Op-Ed’s & Press Releases
World Relief Honors International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
November 25, 2019
CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
Lauren.carl@pinkston.co
703-388-6734
World Relief Honors International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women
BALTIMORE – World Relief rejects any violence against women, and remains committed to fighting this violence by honoring the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and giving equal opportunity to women through all its programming.
One in three women has or will face physical abuse or violence during her lifetime – often at the hands of intimate partners. Much of this violence goes unseen, and oftentimes cultural shaming or broken systems contribute to ensuring those who suffer stay silent. To bring awareness, the U.N.’s General Assembly declared November 25 as a day for governments, NGOs and other international organizations to raise awareness of the plight of many women around the world.
Joanna Kretzer Chun, program resource team director with World Relief, commented: “According to the U.N., the cumulative effect of violence against women of reproductive age has caused more deaths than cancer and results in more ill effects than both malaria and traffic accidents. This is unconscionable. We can and must do better. At World Relief, we believe that women are created in the image of God. We are committed to fighting for a better future for women and girls around the world. We believe our world is a better place when women’s voices are heard, which is why in 2020 we are putting a new emphasis on women’s leadership locally and globally by ensuring they are at the table when decisions about program strategy, design and implementation are being made.”
During 2018 and 2019, over 11,000 women and men in Malawi and Burundi participated in World Relief’s couple strengthening groups, Families for Life, challenging long held norms that devalue women and improving couple’s communication. In 2018, through World Relief’s Savings for Life program, over 90,000 women gained tools to manage their finances. In the Democratic Republic of the Congo, nearly 4,000 youth were trained in sexual and gender-based violence awareness. In Rwanda, World Relief’s partnership with Starbucks empowered 13,000 women to flourish through clean drinking water, healthy homes, safe relationships and economic opportunity. And in FY 2019, 1,179 women and girls were resettled by World Relief through the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program.
“Our programming and services are tailored to alleviate and prevent suffering around the world. Empowering women is one of the first steps to achieving this goal,” commented Jenny Yang, World Relief vice president for advocacy and policy. “Whether in refugee resettlement or through savings groups or Families for Life, when we equip one woman to take ownership of her health, resources and – most importantly – her voice, for herself and her family, that’s where we see flourishing take root.”
For more information about how you can partner with World Relief to empower women around the world, 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.
World Relief Urges SCOTUS to Support Dreamers, Congressional Solution to DACA
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
November 12, 2019
CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
Lauren.carl@pinkston.co
703-388-6734
World Relief Urges SCOTUS to Support Dreamers, Congressional Solution to DACA
Global evangelical humanitarian organization joins USCCB, leading faith & migrant advocacy organizations to sign amicus brief
BALTIMORE, Md. –As the Supreme Court opens oral arguments on three cases related to DACA, World Relief expresses support for the over 700,000 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals recipients around the country and urges a congressional solution to create a legal pathway to citizenship. World Relief has joined the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, Catholic Charities USA, Catholic Health Association, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC), Center for Migration Studies and Council of Christian Colleges and Universities, to file an amicus brief in support of DACA recipients for the court to consider as they listen to arguments.
“For many DACA recipients, America is the only home they have ever known,” said Scott Arbeiter, president of World Relief. “We urge SCOTUS to support the DACA program which has allowed thousands of men and women who came to the U.S. through no choice of their own to have more stability and security in the U.S.”
Though young, DACA recipients are contributing members of America’s communities. As of 2017, 93.3% of DACA-eligible individuals were actively employed, and as of 2019, around the country, DACA recipients pay $5.7 billion in federal taxes, not to mention the $3.1 billion contributed in local and state taxes.
The three cases in question, Trump v. NAACP, McAleenan v. Vidal, and Department of Homeland Security v. Regents of the University of California, address the legality of the administration’s decision to end DACA. Following the hearing in November, a decision is expected from SCOTUS in the spring of 2020.
World Relief CEO Tim Breene, commented: “By choosing not to protect DACA recipients, we would be failing to demonstrate moral leadership by caring for all members of our community. Many DACA recipients have contributed tremendously to our country. We urge Congress to pass legislation like the DREAM Act to protect DACA recipients.”
Though President Trump has previously expressed willingness to compromise and create a pathway to citizenship for Dreamers, bipartisan legislation such as the DREAM Act remains pending. World Relief urges Congress and the president to act now to create a legislative solution.
To learn more about DACA and the DREAM Act, visit World Relief’s blog. For more information about how you can help, World Relief’s refugee resettlement work and other projects, visit worldrelief.org.
