Posts by worldrelief
Take a Number
People around the world are fleeing violence, oppression and poverty. I visited Tijuana in early October to get a firsthand look at what asylum seekers experience when they reach our border.
U.S. asylum law states that any individual arriving in the United States is allowed to request asylum, whether or not they have arrived at a designated port of arrival. Anyone wishing to claim asylum has historically been referred to an asylum officer who could then process their claim.
In 2018, however, things changed. The government instituted an informal immigration process known as metering. Under this metering process, rather than hearing the claims of asylees who arrive at the U.S. border, Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) agents are stopping families and individuals at the border, assigning them a number and returning them to Mexico to wait until their number is called. Once their number is called, only then can they claim asylum and begin the immigration court process. Hundreds of immigrants and asylees wait months in Mexico, with no way to know when their number will be called or if their request will be approved.
CBP claims this unofficial policy was put in place to assist with the backlog of asylum claims. However, fewer claims have been processed since metering was enacted and there has been little effort to hire more claims officers. This has left me to wonder whether the process was actually put in place to help, or to deter vulnerable people from seeking the protection they so desperately need. It’s also made me wonder, “Is stopping an asylum seeker before they cross the border to make their claim even legal? Moreover, is it a violation of human rights, US immigration and international law?”
Like those waiting to seek asylum, my morning in Tijuana started early. Each day, asylum seekers gather near the border in hopes that their number will be one of the few called that day. Those who are called will finally have a chance to formally claim asylum. On this particular day, only eight numbers were called. On World Refugee Day this past summer, not a single number was called.
I arrived at 8 a.m., just as the metering process was beginning. I waited just beyond the huddle of asylum seekers and met a young man whom World Relief was representing in his asylum claim. As a university student in Venezuela, this young man had joined a group of protestors who were demonstrating against the Maduro regime. As a result, he was followed by Maduro’s men, attacked and beaten for speaking out. Sadly, this is a common story in places like Venezuela.
Fearing for his life, my new friend fled Venezuela and arrived at a legal port of entry in Tijuana in May 2019. He took his metered number and returned to Mexico to begin his wait. Two months later, however, the US government changed course and decided that anyone who had passed through another country on their way to the U.S. needed to first claim asylum in that country, before claiming it in the U.S.
Although my new friend had arrived in the U.S. before this rule was put in place, he couldn’t officially claim asylum until his number was called. Had he not been stopped at the border and forced into the metering system, he could have claimed asylum as soon as he crossed into U.S. territory. What may feel like a technicality to you and me, could drastically alter this young man’s future. It’s highly likely his claim will not be granted because he did not seek asylum in any of the countries through which he had passed. My friend had followed the rules. He had taken a number, and now he’d likely be told to go back home.
In the midst of my sadness and frustration, I visited a small Baptist church on the Mexican side of the U.S./Mexico border and found some glimmer of hope. This small church had become a safe haven for many of the brave individuals and families who have traveled to the U.S. seeking asylum. On a typical Sunday, this congregation of only a 100 people or so, shelters up to 40 asylum seekers, whom they call “guests” rather than “immigrants.”
This church had taken spaces that they likely needed for their Sunday morning programming and turned them into dorm rooms. I walked through the church and saw the most beautiful wooden bunk beds I had ever seen! They may not have been much, but they were a sign of the local church in action.
This church had become God’s grace to people in need. While I found myself so saddened by the stories of asylum seekers and frustrated by the “take a number and then go back” procedures, I left feeling a sense of hope after seeing a clear picture of what God’s people, his church, could be.
Mark Lamb previously served as the Partnership Director at World Relief .
Neema’s Plight
In an area known as Mile 46 in the Kajiado District of Kenya, the Elangata Wuas Primary School sits beside a grove of trees. On a seemingly ordinary Friday in July, the whole school — boys and girls, teachers and the headmaster — leave their lessons and gather to welcome visitors outside in the schoolyard. The students, dressed in blue uniforms, fill rows of wooden chairs; girls on the left, and boys on the right.
After a warm welcome and a short introduction, the students stand in groups to present short speeches, dances and poems they had prepared for the visitors. A group of girls perform a traditional dance, some students sing a song, and then Ann Wanjiku stands to present an original poem.
Her words are powerful, her cry sincere. May her voice ring in your ears and move your heart. May you, like me, be changed.
