk with local church leaders about the importance of including women in leadership roles, and even harder to encourage women to take on these roles in our programs given many of them hold this same view themselves.
It’s for this very reason that we piloted the training on biblical gender equality with our Rwandan staff this year, and why in 2020 we are rolling out gender equity training to all of our staff. We train our staff first because we know that God’s word can’t be powerful through us until it is powerful within us. And we also know that if we are asking our staff to help people break free from damaging cultural norms and behaviors, we have to arm them with God’s truth — the truth that all people are equally deserving of worth, dignity and respect.
For Theo, this truth led to a difficult realization as he began wrestling with the idea that his long-held cultural beliefs about women didn’t hold up in the light of God’s word, neither at work nor within his home.
Like most men in Rwanda, Theo believed that he was meant to be in charge at home and that his wife was meant to serve him. He controlled all of the money and made unilateral decisions. Lydia often had to beg Theo to give her money to buy propane for cooking, which was humiliating for her. On the few occasions she spoke up with an idea or questioned one of Theo’s decisions, he rebuked her for not being submissive to his leadership.
A Marriage Renewed
But after attending and reflecting upon the training, Theo decided to make some changes in his marriage. At first, he was too embarrassed to tell Lydia why he was making these changes. He felt ashamed of how he had been treating her and wasn’t sure how to bring up these new ideas.
So, Theo started helping Lydia in the kitchen. He began asking her opinion about household matters and inviting her to make decisions with him. Theo even learned how to make tea for visitors and began cooking for their son. And while all of these changes surprised Lydia, nothing shocked her more than when Theo began to wash the dishes. Never in her life had she seen a man do dishes!
That’s when Theo knew he had to tell Lydia the reason for all of these changes. He told her about the training and about how God had opened his eyes to new truths and convicted him that the way he had been treating her wasn’t how God intended a man to behave. Then Theo took a giant leap of faith — he invited Lydia to join him at the next training so she could learn this truth for herself.
“The best thing Theo did was invite me to the training,” Lydia said. “I learned that we are equal and we have been created equally. This truth has liberated me.”
Jesus promised that we will know the truth and the truth will set us free. That’s why we use God’s word as the basis for all of our programs at World Relief. We have seen time and time again what happens when the truth of God’s word penetrates people’s hearts. Deep and lasting change occurs within individuals, it overflows into families and changes entire communities, just as it did with Theo and Lydia.
Both Theo and Lydia agree that they can’t keep their newfound knowledge to themselves.
“I think we need to share our testimony and knowledge with other couples,” Lydia says. “It is a truth that we cannot keep for ourselves.”
A Future of Flourishing
As the truth of biblical equity takes root in more people’s hearts and minds, more women are empowered to rise up within their communities and lead within our programs. And when women are able to take on leadership in areas like health and nutrition, savings, agriculture and church empowerment, holistic transformation begins.
Men stop beating their wives. Young girls stay in school and avoid early marriages. Women gain access to capital to start their own businesses and become self-sufficient. And survivors of rape receive help and support rather than being shunned by their communities.
What’s more, a generation of young girls sees a new way of existing, encounters role models and gains a vision for what their lives could mean. The cycle of oppression begins to break and women and girls are ushered into the fullness of life that God intended for them all along.
At World Relief, we know that this fullness of life is available to all people — regardless of their gender, skin color, country of origin, tribe or faith — when they are viewed as image-bearers of God.
Every day, we have the privilege of watching the radical concept of Imago Dei transform broken relationships and end violence & oppression in so many of the communities where we work. Individuals change. Marriages improve. Families stabilize. Peace descends. Communities thrive. Churches flourish. And through it all, God is glorified.
Mary Milano serves as the Director of Fundraising Content at World Relief.
Rebirth and Renewal
In the Path of the Storm
It was late May in 2004 when torrential rains hit Mapou, a small village nestled within the La Selle mountain range in southeastern Haiti. This nameless storm dumped water on Mapou for three consecutive days, killing over 432 people in Mapou and another 800 in other villages throughout Haiti. Mapou, among several other villages, was left under a lake of water, and more than 31,000 people across Haiti were left without homes.