Download the PDF version of this press release.
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About World Relief:
World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that seeks to overcome violence, poverty and injustice. Through love in action, we bring hope, healing and restoration to millions of the world’s most vulnerable women, men and children through vital and sustainable programs in disaster response, health and child development, economic development and peacebuilding, as well as refugee and immigration services in the U.S. For 75 years, we’ve partnered with churches and communities, currently across more than 20 countries, to provide relief from suffering and help people rebuild their lives.
Learn more at worldrelief.org.
President Trump Signs FY 2020 Presidential Determination, World Relief Responds
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
November 4, 2019
CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
Lauren.carl@pinkston.co
703-388-6734
President Trump Signs FY 2020 Presidential Determination, World Relief Responds
BALTIMORE, Md. – Late Friday night, the president signed the Fiscal Year 2020 Presidential Determination, setting the cap for refugee arrivals at the lowest level in U.S. history – 18,000. World Relief, the National Association of Evangelicals’ humanitarian arm and a refugee resettlement agency, remains dedicated to their commitment to serve and protect those seeking refuge in the U.S.
“While we’re grateful to the administration for putting back into motion the refugee arrival processes that have stalled for a whole month, we continue to advocate resettlement levels commensurate with the global need,” said Scott Arbeiter, president of World Relief. “We will continue to serve those in our care with joy, but we mourn the lives who will not find a haven from the many global conflicts as a result of this reduction in the refugee ceiling.”
Due to the delay in signing the Presidential Determination, October 2019 marked the first month in nearly 30 years in which zero refugees were resettled, according to World Relief’s records. The previous average refugee arrivals for the last five Octobers by all refugee agencies have been 4,945.
World Relief CEO Tim Breene, commented: “We remain concerned for the persecuted religious minorities who will not be allowed into the U.S. in FY 2020. From 2016-2019, the number of Christian refugees resettled from 50 countries on the Open Doors USA World Watch List plummeted by 64.8%. We believe the cap’s 5,000 reserved spots in 2020 for persecuted religious minorities grossly underestimates the global need and forfeits the U.S.’s urgent responsibility to provide global leadership in this area.”
For more information about how you can help, World Relief’s refugee resettlement work and other projects, visit worldrelief.org.
Download the PDF version of this press release.
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About World Relief:
World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that seeks to overcome violence, poverty and injustice. Through love in action, we bring hope, healing and restoration to millions of the world’s most vulnerable women, men and children through vital and sustainable programs in disaster response, health and child development, economic development and peacebuilding, as well as refugee and immigration services in the U.S. For 75 years, we’ve partnered with churches and communities, currently across more than 20 countries, to provide relief from suffering and help people rebuild their lives.
Learn more at worldrelief.org.
World Relief Laments Zero Refugee Admissions in October 2019
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
November 1, 2019
CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
Lauren.carl@pinkston.co
703-388-6734
World Relief Laments Zero Refugee Admissions in October 2019
Leading refugee resettlement organization urges administration to resume refugee admissions as soon as possible
BALTIMORE, Md. – World Relief, a leading faith-based relief and development organization, today mourns the fact that as of yesterday. the U.S. has resettled no refugees for a full month. For at least as far back as World Relief has records, nearly thirty years, there’s never been a month when the U.S. did not receive a refugee – until October 2019. The number is due to a pause placed by the State Department on admissions that has resulted in hundreds of canceled flights and thrust thousands of hopeful refugees back into a state of uncertainty. For the past five fiscal years, the average number of refugees resettled in October by all refugee resettlement agencies has been 4,945 refugees. This news comes on the heels of reports that the Trump administration plans to cap the number of resettled refugees for Fiscal Year 2020 at 18,000 – the smallest number since the advent of the modern refugee program.
“This isn’t just heartbreaking – it’s unjust,” said Scott Arbeiter, president of World Relief. “Withdrawing our troops from Syria meant unleashing chaos in the region and forcing even more people to flee their homes. To refuse to open our doors is to abdicate responsibility for a scenario to which we as a nation have contributed. I urge the administration to reconsider its approach and set a cap that better represents the compassion and hospitality of the American people.”
Of the hundreds of flights canceled as a result of the State Department’s pause on admissions, 126 were scheduled to carry refugees whom World Relief was to have resettled. Almost all of those were expecting to be reunited with family members already in the U.S. Additionally, some of the refugees scheduled to enter the country in October face expiring security checks, and may not be able to enter once the pause is lifted until they are again cleared after another round of security protocols.