Neema’s Plight
by Ann Wanjiku
In front of you is Ann Wanjiku,
ready to present a poem entitled, Neema’s Plight.
Sit back, relax and enjoy
Birth of a baby, must be a blessing event,
But hers was nothing short of a curse,
Culture, gender, count them all.
A girl is not as welcome as a baby boy,
at thirteen she has to face the worst.
A knife cut across her genital,
a midwife circumcised and stitched her,
she now has a black scar.
Why is it this kind of pain?
This pain of primitive culture?
Dear mankind!
wherever you are!
is she not a human being? (sobs)
As if that is not enough
“14 years is perfect real wife,”
her father said,
As he expected cold cash,
from a 40-year old man,
Killing her dreams, education and childhood,
But marriage was done,
the dowry was paid,
Injecting the title of wife into her bloodstream.
Dear mankind!
wherever you are!
is she not a human being? (sobs)
Thank you.
Today, in honor of International Day of the Girl Child, we celebrate millions of girls like Ann, boldly speaking up and advocating for a future where they have the agency and opportunity to reach their God given potential.
Will you join with us and stand for the rights of girls around the world today? Together, we can help build bright futures for girls for generations to come.
$35 Sends a displaced girl in South Sudan to school.
$80 Teaches five girls how to protect themselves from human trafficking in Cambodia.
$150 Provides a safe place for a refugee girl in Jordan to receive basic education, process trauma and experience Christ’s love through the local church.
$250 Reduces early marriage of young girls in Malawi through weekly clubs that teach girls about their worth and promote future success through education.
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.
A Prayer for When It’s Too Much
On Thursday, the Trump administration announced its intention to set a refugee ceiling of just 18,000 for FY 2020.
This drastic cut comes at one of the most vulnerable points in the refugee crisis. Currently, over 70 million people have been forcibly displaced around the world, 26 million of whom are refugees. These refugees are fleeing war. They’re searching for safety. They’re looking to nations like America and wondering, “Who will help us?”
It is in times like these, when we feel paralyzed, we must seek the God who moves. Â
As we feel the weight of despair for the millions without a home, we turn to the God of hope. We lament for their suffering, we cry out to God for their aid, and we remember it is God who holds all things.
In his book, Guerillas of Grace: Prayers for the Battle, author Ted Loder shares a prayer for when things feel too much. Perhaps you, too, feel the weight of “too much.” We invite you to lament along with us as we cry out on behalf of refugees and displaced people around the world.
Sometimes It Just Seems To Be Too Much
by Ted Loder
Sometimes, Lord,
it just seems to be too much:
too much violence, too much fear;
too much of demands and problems;
too much of broken dreams and broken lives;
too much of war and slums and dying;
too much of greed and squishy fatness
and the sounds of people
devouring each other
and the earth;
too much of stale routines and quarrels,
unpaid bills and dead ends;
too much of words lobbed in to explode
and leaving shredded hearts and lacerated souls;
too much of turned-away backs and yellow silence,
red rage and the bitter taste of ashes in my mouth.
Sometimes the very air seems scorched
by threats and rejection and decay
until there is nothing
but to inhale pain
and exhale confusion.
Too much of darkness, Lord,
too much of cruelty
and selfishness
and indifference…
Too much, Lord,
too much,
too bloody,
bruising
brain-washing much.
Or is it too little,
too little of compassion,
too little of courage,
of daring,
of persistence
of sacrifice;
too little of music
and laughter
and celebration?
O God,
make of me some nourishment
for these starved times,
some food for my brothers and sisters
who are hungry for gladness and hope,
that, being bread for them,
I may also be fed
and full.
World Relief Denounces Proposed FY2020 Refugee Cap of 18,000
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
September 26, 2019
CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
Lauren.carl@pinkston.co
703-388-6734
World Relief Denounces Proposed FY2020 Refugee Cap of 18,000
Global Christian humanitarian organization mourns the proposed Presidential Determination and urges the White House not to abandon refugees
BALTIMORE, Md. – Today, the Trump administration announced its intention to set a refugee ceiling of just 18,000 for FY 2020. World Relief strongly opposes this cut to the nation’s refugee resettlement program, which would mean slashing the number of refugees allowed to the U.S. beyond the historically low ceiling set for FY 2019. In doing so, the administration betrays our national commitment to offering refuge and religious freedom to persecuted Christians and other religious minorities and it abandons individuals whose lives are at risk because of their service to the U.S. military.