Nicole Eliassaint, a local resident in Mapou, recalled the terror that consumed her village.
“No one could go out to see their relatives or ask for information,” she said. “We faced a situation of helplessness… some of us had to cling to trees or stay on our roofs for days to avoid being swept away by the waves.”
The storm hit outside the regular storm season, the devastation highlighting how vulnerable Haiti is to natural disasters. The country sits in the middle of an aggressive pathway for tropical storms and hurricanes and also straddles a major faultline. Geography, however, isn’t the only factor that has left Haiti vulnerable to natural disasters.
A Complex History
In 1804, Haiti proudly became the first black republic in history after a successful, slave-led revolution. The war for independence, unfortunately, also destroyed many Haitian plantations, leaving the economy in a fragile state. As a result, Haitian leaders were forced to purchase the recognition of Haiti as a legitimate sovereign nation. In exchange for access to trade markets, they took on massive debt, further crippling the nation’s economy and leaving it prone to political hardship throughout the mid-20th century. This storied history of exploitation and corruption has left the country with a feeble infrastructure and weak economy, making it difficult for Haiti to rebuild the foundation needed to defend against disasters.
Consequently, Haiti has remained locked in a cycle of unhealthy dependence on foreign aid each time disaster strikes. Even with these aid efforts, international relief often struggles to reach the remote areas like Mapou, and little to no system has been developed for warning residents of coming storms.
In 2016, many communities, including Mapou, were still recovering from previous storms when Hurricane Matthew hit. The storm killed 546 people and caused $2.8 billion in destruction. Farms and livestock were destroyed, leaving many Haitians without a source for food or an income.
Catalyst for Change
In his book, The Upside of Down, author Thomas Homer Dixon writes that even the worst catastrophes can be a catalyst for change.
“Catastrophe,” he says, “can create space for [the kind of] creativity that helps build a better world for our children [and] our grandchildren…”
“Breakdown,” he adds, “can shatter the forces standing in the way of change.”
Such is the case when disasters strike, leaving gaping holes in the vulnerable communities that endure them. Buildings crumble, lives are lost and a deep chasm is left in the foundation of the affected society. But what if, as Dixon writes, this catastrophe could make way for creativity that leads to change, and what if this change could be generated by the local church?
Dixon’s words truly come to life in the example of the church in Haiti. In the wake of Hurricane Matthew, church leaders in the Sud, Grand Anse and Nippes regions came together with World Relief to bring aid to people in their communities. Initially, each pastor involved thought they were coming to World Relief to receive food and aid only for themselves, their families and their church members. But after attending a World Relief training, they began to see the bigger picture of what God was calling them to — to come together as a whole church in order to serve the most vulnerable people impacted by the storm.
Church leaders were trained on how to identify problems, mobilize volunteers, write proposals and submit requests for aid. After their requests were approved, churches in Haiti came together with more frequency than ever before, and through their collective efforts, more than 6,000 people received immediate aid in the form of food, water and sanitation supplies. Thousands more received seeds, farming equipment and thorough agriculture training to rebuild their farms and restore their livelihoods. While World Relief Haiti provided the resources for this project, church leaders were co-managers of the project, ensuring equitable distribution as well as a number of volunteers who made the scaling of the project possible.
Local Solutions
In Mapou, World Relief worked alongside church leaders from Bell-Anse, which included pastors from more than 75 churches in the Pichon & Mapou villages. The group came together to brainstorm ways to build resilience and better prepare their communities for natural disasters. Historically, people living in the mountains would try to warn people living in the plains of coming storms by blowing into conch shells — a method that was often too little, too late.
After some deliberation, leaders came away with a plan to implement an Early Warning System using appropriate technology (a system not reliant on electricity that can work no matter what the weather).
Over the next two years, World Relief worked alongside community leaders to implement a system of warning flags and hand crank sirens. Pastors and local leaders trained their congregations and communities on the system’s procedure so they could be ready to act should disaster strike. Country Director, Joseph Bataille, believes that with a little more coaching, the community will be ready to carry the program on their own.