“It’s a shame that at a time when we’re facing the world’s worst refugee crisis since World War II, and we’re seeing the ongoing new displacement of Syrians, Rohingya and others, that the U.S. has accepted zero refugees this month, for the first time in our records,” said Jenny Yang, vice president of advocacy and policy at World Relief. “We should be doing more, not less, and keeping the door open to protect the persecuted who have no safe place to go.”
Since 1979, World Relief has resettled approximately 300,000 refugees. Throughout that time, it has advocated for an approach to resettlement that combines security and compassion. The Refugee Act of 1980, which established federal procedures for security and background checks, has successfully met those criteria: Since its passage, more than 3 million refugees have been resettled to the U.S. by all agencies, but not one has taken the life of a U.S. citizen in a terrorist attack. Even in the immediate aftermath of the September 11 attacks, the State Department resumed admissions after just a short pause, allowing those fleeing violence around the globe to find safe haven on our shores. World Relief urges our federal leaders to adhere to a model that has served us so well and raise the ceiling for admissions to its historical levels.
For more information about World Relief’s refugee resettlement work and other projects, visit worldrelief.org.
Download the PDF version of this press release.
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About World Relief:
World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that seeks to overcome violence, poverty and injustice. Through love in action, we bring hope, healing and restoration to millions of the world’s most vulnerable women, men and children through vital and sustainable programs in disaster response, health and child development, economic development and peacebuilding, as well as refugee and immigration services in the U.S. For 75 years, we’ve partnered with churches and communities, currently across more than 20 countries, to provide relief from suffering and help people rebuild their lives.
Learn more at worldrelief.org.
World Relief to Implement Reconciliation, Stabilization and Resilience Trust Fund Project in South Sudan
***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
October 24, 2019
CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
Lauren.carl@pinkston.co
703-388-6734
World Relief to Implement Reconciliation, Stabilization and Resilience Trust Fund Project in South Sudan
Group to lead working group including CARE, Danish Refugee Council and Mercy Corps
BALTIMORE, Md. – World Relief was recently awarded a grant from the new Reconciliation, Stabilization, and Resilience Trust Fund (RSRTF) for South Sudan. World Relief will lead a consortium including CARE, Danish Refugee Council and Mercy Corps in this two-year, $5.2 million grant focused on Koch County, South Sudan, which will directly affect 3,070 beneficiaries and 77,886 indirect beneficiaries. This project is the first to be funded through this new trust fund and is expected to be a model which can be extended to other counties as implementation of the peace process continues.
The 2018 revitalized peace agreement brought about a notable decrease in political violence as a result of the conflict across South Sudan. Localized insecurity such as revenge killings, intra-communal fighting and sexual violence, however, have continued or even increased. Program partners in Koch conducted participatory field research in which residents identified gaps in the lack of rule of law, limited options for youth, continued ethnic division, gender disparity and the lack of basic services. Following the assessment and consultation with the Area Reference Group, four humanitarian partners proposed strategic interventions to facilitate reconciliation, increase stability and encourage resiliency in Koch County.
These partners – World Relief, CARE, Danish Refugee Council and Mercy Corps – bring both a wealth of technical expertise to the project, but also years of experience of operating in Koch and local relationships. While the project’s efforts are focused in Koch, it is with the understanding that the stability of this location has implications for the surrounding areas. The partners will coordinate with other stakeholders, including United Nations Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS) and government actors, for key activities such as protection and access to justice.
“We are honored to work side-by-side with some of the wisest and most talented in the industry to meet these pressing needs,” commented World Relief president Scott Arbeiter.
The project is designed to achieve the following key outcomes:
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Individuals, particularly children and women, are facing less violence at the community and local level.
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Communities have effective mechanisms in place that meaningfully include women and youth to resolve conflicts peacefully.
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Justice sector actors are more effectively delivering justice, even in areas with previously limited or no judicial infrastructure.
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Community resilience is strengthened through increased economic opportunities and sustainable livelihoods.
To realize these outcomes, a broad range ofactivities will be used to meet the identified needs related to reconciliation, stabilization and resiliency. Local justice mechanisms (chiefs’ courts) will be supported to provide appropriate and inclusive access to justice and referrals for higher crimes. A secondary school, second chance education center and youth vocational skills center will be established to give opportunities for disaffected youth who might otherwise turn to violence. Resilient livelihoods, particularly for women, will be supported, including the development of two key value chains. The lives of women and girls will also be improved through activities around gender and sexual violence. Housing, land and property (HLP) issues will addressed as a key concern for potential returnees. Peace committees will be formed to negotiate intra- and inter-communal violence and improve stability.