World Relief CEO Tim Breene responded: “We are heartbroken by the devastating ripple effect this drastic reduction in the number of refugees allowed into the U.S. will cause around the world. If America continues to systematically shutter the program designed to welcome and offer safe haven to human beings made in the image of God, we fear that other countries will continue to follow our example, doing less at a time when the number of refugees in need of protection globally is increasing. This proposed cut to the refugee resettlement program not only denies safety and freedom to people fleeing religious persecution, war and genocide, but also further dismantles our ability to demonstrate Christ-like hospitality toward the vulnerable.”
Also today, President Trump signed an Executive Order requiring that, within 90 days, the administration implement a process requiring the written consent of each state and locality in which a refugee may be resettled. By giving a veto to states and municipalities on where refugees are resettled, many refugees who have been lawfully admitted to the U.S. will be unable to be resettled in the same communities as family members already in the U.S. Unless the federal government intends to erect walls or checkpoints between cities, any refugee will still be free to move to any community within the U.S., but in doing so they may not have the support of a resettlement agency that provides vital integration support. This policy undermines families and is counter-effective toward the goal of promoting economic self-sufficiency.
These drastic changes comes at one of the most vulnerable points in the refugee crisis; over 70 million people are forcibly displaced throughout the world, 26 million of whom are refugees. In FY 2020, the U.S. will, at most, welcome 0.07% of those refugees to rebuild their lives in the U.S., a dramatic decline from our historical norm. The average refugee ceiling over the past four decades has been more than 90,000.
This decision directly contradicts the administration’s previously stated commitment to protect persecuted and oppressed Christians around the world; Christians have accounted for the majority of all refugees resettled to the U.S. in the past five years, but now will – along with the persecuted of other faiths – be largely shut out. This reduction also is likely to mean a further decline in the resettlement of refugees who have served the U.S. military as interpreters and in other capacities and whose lives and families are now threatened by terrorists as a result.
World Relief President Scott Arbeiter commented: “The fact is, almost all Americans come from a history and family lineage of immigrants. Whether our leadership remembers it or not, we’ve all been afforded the blessing and honor to live with certain protections, freedoms and opportunities in this country that others can’t imagine and that should never be taken for granted. While the U.S. has historically been the most generous and welcoming country toward refugees in the world, our current administration’s dramatic change in stance is extremely troubling. We ask the church to respond by praying and taking action to stop this injustice.”
This further reduction to the U.S. refugee resettlement program also is likely to further decimate the national infrastructure of faith-based and non-profit organizations that have proven extremely effective at helping refugees to resettle and integrate into the American community. This infrastructure, built over more than 40 years of public-private partnership, is being dismantled by the abrupt shift in federal policies, and it will not be easily rebuilt. Like our peer organizations, World Relief has had to make the difficult decision to close offices in several U.S. cities in the past two years.
Despite these changes, World Relief will continue to operate in the U.S. and remains committed to its mission of empowering local churches to serve the vulnerable, including refugees, asylum-seekers and other vulnerable immigrants within the U.S. While we have already had to make difficult organizational changes to the scope and physical locations of our work within the U.S., and further changes may be necessary, we are committed to empowering local churches to serve vulnerable immigrants in as many locations and as many ways as possible.
While we continue to advocate for the arrival of new refugees at a historically normal level such as 95,000 per year, World Relief continues to serve refugees already in the United States as well as asylum seekers and other vulnerable immigrants. Learn how you can respond at 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.
Global Peace Starts With Us
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) is home to 200 ethnic groups who speak nearly 250 different languages. Its ethnic diversity is matched only by its biological diversity. Rich in culture and natural resources, it’s a beautiful place. Yet, it’s also a country riddled in war, caught up in armed conflict that dates back to the 1960s.
Conflict in the Congo, as with any country, is as complex as it is varied. It ranges from high-level disputes between people groups, to personal disagreements over issues such as land use and resource distribution, to relational discord between community members. At any level, conflict has the ability to disrupt peace within a community and perpetuate cycles of poverty and unrest.
Take Landrine and Neema, for example, two women living in a small village in the DRC. These women were friends and neighbors until a conflict severed their relationship. Neema accused Landrine of having an affair with her husband. The conflict quickly escalated, consuming both of their families and threatening to involve their entire community.
Luckily for these two friends, a Village Peace Committee (VPC) had been established in their community. The women took their disagreement before the committee, received counsel and mediation, and the conflict de-escalated.
