Posts by worldrelief
The (Bloody) Face of Violence in Syria
If you haven’t already, take a moment and watch the video below. It’s not easy to watch. It shouldn’t be. It’s horrific, startling and heartbreaking.
It feels all too familiar. We are two weeks away from the one year anniversary of young Alan Kurdi’s death. Seeing the photo of Aylan’s lifeless body washed up on a beach in Turkey was—for many—the first realization that something truly horrific was happening in Syria, and for those fleeing Syria.
This morning, these images of Omran feels like a second realization—that the Syrian conflict is far from over. That countless lives are being lost and destroyed by the civil war there. That children are literally being bombed out of their homes. While it’s not clear yet about the full circumstances of this incident in Aleppo, what is clear is that no child should be made to suffer in this way. Instead of finishing their summers wiping water from their faces after swimming practice, children are wiping blood from their faces. Instead of wearing smiles on their faces while playing with Legos, there are vacant looks of shock, as their homes and family members are lost.
Watching the video of Omran, it’s so easy to feel helpless. But each of us can help. YOU can help.
Donating to World Relief is not the solution to the Syrian civil war. We get that. But we truly believe that we can all offset human suffering, as we become change-makers. Your donation to World Relief allows us to continue investing in the lives of refugee children, like providing child-friendly spaces where kids like Omran can once again play, learn and grow.
Because this crisis continues every day, our commitment to Syrian refugees and others displaced in the Middle East MUST continue. We can not—must not—”grow weary in doing good.” (Galatians 6:9)
VITAL STATS:
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More than 300 people killed in and around Aleppo in the last two weeks. (source: ICRC, 8/18/16)
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One out three killed were women and children. (source: ICRC, 8/18/16)
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Currently 4,812,278 registered Syrian Refugees. (source: UNHCR, Government of Turkey, 8/16/16)
Four Ways You Can Make a Difference Today
Looking for something you can do today to make a difference in the world? Here’s four:
1. Write for Refugees
Last month, World Relief partnered with ONE and Save the Children to collect handwritten notes from attendees of Together 2016, the largest Christian gathering of its kind in over 20 years. Hundreds of notes were written to encourage President Obama to continue welcoming refugees to the United States. One of the notes was even personally delivered to the President! We’re continuing to collect notes to deliver to the President later this fall. Add your voice to the growing number of people standing with refugees.
Write a message to President Obama
2. Pray for South Sudan
On July 9, new violence broke out stationed in South Sudan, a country which is now on the brink of civil war. A World Relief team member in South Sudan shared his firsthand account of the unfolding situation, along with prayer requests for safety and peace in this vulnerable nation.
3. Learn About the Global Refugee Crisis
This month also saw the release of Seeking Refuge: On the Shores of the Global Refugee Crisis, co-authored by Stephan Bauman, Matthew Soerens and Issam Smeir. We’re thrilled so many people have read the book! Download a free chapter and begin learning how you can better engage the global refugee crisis.
Download a free chapter of Seeking Refuge now
4. Practice Courage and Leadership
We’re grateful for those around the world who are practicing courage and leadership, and honored to share their stories. This month on our blog, we shared about those who are welcoming refugees, delivering food to families on the front lines of war, and seeking to establish God’s kingdom in their daily lives. Hearing their stories, we’re moved to practice courage and leadership in our own spheres of influence.
Read stories of courage & leadership
[This blog post originally appeared as an update to subscribers of our email newsletter. If you’d like to receive regular email updates from us, please subscribe for free today.]
South Sudan: World’s Youngest Nation on the Brink of Civil War
[This post comes to us from a team member in South Sudan, however we’re choosing to keep the author’s identity private at this time.]
In most parts of the world, Independence Day is something to celebrate. It’s a day to remember past sacrifice and to celebrate the victory of a battle hard fought. And yet, last week’s Independence Day in South Sudan was a different story.
July 9—a date that has been celebrated in South Sudan since the country gained independence in 2011—was greeted this year with heightened vigilance, rumors of violence, and little sense of victory. Fireworks did not end in awe-inspiring bursts of color and grace, and families were not underfoot admiring the spectacular display. The color in the South Sudanese sky that night was brought instead by tracer ammunition and accompanied by the reverberating staccato of heavy weaponry.
As we settled into Thursday evening, I could hear the distant bursts of gunfire. It’s been a while since it’s been this loud and this consistent. It’s been a while since tensions in Juba have been this high. That’s why, when my phone rang that night, my brain began anticipating several scenarios. In the end it was a warning from one of my security guards. “Security isn’t good…stay in your compound. I’ve taken shelter with a brother because I can’t make it home.”
