Posts by worldrelief
Bringing Our Voices Together
Our office just wrapped up its second year of World Refugee Day celebrations where we partnered with local organizations to commemorate the strength, courage and perseverance of the more than 60,000 refugees who now call Sacramento home. We started June 8th with a refugee soccer tournament and finished our celebrations July 13th at the Sacramento Republic FC home match with a trophy presentation to the winning refugee team in front of thousands.
This should be an exciting and hopeful time in our community. For the last six weeks, we have seen you stand with the most vulnerable and continue to extend welcome to our newest neighbors. However, on the heels of our World Refugee Day events Politico released this devastating report. According to sources inside Washington D.C., the current administration is considering lowering the refugee ceiling to zero. Zero, as in no new refugees would be able to come to Sacramento or any other major U.S. city from October 2019-September 2020.
Our current extreme refugee vetting procedures take several years on average to complete, which is why we currently see nearly 140,000 people in varying levels of processing. Halting or even pausing the refugee program would disrupt the already established pipeline and could debilitate the resettlement program for years to come. The effects of an unfavorable Presidential Determination could not be easily reversed.
Sacramento has received thousands of refugees in the past several years through the Special Immigrant Visa (SIV) program, which helps Afghans and Iraqis who have worked with the United States military come to the U.S. safely. In a previously unpublished letter Former Defense Secretary Jim Matthis urged the administration not to abdicate our commitment to the Iraqis who provided the U.S. with critical mission support during our 17-year battle against terrorism. There are currently more than 100,000 of these applicants processing and waiting to legally enter the U.S. Under the new proposal they would remain in the queue indefinitely.
With figures from the State Department revealing only 22,456 refugees have arrived in the U.S as of July 12th and only three months left in Fiscal Year 2019 we are already operating at historically low levels. World Relief is calling for a restoration of the refugee ceiling to at least 85,000, which is the average we have seen since 1980 when Ronald Reagan began the refugee program as we know it. With forced global migration and refugee populations increasing due to persecution and war worldwide, your partnership in the work of World Relief is more important than ever.
What can you do? Help us move from a collective voice of âthatâs sadâ to âthis cannot happen.â Here are four practical ways to help now:
- Pray for our nation, for our representatives and for the refugees in camps unable to return home who are waiting for a chance to start a new life
- Call congress at 202.224.3121 to reach the Capital Switchboard and get connected to your Members of Congress. Please call THREE times to reach your 2 senators and 1 representative. Tell them of your support for the refugee program â itâs simple!
- Advocate. Don’t stay silent. Many are unaware that this legal, safe, proven good for the economy, and life-giving program could be shut down amidst all the partisan talk. Let them know and help them understand how to support.
- Give to support advocacy efforts or to support the refugees here by providing the programs that help as they start their new lives
Together our voices can make a difference. Please join us in standing with the most vulnerable.
World Relief Calls Americans to Partner in Response to Ebolaâs Public Health Emergency Status in the Democratic Republic of Congo
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
July 18, 2019
CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
Lauren.carl@pinkston.co
703-388-6734
World Relief Calls Americans to Partner in Response to Ebolaâs Public Health Emergency Status in the Democratic Republic of Congo
BALTIMORE, Md. â Earlier this month, the World Health Organization formally declared the Ebola epidemic in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DR Congo) as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) after the first case was diagnosed in Goma, at the border of Rwanda. Having worked in the country for nearly two decades, World Relief is mobilizing churches in the DR Congo to respond, urging Americans to give with compassion and generosity to serve those affected and contain the virusâs spread.
âEbola is not just a problem for DR Congo; itâs becoming a global health crisis,â said Scott Arbeiter, World Relief President.âThe church has the unique ability through its local engagement and cultural understanding to raise awareness, promote safe health practices in communities and locate those in need in their communities more effectively than the government and foreign NGOs.â
World Reliefâs response to the crisis pairs church volunteers with community health workers to repair or replace handwashing stations in targeted health facilities and equip churches with handwashing stations where they are lacking. With 90% of the population in the DR Congo professing to be Christian, local pastors have unparalleled influence to disseminate information encouraging improved hygiene and medical intervention, providing knowledge of the disease and addressing their congregationâs false fears.