Village Peace Committees are part of an ongoing peacebuilding initiative that World Relief has embarked on in partnership with local churches and community leaders in eastern Congo. Each committee is made up of 10 members from various social and ethnic groups in the community. Committee members are trained in conflict mediation and relationship restoration.
World Relief’s peacebuilding activities address community-level conflicts, such as the one between Landrine and Neema, that occur within or between families. These conflicts often involve personal relationships, destruction of property or use of land and other resources. Most critically, VPC mediation interrupts the cycles of revenge that have the potential to escalate to violence or further damage to person or property
In the case of Landrine and Neema, Neema realized that jealousy had caused an untrue story to take root inside her heart. That story lead to a belief that Landrine was sleeping with her husband. That belief led to an accusation, which led to conflict. With the help of the VPC, Neema adjusted her view of the situation by looking critically at the internal narrative she had been writing. This allowed her to see the truth in her relationship with Landrine, and the women were able to find forgiveness and reconciliation with one another.
“We made the decision to forgive each other,” Neema said. “Our husbands…praised the VPC [for helping] us avoid this conflict that could lead to war between two families.”
Today, on the heels of International Day of Peace, we reflect on Neema and Landrine’s experience and are reminded of how much we can learn from the peacebuilding efforts of our brothers and sisters in the Congo.
Peacebuilding works on the assumption that if differences, conflicts and misunderstandings were resolved through a process of introspection and discussion before they escalated, people could live at peace with one another and harmony would reign throughout the community.
There’s no question that our nation is embroiled in conflict at this moment in time. Conflict between political parties as well as the cross-cultural divide happening around issues of immigration have uprooted peace on a national level that has trickled down into our personal lives. Rising levels of violence and the discord we feel when we turn on the news, log in to social media or even sit down to dinner with loved ones can be overwhelming and at times, defeating.
It’s easy to point fingers, to create false narratives and assume the worst of the “other” side. It’s almost natural to take issue with family members who just don’t get it or who we see as less knowledgeable. But as we learned from Neema, communal conflict might be best avoided if we first start with the internal narratives we’ve written, thinking critically about the stories we tell ourselves and being willing to discuss them with others whose views may differ from our own.
Peacebuilding efforts, whether in the Congo or in the U.S, have to start with a mindset change and a desire to live at peace with others, even if it means refraining from our own self-interests.Â
That’s challenging, isn’t it? To consider that a life of peace requires us to put someone else’s interests, or our community’s interests ahead of our own? It’s far easier to believe we’re right and our ideas are correct. But we would be well-served to remember what Jesus said in Mark 9, that anyone who wants to be first must be last, and a servant of all, and to recall Paul’s words in Phillippians that tell us to do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than ourselves.Â
Peace is a fruit of the Spirit. If God is going to grow it in our world, we must first allow him to grow it in us. In other words, if we want a peace-filled world, we must first become peace-filled people.
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.
This International Day of Peace, World Relief Thanks the Men and Women Who Work to Make the World a More Peaceful Place
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
September 21, 2019
CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
Lauren.carl@pinkston.co
703-388-6734
This International Day of Peace, World Relief Thanks the Men and Women Who Work to Make the World a More Peaceful Place
BALTIMORE, Md. – On this International Day of Peace, World Relief celebrates with the thousands of women and men it has partnered with to make the world a better, safer place. Empowered by local churches all around the world, these individuals have courageously stepped into conflict zones, putting their lives in danger in an effort to break cycles of violence and conflict.
“World Relief takes seriously the command to make every effort to live in peace with others. This is why we work to empower local volunteers and churches to boldly step in and de-escalate hostility in conflict zones,” commented World Relief President Scott Arbeiter. “We are humbled by the women and men we have the privilege of coming alongside to equip and support. We continue to pray for those serving on the front lines of the world’s conflicts, who boldly shine the light of Christ for the world to see.”
According to a recent UN report, there are over 70 million people currently displaced around the world. The Democratic Republic of Congo is an area prone to violence where local conflicts have led to high rates of forced displacement, gender-based violence and poverty. Over the last 12 years, World Relief has worked with pastors from various ethnic groups to embrace the power of healing through reconciliation as a way to repair communities and prevent further violence. World Relief partners with local authorities to identify leaders and create committees made up of volunteers committed to bringing about peace in their communities. This important work is conducted in faith-based, interfaith and secular contexts.