I offered my thanks for his update and a few shallow words of encouragement. What can you say when this nation finds itself once more on the edge? Where a slight nudge is sufficient to ignite a conflict with unimaginable consequences.
Friday brought that nudge.
While the details are not entirely clear, here’s what the weekend held. There was heavy fighting on Friday at the Presidential Palace while the President, First Vice President, and Vice President were meeting–resulting in significant loss of life. Saturday was calm by comparison, but Sunday was chaos.
Hundreds have died and thousands have fled. The peace negotiated almost a year ago is over. Staff are at home, reporting fighting in their neighborhoods. They are lying on the floor, hiding under beds, and reporting that they do not know if they will survive the day. I expect the worst.
My heart breaks for this nation and for these people. Please pray for the following:
- Our teams in South Sudan, as we finalize safety and security plans for World Relief staff and volunteers.
- Our work, as the nation spirals back into chaos.
- This nation. It has been reported that war has been declared; we do not know what tomorrow will bring but we trust that this will not be the end.
In Celebration of Courage and Leadership
Messengers at the annual meeting of the Southern Baptist Convention cast ballots for a resolution during the afternoon session Tuesday, June 14 in St. Louis. Photo by Chris Carter, Copyright © 2016 Baptist Press, Southern Baptist Convention
As we in the United States look towards next week’s celebration of Independence Day, we are mindful of the millions around the world whose daily experience does not include many of the same rights and freedoms we enjoy. As we remember them, we recommit ourselves to standing with these vulnerable people groups. We also celebrate those who are working to bring hope and help to so many vulnerable people.
We are especially grateful in this season for the commitment recently expressed by the Southern Baptist Convention in their resolution to welcome refugees who are resettling in the United States. As the largest denomination in the United States, we know that the effects of their resolution will echo not only throughout their own churches, but throughout countless U.S. churches of many denominations. We are grateful for, and celebrate the moral courage and leadership the Southern Baptist Convention has shown in this area.
We also celebrate the ongoing work of Preemptive Love—an organization of individuals who continue to risk their lives to deliver food and aid to Iraqi families caught in the crossfire of the operation to liberate Fallujah from ISIS control. This week, Preemptive Love team members encountered more danger than at any other time in their organization’s history. We are inspired by their courage to risk everything in order to meet the essential needs of those in and around Fallujah.
Finally, we are grateful for and celebrate each of you. At World Relief, we know that you not only faithfully support our work to stand with the vulnerable around the world, but that you also faithfully stand with the vulnerable in your day to day lives. We remember Jesus’ words that as you serve “the least of these,” you serve Jesus himself. For the many ways in which you work to bring freedom, hope, health and love to the lives of those in your churches, schools, places of work, and neighborhoods—we celebrate your courage and leadership.
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How You Stand with the Vulnerable
Photo courtesy Preemptive Love Coalition
Because of the generosity of donors, World Relief was able to help Preemptive Love provide food and other essential items to 500 families in Fallujah.
Two weeks ago, Iraqi military forces began ground operations around the city of Fallujah to reclaim it from ISIS. Within the first week, 500 families were liberated but left without food, water, or shelter. However, because of your support, that quickly changed. Here’s how:
Our partners at Preemptive Love Coalition provide aid and relief on the front lines of the war against ISIS. They operate behind enemy lines in some of the most dangerous and heavily militarized zones of the Middle East. As ISIS cuts through the region, leaving death and destruction in its path, Preemptive Love follows behind, giving food, shelter, and essential non-food items to families affected by the conflict.
Two weeks ago, as the Iraqi-led military operation against ISIS drew closer to Fallujah, Preemptive Love anticipated the humanitarian crisis that would unfold as the conflict reached the city. In need of immediate funds to supply aid for thousands of people, Preemptive Love reached out to a number of its partners, including World Relief.
Thanks to the donations many of you regularly make to World Relief, we were able to quickly give Preemptive Love $20,000 to provide food, mattresses, medicine, and hygiene products to the families of Fallujah. Because of your support, 500 families in Fallujah have food! That’s no small accomplishment.
When you make a donation to World Relief, you make it possible for us to fulfill our calling to stand with the vulnerable—both by expanding our operations, and by allowing us to give to organizations like Preemptive Love.
Consider making a one time donation today, or commit to showing your continued care for the vulnerable by committing to give $29 per month.