As the first Ebola outbreaks occurred in Liberia and Sierra Leone in 2014, medical interventions and government messaging failed to contain the disease but rather pushed communities to hide or deny its existence. However, once faith leaders began sharing from religious texts about accepting Ebola workers and survivors in their services, their communities began to understand that Ebola-control practices were not irreligious. These leadersâ messages helped drive out the stigma associated with Ebola in highly religious areas, curbing the diseaseâs spread across the globe.
Recognizing the urgent need to anticipate and deter the virusâs further spread, World Relief is focusing efforts also on the bordering country of South Sudan through the relationships itâs built in Ibba County since beginning its work there in 2012. Before an outbreak occurs, World Relief will mobilize community volunteers to teach their communities about the disease, how it spreads and can be prevented, as well as providing soap, handwashing buckets and menstrual management kits to improve hygiene.
âWorld Reliefâs work combating HIV/AIDS in Rwanda is a poignant example of how effective the local church can be in raising awareness and preventing a global epidemic from spreading by addressing the root causes,â commented World Relief CEO Tim Breene.âWe urge our supporters to partner with us in prayer and compassionate giving as we seek to protect millions of lives made in the image of God.â
World Relief asks its supporters to respond in generosity so they can reach their goal of raising $150,000 for this crucial and life-saving work in the DR Congo and South Sudan. Two-thirds of these resources will be used to improve the physical, emotional and spiritual health of communities in the DR Congo and one-third will be used in South Sudan.
Those interested in supporting this cause can donate at www.worldrelief.org/ebola.
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 worldâs 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, weâve 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.
Trumpâs refugee policies are damaging American cities
Over the past several decades, small cities throughout upstate New York and mid-America have counted on refugees to fill jobs left open as more Americans flock to the coasts and bigger cities. Now, with the refugee cap at a historic low, economic development in these cities is stalling.
Take Akron, Ohio. Like many Midwestern cities, Akron was hit hard when jobs in the auto and manufacturing industries started disappearing in the early 2000s. Many of its workers left for bigger cities and other opportunities. But between 2007 and 2013, Akronâs foreign-born population increased by 30 percent (more than 2,000 people). In 2013, Akronâs immigrant population held roughly $137 million in disposable income and paid about $17 million in state and local taxes; more than a third of them owned homes.
Image source : https://washingtonpost.com
Stories from the Border: Pedro
Over the last few weeks the news has been filled with stories of whatâs 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, weâll be highlighting a few of these brave men and women, and their journey with World Relief.
Pedro is a 14-year-old boy who has grown up in a Central Mexican town ruled by a violent drug cartel. The cartel operates above the law and the townâs police force is powerless to control their criminal activity. And for boys like Pedro, joining the cartel isnât just an option, itâs mandatory. Anyone who dares to resist recruitment by the cartel faces torture â even death.
Pedroâs attempts to avoid joining the cartel were met with severe violence. Then the cartel started to threaten Pedroâs brother and mother as well. So, Pedroâs mother had to make a critical choice: stay with her friends and family in the town she loved, or leave everything to protect her two young sons.
With his mother and brother, Pedro made the difficult journey north toward the U.S. border in search of safety. When his family arrived at the border, Pedro found a team of World Relief representatives who made sure his family understood the asylum process.
And with their help, Pedro and his family were able to avoid long-term detention. Their case has been under review for two years and though they await the final decision, Pedro can now attend a local high school. His family is connected with new friends through the local church and they have found refuge and safety in a community.
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 Strongly Condemns the Trump Administration for its Reported Plan to Abandon Persecuted Christians and Other Refugees
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
July 18, 2019
CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
carl@pinkstongroup.com
703-388-6734
World Relief Strongly Condemns the Trump Administration for its Reported Plan to Abandon Persecuted Christians and Other Refugees
BALTIMORE, Md. â Today, POLITICO reported that the Trump administration is considering zeroing out the number of refugees resettled in 2020. World Relief strongly condemns this proposal.