In 2018, World Relief’s peacebuilding program equipped 79 village peace committees and trained 744 volunteers to benefit 343,247 people in the DR Congo, Sudan and Pakistan. Volunteers who identify as being willing to participate are trained in conflict mediation and receive instruction on what to do when someone comes to them with a conflict, how to investigate, how to bring parties together and how to help people reach a resolution. These volunteers make up Village Peace Committees who help address domestic disputes, petty theft, land use disagreements, conflicts over water usage or other community issues. While more serious or violent crimes such as rape or killings are referred to authorities, these individuals and committees tangibly break cycles of revenge by de-escalating violence and repairing relationships.
World Relief CEO Tim Breene observed, “We cannot overemphasize the importance of individuals living out their calling to be light in the world in which they have been placed and taking seriously their calling to bring peace. In many areas around the world, we know that peace is the foundation for flourishing, and conflict erodes the very ability for people to access basic healthcare or harvest their crops for food. Each conflict a volunteer de-escalates is one more relationship repaired, another harvest brought to fruition and more families who don’t need to flee out of fear of their lives.”
To learn more about World Relief’s peacebuilding efforts, donate or volunteer, 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.
Reflections on Belonging
photo credit: Rebecca Bustamante
My heart is heavy for my country, the place I call home.
I’ve often wondered, where do I fit in?
Am I wanted here?
Do I even belong?
I’ve been plagued by these questions for most of my life. Though, it was only recently that I decided to engage them. As a Hispanic-American woman, the answers rarely seem straightforward, yet I feel a growing tension that I really need to get them right.
Just the other day, for example, I went to make a payment on my credit card. I received a pop-up message that I had never seen before.
“We need to verify your information,” it said. “Are you a U.S. citizen?”
A yes or no checkbox was located beside the question. I browsed the screen, looking for a way to opt-out, when I saw the notice: failure to answer this question could lead to my account being limited.
A flood of emotions consumed me — sadness, anger, frustration.
Was this question legal?
Why now after being a cardmember for so many years?
Are they asking every cardmember for this information, or just those with Hispanic sounding names?
Are they asking me because my last name is Lopez?
Experiences like this often send me spinning. But I’m learning to take comfort in the knowledge that my identity is in Christ.
You see, I was born in Chicago, on the Southwest side to be exact. My father is Mexican/Puerto Rican, and my mother is Puerto Rican. I’m proud of my heritage. The more I learn about my familial history the more grateful I become. My ancestors made so many sacrifices so I can live the life I have today.
My paternal grandmother’s entire family crossed the border together when she was just a toddler. As a kid, she had a knack for making things and finding items to sell. My dad once told me he was really inspired by the way his mother could figure out creative ways to make money for the family. He said I reminded him of her because I own a small, creative business. I had always wondered where my creative business skillset came from, and now I know.
My maternal grandparents moved to the United States in their adulthood, in pursuit of a better life just after my grandfather served in the war. I’m still not sure whether he served in WWII or the Korean War. He was too traumatized to ever talk about it. But I do know that Puerto Rico has a long history of serving in the U.S. military. WWII and the Korean War each saw around 60,000 Puerto Ricans fighting alongside the American military, my grandfather being one of them.
He had dreams of working in the chemistry field, and my grandmother dreamed of being a model. Both ended up working in factories, as did my mom. I am the first daughter in the family to graduate from college. I have the freedom to be my own boss, something my maternal grandparents never had the opportunity to do.
I sit in the tension of my privilege as a 3rd generation Latina whose first language is English. I struggle to speak Spanish fluently, which leaves me feeling isolated in some Latino circles. I’ve longed to connect with the parts of me that feel so foreign. Assimilation is real, and the pressure to fit into American culture often results in denying one’s cultural heritage.
Finding freedom in my cultural identity, in its totality, has been a journey. It’s been filled with therapy, processing with my close friends and partnering with Jesus to discover the truth of who I am. I heard once at a conference that your culture isn’t a curse, it’s a blessing. Who I am and where I belong isn’t dictated by what others say about me or who they say I am. I am a child of God, and my cultural identity matters to Him. My skin matters to Him, and my native tongue matters to Him. I belong here, and my voice matters.