Thank you for your commitment to the vulnerable, and your trust in World Relief. Your support for our organization and organizations like Preemptive Love means the difference between life and death, and between hope and despair for so many around the world.
When a Story Becomes a Person
[this blog post was written by Kelly Dolan, World Relief’s Content Strategy Manager.]
If you can’t remember anything about World Refugee Day 2015, you’re not alone. If you’re like me, you didn’t even know such a day existed. I mean, we knew (roughly) what a refugee was because we’d occasionally hear a story in the news about those who had been displaced. But that’s all the refugee crisis was for a while—a distant story.
But then one morning last September, our computer and TV screens were filled with the now tragically iconic picture of the lifeless body of three-year-old Alan Kurdi, his body washed up on a Turkish beach. As we learned more about one refugee child, a story in the news suddenly became a person.
This happened before I came to work for World Relief, before I was learning and telling the stories of refugees on an almost daily basis. I’m honestly embarrassed I didn’t know more about the refugee crisis before the photo surfaced.
After all that’s happened this year, more of us are aware of World Refugee Day 2016. And many of us care about refugees in a new way. But now there’s a different kind of story that’s filling our computer and TV screens. It goes like this…
“Refugees are dangerous. They’re violent people. They’re a threat to whatever country takes them in. The only way we can truly protect our country from terrorism is to keep refugees out.”
I’m guessing you’ve heard that story at least once already today. But without being rooted in any facts or personal narrative, that’s all it is—another story. It’s a story based on fear. There are some who want to use recent tragic events to tell us a story that creates fear. It may be a convenient story for their agenda. But it doesn’t make it true.
So today, on World Refugee Day, we want to not only tell you a different story, but to introduce you to a person. Meet Samir, a young man from Syria who has experienced much pain and much suffering, but has also found much hope.
If you’ve been afraid of refugees resettling in your town, our hope is that by meeting Samir, you’ll see your new refugee neighbors a bit differently. We hope it inspires you to meet more refugees. Because when you meet a refugee, a story becomes a person. And it’s much harder to be afraid—and so much easier to extend a loving welcome—when it’s a real person, not just a story in the news.
Also, let’s use today as a reminder to do everything we can to make sure that our new refugee neighbors like Samir don’t see us as just a story. Today, let’s commit to extending ourselves to our refugee neighbors so that as they are in the process of adjusting to a new country, new culture, potentially a new language, and discovering their best contribution to a society far from the place they once called home, we become real people to them as well.
As a story becomes a person for each of us, may God bring hope, healing, and peace to us all.
Want to know exactly how you can help refugees? Here are 6 ways.
Want to support World Relief as we serve refugees? Commit $15/month through Unlock Hope.
World Relief Announces President Transition
PRESS RELEASE
June 15, 2016
World Relief Announces President Transition
World Relief announced today that its President, Stephan Bauman, has resigned to take up the position of Executive Director at Cornerstone Trust, a foundation based in Grand Rapids, Michigan, seeking to bring transformation to the least accessed and resourced regions of the world. Scott Arbeiter, former Chair of the Board of World Relief and former Lead Pastor at Elmbrook Church in Wisconsin, will assume the role of World Relief’s President, effective August 15, 2016. Scott will serve alongside Tim Breene, World Relief’s CEO.
“I am sorry to see Stephan go,” said Tim Breene. “He has made a huge contribution to World Relief over his 12 years, including his tenure as President and CEO. Stephan played a pivotal role in bringing World Relief back to its core mission and roots. He has overseen the expansion of World Relief’s footprint both in the U.S. and the Middle East. In the last year in particular, Stephan has been a leading voice on the plight of refugees and the displaced around the world. Stephan, Scott and I have worked closely in defining the next chapter for World Relief. With Scott stepping into the President’s role, we anticipate a seamless transition.”
“The decision to leave World Relief has not been easy, but I am encouraged by what we have achieved together,” said Stephan Bauman. “After much reflection, the time is right for me to take on a new challenge. The role with Cornerstone will give me the opportunity to leverage my years of experience in relief and development towards serving the most vulnerable through philanthropy. My confidence in both Tim and Scott made it possible for me to consider this transition, knowing that I would be leaving World Relief in good hands. I am grateful for their partnership over the years and especially the last twelve months.”
Chair of the Board, Steve Moore, added, “Stephan has served tirelessly and faithfully for many years. We are truly grateful for his service and for the progress World Relief has made under his stewardship in standing with the most vulnerable around the world. We honor his sense of calling to his new role.”