âThe U.S. refugee resettlement and placement program is the crown jewel of Americaâs humanitarian program,â commented World Relief President Scott Arbeiter. âThe worldâs need is clear: With over 70 million displaced persons, including over 25 million refugees, we are in the middle of the worst refugee crisis in recorded history. Our national commitment to welcoming refugees goes back at least to the era of World War II, when Jewish men, women and children displaced by the Nazis often had no safe place to which to flee. In the years that followed, the U.S. committed itself to protecting those forced to flee persecution, offering safety and religious freedom to some of the worldâs most vulnerable refugees, who have become grateful Americans â and who give back to this country many times over. We must not abandon this stabilizing role or those in desperate situations and in need of a safe haven.â
The historic norm for refugee resettlement as set by the annual Presidential Determination (PD) averages between 75,000-95,000. The current PD of 30,000 is abhorrently low, and it does not reflect either Americaâs commitment or ability to meet the global need through its current infrastructure of refugee resettlement agencies. World Relief is asking the administration to welcome 95,000 refugees in FY2020 which would be more in line with an appropriate global response to the refugee crisis.
âThe president has promised again and again to protect persecuted Christians, and refugee resettlement is an essential tool to achieve that end,â said World Relief CEO Tim Breene, noting that the number of persecuted Christians being resettled to the U.S. has declined dramatically in recent years, and now could be reduced to zero. âAmericans of faith should recognize and respond to this assault on our call to protect the âleast of theseâ â especially as a country where most citizens profess to be Christians. The United States used to be a leader in refugee resettlement but has fallen behind Canada, for example, which has a ninth of our population, in resettling refugees. We at World Relief pledge to continue to stand with refugees.â
While reports that the president is considering a PD as low as zero are credible, the final decision is usually not made until shortly before the beginning of the federal Fiscal Year on October 1, and there is still time for Americans to make their voices heard. World Relief is challenging those who care for refugees to speak out now, insisting to our elected officials that they not end this life-saving program.
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 worldâs 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, weâve 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.
Stories from the Border: Josue
Over the last few weeks the news has been filled with stories of whatâs 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, weâll be highlighting a few of these brave men and women, and their journey with World Relief.
Life in Central Americaâs northern triangle is riddled with violence as a result of economic collapse and political instability. Josueâs father had been living and working in the U.S. as a migrant worker in order to provide for his family back home. While his father was away, Josue was looked after by his grandmother. But when her health failed, Josue had no one else to protect and care for him. And so, he fled toward the U.S.
Josue traveled north toward the border to try and find his father. After surviving the dangerous journey, he reached the border and began to wait in the asylum queue being monitored by local authorities. Eventually, he made his way to the U.S.
Thatâs when World Relief first learned of Josue, through one of the teachers at the high school he was attending. Josue had been working two full time jobs to support himself while attending school. Wrapping up his second job at 3:00am, Josue would sleep for only a few hours before going to school. With no real support system, Josue was discouraged and felt hopeless.
Because of Josueâs situation, his familyâs inability to care for him and the violence in his home country, World Relief helped Josue apply for Special Immigrant Juvenile status. His case is currently being reviewed in immigration court.
Today, Josue has a renewed sense of hope and believes his future can be good. His goal is to finish high school and then college, in order to pursue a law degree at UCLA. His dream is to help others in his situationâfollowing in the footsteps of his self-proclaimed ârole model,â a staff member at World Relief Southern California.
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 Responds to Interim Final Rule Asylum Regulation
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
July 17, 2019
CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
carl@pinkstongroup.com
703-388-6734
World Relief Responds to Interim Final Rule Asylum Regulation
BALTIMORE, Md. â The Trump administration announced Monday an interim final rule, effective yesterday, making families fleeing persecution who come through the U.S.-Mexico border ineligible for asylum consideration unless they first applied for and were denied asylum in one of the countries through which they traveled. This dramatically undermines the goal of the U.S. asylum system, particularly for those coming from Central America. By closing our doors to those fleeing danger and persecution, we are effectively shutting the door on vulnerable individuals for whom the United States is the only place of safety and freedom. Instead, the U.S. government should allow asylum-seekers to pursue legal protection in the United States and partner with faith-based organizations and churches to meet their immediate needs. As a Christian organization committed to the belief that each human person is made in Godâs image and worthy of protection and dignity, World Relief believes that this policy should be reversed immediately.
âThe humanitarian and moral crisis at our southern border is exacerbated by policies like the interim final rule that will harm children and families,â said Scott Arbeiter, World Relief president. âIn a recent visit to the border, I interacted with individuals â many from Central America, but also those from Africa, South America and elsewhere â with very credible claims of persecution. They have already been forced to wait for months in Mexico to register their claim at the U.S. port of entry; now, they will be found ineligible. The U.S. has a moral obligation to respect our laws that offer protection to those with a credible claim of persecution, and we must not betray that commitment.â
This rule will only put the burden of processing asylum seekers on countries that either donât have adequate processing systems in place or resources to process the numbers arriving. It will also make migration routes less safe. While individuals crossing the border generally turn themselves in to immigration authorities to ask for asylum, this rule may force them to attempt to cross through more dangerous routes. Asylum seekers may be more vulnerable to the whims of smugglers, traffickers and other criminal organizations.