I think, at our core, we all long to belong. Yet fear tends to divide us. It draws lines and forces us to pick sides. It’s “us versus them”, and those of us with a multicultural identity get caught in the crossfire. Am I Mexican? Am I Puerto Rican? Or am I American? The answer is I am all of it. I am proud of who I am and I am proud of where I came from. I’m proud of this country where I live and I am grateful to call it home.
I have high hopes for our nation and the place we can become. I see a nation that moves forward in love rather than fear, that celebrates diversity rather than denies it. I want our country to be a place of belonging, where people can thrive — people who look like me and people who don’t.
Jasmine Lopez is the founder of The Firehouse Dream, a creative arts healing center located in Maywood, IL. She is passionate about being rooted in our God-given identities and believes everyone’s story matters. She is a mental health advocate and shares her story in hopes of inspiring and encouraging others. Jasmine has been married to her high school sweetheart for 13 years and they have 3 girls: Dakota, Savannah and Emery. Together, they love dance parties, having fun and going to theme parks.
Stories from the Border: Jose
Over the last few weeks the news has been filled with stories of what’s happening at the U.S.-Mexico border. Many of these realities are not new to our U.S. offices, who regularly work with immigrants and asylum seekers. Our offices provide legal services and vital programming to hundreds holding onto hope for a better future. In this series, Stories from the Border, we’ll be highlighting a few of these brave men and women, and their journey with World Relief.Â
Jose* was granted asylum in the U.S. after fleeing from Central America. When he first arrived at the local World Relief office in Spokane he was homeless, jobless and struggling to process past trauma and the reasons for leaving his home behind.
In just one year, Jose has learned English, began processing his past through Mental Health assistance, found community and support and was accepted into a year-long job training program.
Because of the World Relief staff, volunteers and church partners, Jose feels empowered to pursue his dream of having a stable and secure life here in the U.S.
Together we’re restoring hope and rebuilding lives for the millions fleeing persecution and violence in search of refuge.
*Name has been changed to protect Jose’s identity.
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.
Stories from the Border: Josef and Moses
Over the last few weeks the news has been filled with stories of what’s happening at the U.S.-Mexico border. Many of these realities are not new to our U.S. offices, who regularly work with immigrants and asylum seekers. Our offices provide legal services and vital programming to hundreds holding onto hope for a better future. In this series, Stories from the Border, we’ll be highlighting a few of these brave men and women, and their journey with World Relief.Â
Josef and Moses* are two young professionals who lived in a small African nation. They worked in government until a change in political leadership put a brutal new leader in power. Not long after the new regime took power, they learned that some of their colleagues and their family members had disappeared. Fearing for their lives and the lives of their own families, the two men fled, leaving behind their homes, belongings and, more importantly, their spouses and children.
Eventually, they ended up in Washington where a friend encouraged them to reach out to World Relief. They were connected to the pastor of an African church who provided them with support and hope. World Relief staff and volunteers helped the men navigate the complex legal process of asylum and transition their education and experience into marketable skills within the local economy.
Today, they are active in the community and looking toward a bright future.
Together we’re restoring hope and rebuilding lives for the millions fleeing persecution and violence in search of refuge.
*Names have been changed to protect the individuals’ identity
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.
Stories from the Border: Annette
Over the last few weeks the news has been filled with stories of what’s happening at the U.S.-Mexico border. Many of these realities are not new to our U.S. offices, who regularly work with immigrants and asylum seekers. Our offices provide legal services and vital programming to hundreds holding onto hope for a better future. In this series, Stories from the Border, we’ll be highlighting a few of these brave men and women, and their journey with World Relief.Â
Annette* is a 57-year-old woman who came to America seeking asylum. When she arrived in the U.S. she was able to find a job but her employer took advantage of her. He paid her so little that she could barely meet her basic needs.
Eventually, she was connected to World Relief and that connection changed her life. She left her exploitative employer and is now earning a living wage. She has earned her driver’s license, enrolled in classes at a local community college and recently, she passed the exam to become a Certified Nursing Assistant.
Annette’s asylum case has still not been approved but she waits in hopeful expectation. Not long ago, she was gifted a car and her joy could not be contained. The car will give her more freedom to pursue her goal of nursing without having to spend time on the bus or money on rideshares. The sense of stability and safety created by the car and consistent employment has filled her with faith as she waits and prays for asylum approval.
Together we’re restoring hope and rebuilding lives for the millions fleeing persecution and violence in search of refuge.
*Name has been changed to protect the individual’s identity.
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.
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