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For more than 70 years World Relief has empowered the local church to serve millions of vulnerable people in some of the hardest places in the world. World Relief is a preferred choice among churches, donors and partners.
For press inquires, please contact Christina Klinepeter at cklinepeter@wr.org.
Mourning and Standing
(AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack)
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[The following blog post was written by Tim Breene, CEO, World Relief.]
We began this week with heavy hearts over the unimaginable loss of life in Orlando, Florida, on Sunday. Fifty lives lost is a tragedy in and of itself. Fifty lives taken by violence is a tragedy on multiple levels. So we, like so many others, mourn on multiple levels.
First and foremost, we mourn the deaths of the victims and for their friends and family who are experiencing overwhelming loss and grief.
We mourn that the LGBTQ community is suffering grievously as a result of violence targeting them.
We also mourn that there are some who will use this tragedy to fan flames of fear against foreigners in general, and refugees and immigrants in particular. We mourn that many of our Muslim friends and colleagues may receive threats, or feel threatened by neighbors unable to look past their nationality and religion.
While we recognize that this tragedy represents a multitude of complex issues, and while we respect rational, healthy debate across the political spectrum, we at World Relief will not shrink from our calling to stand with the vulnerable.
We are committed to being careful not to create more division and fuel the chorus of fear. This was an attack designed to spill terror and manifest hate. Instead, we will love.
We will stand with those around the world who live daily with the reality of war, violence, intolerance and hate. We will continue our work to create a safer, more peaceful world.
We will stand with our Muslim friends, believing that a threat against any religious community is a threat to us all.
We will stand with refugees and immigrants who are facing increasing levels of discrimination in a country they hoped would provide safety and opportunity.
We will stand against bullying, hate and violence of any kind.
Why? Because we believe that Jesus has called each of us to be his hands and feet, working on his behalf to bring order, peace and healing to a chaotic, war-torn and broken world.
Our hope is found in the life-giving, life-affirming message of Jesus, who said, “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” (John 10:10, NIV)
Drought Pushes Turkana Herders to Farming
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The Refugee Crisis is My Problem
[The following blog post was written by Mark Lamb, World Relief’s Church Partnership Director. Mark recently returned from a trip to the Middle East with Eugene Cho and One Day’s Wages.]
Just a few weeks ago, Eugene and I along with a translator, walked a little girl home from one of the schools that One Day’s Wages has been sharing about this week. It was a beautiful, sunny, 75-degree day and this little girl with her pink backpack and her hair in a ponytail reminded me of my two daughters. As we walked, she got turned around and so we wandered through the streets enjoying the day together.
Eventually we got back on course and found our way to her home where we were warmly invited in by her mother and grandmother. It was a small two-room cinderblock apartment which looked like a construction project that hadn’t quite been finished. The ceilings were low and a small 1980s TV was playing in the corner. We sat on the floor around the edges of the room on thin cushions and talked about our hopes for our kids. (There was a future Syrian doctor in the room, we were told.) Even with the stop-start cadence of communicating through translation, it was easy to forget we were talking with refugees. They were people. Parents with hopes for their kids and kids who love to play with their friends at school.
This encounter, along with many others I had over two weeks, has forced me to confront my own apathy. Is this crisis my problem? Is this your problem?
At every turn, it seems like people around the globe are saying, “Not my problem.” Countries around Syria are erecting fences and even shooting refugees who try to cross. The EU is paying Turkey to keep refugees from migrating to Europe. At its highest number, 31 U.S. governors said they would not take Syrian refugees in their states. The Governor of Texas sued a refugee resettlement agency and the Governor of Georgia temporarily refused State services to Syrian refugee families.
At World Relief, we’re a group of Christians striving to follow the example of Jesus, who left the comforts of heaven for the messiness of this world. He entered into our reality, ultimately offering up his life for us. We fail at following his example a lot. You may too. But, we think it’s worth it to step into this situation and say, “This is my problem.”
We’re partnering with One Day’s Wages because both organizations are passionate about saying, “This is my problem.” We invite you to join us. You can give to our joint campaign, but we hope you won’t stop with that. More than giving, we hope you’ll find refugees where you live. We hope you’ll enter into their lives through relationship and advocate on their behalf. I think you’ll find little girls with pink backpacks, future doctors, and moms with high hopes for their kids.
[World Relief provides various opportunities to serve refugees locally across the US through Good Neighbor Teams. Check with your local World Relief office]
The Refugee Crisis is My Problem
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