âWeâve long insisted that the U.S. can be both a safe country and a compassionate country,â says Tim Breene, World Relief CEO. âWe are not arguing that everyone who arrives at the U.S.-Mexico border should be allowed to stay, but that everyone should receive due process and the chance to demonstrate that they qualify under U.S. law for legal protections. As our government has restricted orderly, legal avenues for migration that actually fill a critical need in the U.S. labor market, it only makes it more likely that desperate individuals, including those fleeing persecution, will resort to unlawful means of entry.â
World Relief calls on the administration to reverse this policy and on Congress to clarify any ambiguity in the asylum statutes that might allow individuals with a credible fear of persecution to be returned to a dangerous situation. We urge local churches to join in advocacy and in prayer, even as they seek to welcome the asylum seekers and other immigrants who have arrived in their communities in recent months.
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 worldâs 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, weâve 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 Sponsors Side Event to Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom to Urge the Restoration of the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
July 15, 2019
CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
carl@pinkstongroup.com
703-388-6734
World Relief Sponsors Side Event to Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom to Urge the Restoration of the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program as an Essential Part of a Robust International Religious Freedom Agenda
BALTIMORE, Md. â Today, World Relief, HIAS, The Episcopal Church, the National Association of Evangelicals and the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops/Migration and Refugee Services (USCCB/MRS) cosponsored an official congressional briefing as a side event to the State Departmentâs Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom. These organizations, plus panelists including representatives from the Free Yezidi Foundation, the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), and a Liberian refugee and pastor, called U.S. leadership to increase the number of refugees accepted in the U.S. as well as to continue robust refugee funding. While expressing gratitude to Secretary of State Pompeo for his commitment to pursue an international religious freedom agenda, the groups urged that having a robust refugee resettlement program can bolster the success of that mission.
Pari Ibrahim, Founder and Executive Director, Free Yezidi Foundation, commented: âI believe thereâs a genuine sympathy and concern for the Yezidi people today, but I cannot believe that a country like the U.S. can do so little for people in these conditions. ISIS remains a critical threat to Yezidis, and their lack of security and fair representation keeps them from feeling safe and being productive. For those who are severely traumatized, their best chance for a better life is to seek an outside country, yet only 14 Yezidis were resettled to the U.S. in 2019 and five in 2018. We seek an increase in resettlement of Yezidis in America.â
Melanie Nezer, Senior Vice President of Public Affairs with HIAS, commented: âThe Lautenberg Amendment was enacted and authorized by Congress in 1990 to allow Jews and evangelicals to come to the U.S. as refugees from the former Soviet Union. The Lautenberg Amendment was expanded in 2004 to include Iran, but in the past two years that program has basically been shut down. There are no religious minorities from Iran that are coming into this country, despite the fact that there are thousands of religious minorities who would like to get out. Though small, this program leaves the door open for people fleeing persecution and has a direct connection to peopleâs ability to practice their faith openly. This is just one way that the almost-complete shutdown of refugee resettlement program has a direct impact on religious minorities.â
Galen Carey, Vice President of Governmental Relations, National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), commented: âI want to commend the State Department for holding the second ministerial for international religious freedom around the world and Ambassador Brownback for bringing his commitment, passion and stature to the State Department and for promoting religious freedom around the world. Our country has been blessed by the contributions of refugees for decades, and a strong bipartisan consensus agrees that protecting and resettling refugees is in the nationâs interest and is the right thing to do. Our refugee resettlement program has long been the crown jewel of humanitarianism. Our government does its part by rigorously vetting and selecting the refugees most in need of resettlement. Volunteers from churches and communities open their hearts and homes to welcome the refugees and help them get back on their feet. But the sharp cutback in all refugee resettlement to the U.S. is systematically dismantling the whole infrastructure that allows us to resettle refugees so effectively. Our ability to respond to future refugee crises has been hampered. Remember that refugees are human beings. Every human bears the image of God, and every person is an asset. Refugees in particular are people who have demonstrated the courage of their convictions, and who are willing to take risks for freedom. They are exactly the type of people we want to come to the United States.â
Jenny Yang, VP of Advocacy and Policy with World Relief, commented: âWe believe the refugee resettlement program has been dismantled and needs to be restored through Congressional leadership. One woman weâve resettled through World Relief fled Pakistan and believed her husband had been killed â he was targeted and left for dead for publishing Christian content. Heâs now hiding in Sri Lanka, and weâve been advocating for him for two years. To be resettled to the U.S. would mean he can be with his family and have the freedom to practice his faith openly. There are hundreds of stories like this one of people who have no ability to return home. Resettlement is the only real solution for these individuals. As we discuss implementing a robust religious freedom agenda abroad, we need to also talk about what it would mean to accept those fleeing religious persecution in the U.S.