In addition to the community-wide warning system, World Relief also helped families develop Household Emergency Plans, partnered with the Haitian Red Cross to train 25 community members in First Aid and assisted farmers in reducing erosion and planting cyclone-resistant crops.
Nicole said that the training she and her team received along with the implementation of the early warning system has “completely transformed the way they prepare for natural disasters. Information flows better… [and] everyone knows what to do in advance to protect themselves in the event of a flood.” She added that people feel more confident when cyclones and natural disasters hit because they know how to better protect themselves.
Lasting Change in Haiti
The increased frequency in storms and natural disasters in Haiti and other similar nations makes it clear that immediate relief alone won’t solve the disaster problem. But bolstering local churches and community leaders with the tools they need to cope with disasters can. Investing in warning systems and resiliency training can reduce the impact of natural disasters before they ever occur and make way for the strength and beauty that has historically defined these nations to be restored.
The most beautiful part of this story is that in the wake of disaster, local churches in Haiti have become a catalyst for restoration and renewal. Led by trusted community leaders who have the ability, authority and permanency to do far more than any government institution or non-profit organization ever could, local churches have become the hands and feet of Jesus in their communities. Not only that, but by the power of the Holy Spirit, these churches are restoring hope and igniting spiritual renewal right alongside the physical rebirth happening as their communities rebuild. Several congregations reported growth as a result of the relief and resilience work they have done in their communities.
Restoration and renewal are possible, even in the darkest of circumstances. As Christians, that truth is at the very core of everything we believe, and at World Relief, we believe that it is through the church, and God’s people, that we’re able to bring holistic healing and create lasting change, even in the path of a storm.
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 Remains Vigilant in Working with Communities to Eradicate HIV/AIDS
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
December 1, 2019
CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
Lauren.carl@pinkston.co
703-388-6734
World Relief Remains Vigilant in Working with Communities to Eradicate HIV/AIDS
Empowering churches helps to reduce new infections of HIV
BALTIMORE – This World AIDS Day, World Relief urges sustained vigilance to eradicate HIV/AIDS. Even though HIV infection is preventable and effective treatment available, 5,000 new HIV infections still occur every day, and nearly 40 million people are infected, according to UNAIDS. Access to testing and maintaining treatment remain challenges, along with lingering stigma.
World Relief is committed to tackling these issues 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. Additionally, these partnerships are also a vehicle for educating communities about the vulnerability of young girls who are up to fourteen times times more likely to get HIV than their male counterparts according to U.S. government’s President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) 2019 Annual Report to Congress
“There is a lot of stigma and shame out there around HIV/AIDS that is preventing persons, especially men and youth, from accessing the resources necessary to be tested and treated,” said Scott Arbeiter, president of World Relief. “This is why it is so important for the church to create an atmosphere of acceptance, opportunity and support for those with HIV/AIDS.”
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 it.
An African proverb says, “Wisdom is like a baobab tree. No one person can embrace it.” World Relief and church partners together build communities of nonjudgmental support for reducing HIV transmission and treatment, significantly contributing to the 2019 World AIDS Day theme, “Communities Make the Difference.” Working with the church has proven to be one of the most effective networks for raising both awareness and support.
”HIV is still the leading cause of death around the world among women of reproductive age in developing countries,” said Tim Breene, CEO of World Relief. “This is why at World Relief we are committed to providing full and complete information to youth about sex and HIV risk, enabling them to make wise choices. Our couples’ training and Families for Life program promotes mutual respect, honor and faithfulness, and Biblical training, to enable behavior change.”
World Relief has worked in HIV/AIDS 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%. World Relief saw a critical need to work with the government, communities, and churches to raise awareness, create support groups and home care for people infected, and care for orphans. World Relief Rwanda’s HIV/AIDS programs reached at least 403,560 people during this critical period.
Today, the “baobab tree” is more fully embraced by communities and churches working together with World Relief, covering South Sudan, Kenya, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, Burundi, Malawi, Haiti and Cambodia.
For more information about how you can help, World Relief’s CEZs and HIV/AIDS prevention work and other projects, visit worldrelief.org.
Download the PDF version of this press release.
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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.
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