âI urge you to join the Bipartisan Refugee Caucus that will keep the administration accountable to refugees, co-sponsor to pass the Grace Act which will restore the refugee ceiling to 95,00 every year and support MRA and funding for the Office of Refugee Resettlement that helps those after theyâve been resettled or trafficked.â
Matthew Wilch, Refugee Policy Advisor, United State Conference of Catholic Bishops/Migration and Refugee Services (USCCB/MRS), commented: âWe need to be responsive to religious persecution and the forced immigration it causes, and we need durable solutions for refugees fleeing persecution. We must take a comprehensive approach to refugee protection by investing in root causes, and this means fighting for religious liberty â not just in the U.S., but in other countries as well. We must support refugees in host countries. And for that small percentage of refugees not safe in either their home or host countries, we need to provide resettlement.â
Elizabeth K. Cassidy, Director of International Law and Policy, U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), commented, âUntil recently, the U.S. had one of the largest refugee resettlement programs of any country. USCIRF has been a strong proponent for many years of a robust resettlement program, which has always had strong bipartisan support. We feel the ceiling should take into account the scope of religious persecution around the world. A recent UNHCR report showed six of the ten top refugee producing countries are of concern to USCIRF, and three have been designated by the State Department as among the worldâs worst violators of religious freedom.â
Joseph Lewis, refugee, commented: âI am a husband, a parent, and a police officer in D.C. Iâm also a student pastor â and a former refugee. In Liberia, my family was targeted weekly and daily because our last name was the same as a hated political leader. We fled the country on a freight train and arrived in the Ivory Coast in 1990. We lived there from 1990-1998 before we finally got an opportunity to sit for an interview. During that time, my life was not very hopeful. The whole time we could see those same people who tormented us just across the border. My friends and I swore that if we had the opportunity to get out, we would never miss that chance.
âOn January 24, 1999, I finally arrived in New York City. In the transition process, I endured a time of homelessness. After encountering a Lutheran pastor, I eventually went back to school and got my life back on track. I have been given an opportunity, and I want to return the favor.
âThis is why I became a police officer. And this is why I went to seminary, and why I want stories like mine to be told.â
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 worldâs 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, weâve 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.
Stories from the Border: Amos
Over the last few weeks the news has been filled with stories of whatâs 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, weâll be highlighting a few of these brave men and women, and their journey with World Relief.
As a member of an ethnic English-speaking minority in Cameroon, Amos was a teacher who once attended a meeting advocating for his peopleâs right to vote and better government representation. At the meetingâs conclusion, the people who attended were marked by a gang and began receiving death threats. Rather than go home that night, Amos fled to a relativeâs home in another part of town.
Sadly, the threats only followed him and became more severe. Finally, when Amos heard that there was an assassination ordered, he fled to Nigeria, crossing a dangerous river overnight. From there Amos made his way to Europe, then South America and finally north across the land to the U.S.-Mexico border.
By law, Amos was allowed to present his case to an asylum officer. After the interview assessing credible fear, the officer released him into the U.S. where he was dropped off at the San Diego bus station. âI didnât know where I was,â he said. ââSan Diegoâ is Spanish, so I wondered, âAm I in the U.S. or still in Mexico?ââ
Thankfully, an outreach worker in the area found Amos and explained where he was, helped him find housing and connected him with the legal services necessary to understand the asylum process and prepare his case.
Finally, Amos was given the opportunity to present his case for asylum. The conditions of his home country were deemed unsafe and the legal definition of persecution applied to him. His asylum was granted, and with the help of World Relief, he received legal help to apply for a green card. Today, Amos works for Amazon in Southern California. He is looking forward to marriage, a family and a future.
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 Shares Refugee Stories of Hope, Transformation on World Refugee Day 2019
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
July 11, 2019
CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
carl@pinkstongroup.com
703-388-6734
World Relief Shares Refugee Stories of Hope, Transformation on World Refugee Day 2019
Organization hosts local celebrations nationwide, spearheads peer-to-peer fundraising campaign
BALTIMORE, Md. â In celebration of the courage of refugees, World Relief commemorated World Refugee Day 2019 throughout the month of June with a number of initiatives designed to increase support of this remarkable community. Since 1979, World Relief has played a crucial role in helping more than 400,000 refugees and immigrants settle in America. This past year, the organization assisted 77,000 refugees, asylum seekers and other immigrants in the transition to life in the U.S., including providing legal services, language aid and help finding employment and housing. In addition, World Reliefâs programs have improved the lives of over 250,000 refugees and displaced people around the world.
âDespite diminishing support from the federal government and a news cycle that has largely moved on from this ongoing crisis, World Relief has managed to support more than 77,000 refugees, asylum seekers and other vulnerable immigrants integrating into communities throughout the U.S. this year,â said Scott Arbeiter, president of World Relief. âWeâre excited that this global commemoration gives us an opportunity to celebrate the stories of these brave men, women and children â but hope that the celebration and advocacy continues to tomorrow, and the next week, and the months and years to come. These initiatives signal a renewal of our commitment to partner with churches and communities to help those striving to rebuild their lives and make this great nation of ours their home.â
Additionally, the organization raised nearly $75,000 through a national fundraising campaign that equipped individuals interested in supporting refugees with the tools they need to raise awareness and support among their personal networks. Spanning the month of June, the campaign came after dramatic cuts to federal government grants given to nonprofits in support of refugee resettlement, which have decreased by over 40% since 2016. The organization also released a short film to accompany the campaign, illustrating the hardships and hopes that characterize a refugeeâs journey to the U.S., and an infographic advocating a higher Presidential Determination for Fiscal Year 2020.
On a national scale, World Relief urged federal leaders to raise the cap of admitted refugees to at least 75,000. On World Refugee Day, the organization collected signatures on a multi-faith letter which was sent to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and announced on a press call. They organized the letter to promote international religious freedom as a foreign policy goal and the importance of the U.S. refugee resettlement program as a tool to that end.
On a local scale, World Relief offices across the country held celebrations to honor the achievements and contributions of immigrant and refugee communities. The families and individuals whom World Relief supports shared their stories with their neighbors at events across the U.S. Alongside food, entertainment and activities, local advocates were encouraged and equipped to help support their new neighbors as they acclimate to the U.S.
In California, World Relief Sacramento partnered with Sacramento Republic FC, the other resettlement agencies and the mayorâs office to host a family-friendly soccer tournament on June 8 for over 1300 community members, and on June 20, they hosted a storytelling event. In North Carolina, about 1000 community members and former refugees celebrated the accomplishments of refugees in their neighborhood through the Durham Refugee Day, hosted by World Relief of the Triangle in partnership with Church World Service. In Wisconsin, former refugees and other community members enjoyed a picnic coordinated by World Relief Fox Valley during a local baseball game. And in Washington State, World Reliefâs three local offices in the state â in Seattle, the Tri-Cities and Spokane â hosted the fifth annual SEA-TRI-KAN bike race to raise funds to support programming and services for the local refugee community.
âWeâre constantly amazed by the generosity of our donors, local church partners and volunteers,â said Tim Breene, CEO of World Relief. âKnowing that our nation was built on the hard work and ingenuity of immigrants, men and women from different parts of the country have come together in support of newcomers from across the globe. We are not only confident that our goals will be met, but we also believe that this, in turn, will show federal leaders that Americans are still committed to welcoming immigrants to our shores.â
While more than 70 million individuals globally have been forced to leave their homes, including over 25 million who have left their countries and are considered refugees, World Refugee Day recognizes a global struggle to provide displaced individuals with the basic rights of safety, dignity and liberty. Those interested in learning more or starting their own funding campaign can visit World Reliefâs website. Watch World Reliefâs film short here. View the infographic here.
Download the PDF version of this press release.
###
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 worldâs 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, weâve 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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