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.
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.
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.
A Call to Stand for Religious Freedom
Today, June 20th, marks World Refugee Day. According to just released data by UNHCR, there are more than 70 million displaced persons around the world. Half of them are children, and in 2018, 13.6 million people were newly displaced. When the world is seeing historic levels of displacement, we have the opportunity to help. Strengthening refugee resettlement will help not only promote international religious freedom but also be a life-saving tool of protection for a small number of vulnerable refugees. With 40 signatories from a wide range of faith traditions, we ask U.S. government leaders to remember a deeply rooted belief that each person should be able to freely practice their faith.
We Need Renewed Attention to AIDS
Last week, to mark the 30th anniversary of World AIDS Day, the vice president announced a historic investment of $100 million of new resources to expand its engagement with faith-based organizations and communities of faith that are serving on the front lines of our fight against HIV/AIDS through PEPFAR, the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief. Over the past 30 years there has been remarkable progress in slowing the rate of infection across the globe. But with this progress, public attention to this epidemic, especially among Americans, has declined in recent years. And yet millions of people around the world are still desperately in need of education, resources and advocacy for testing and treatment. With increased awareness of the work that still needs to be done, we can make HIV/AIDS a thing of the past.
More than 36 million people worldwide – including 1.8 million children – are still living with HIV/AIDS. Approximately 5,000 new cases are contracted every day, and 1 million lives are lost each year. Over  two-thirds of people  living  with HIV are in sub-Saharan Africa, where three in four new infections are among adolescent girls aged 15-19.  Significant and lasting change can be accomplished by mobilizing churches and communities. The church has a critical role in helping to get people tested and treated. These efforts can prevent the transmission of HIV between couples, mothers and their unborn or newly born infants and youth. Additionally, delaying the age of sexual debut can be an important tactic in HIV prevention among youth.
Through our Mobilizing for Life campaign, which began in Rwanda almost twenty years ago, World Relief staff and volunteers have trained church leaders on HIV/AIDS prevention, treatment and counseling in 14 countries. Our work with HIV/AIDS has had a tremendous impact in reducing stigma, caring for people living with AIDS, mobilizing youth to make wise choices about sex, encouraging mutual faithfulness in marriages, testing and treatment among couples, and training parents and church leaders to engage in advocacy and education to fight against the HIV virus in their communities. World Relief is working at root concerns of family and couple protection and is strengthening families in a program known as Families for Life. The goals are to enhance the value of women and girls, reduce partner violence, and support behaviors among couples that reduce HIV transmission. World Relief’s efforts have reached over three million people with HIV and AIDS prevention and care.
Much of this progress has been catalyzed by Ambassador Deborah Birx, M.D., and her team at PEPFAR. Through medical advances in testing and treatment, and by bringing skill and scale to this global issue, PEPFAR has already saved a remarkable 17 million lives and in 15 years has made the United States the world’s leader in responding to the global HIV/AIDS crisis.
In addition, as a result of the PEPFAR program, over 2 million babies have been born HIV-free to mothers living with HIV. And this year, for the first time, the latest PEPFAR data also show significant declines in new HIV diagnoses among adolescent girls and young women. 
The compassion of the American people is extended and amplified through the engagement of faith-based organizations, which can mobilize others with efficiency and compassion in enduring ways. PEPFAR’s work has demonstrated the substantive effect that public-private partnerships can have where public resources are leveraged with local actors who have the relationships and capacity on the ground to deliver quality care.
Ultimately, local communities are the answer to enduring and sustainable change. We need to encourage local populations and governments to take ownership of any investment in the health of their communities. Our goal should be for this ownership to be increasingly and principally local and national in each country. As Mark Green, the administrator of USAID, has said, “the  purpose of foreign assistance  should  be ending  its  need to exist.”
Presidents Bush, Obama and Trump have provided leadership in the global fight against HIV, and eight successive Congresses have approved funding. We urge Congress and the administration to continue to support HIV/AIDS advocacy, prevention and treatment funding. The progress has been substantial, but growing populations present a growing risk of HIV prevalence around the world.
We should honor those who have lost their lives to AIDS by carrying a message of hope and prevention across the globe. And we can’t let up our efforts until all needing help receive it, and there is not one more new infection.
Scott Arbeiter’s proven marketplace skills, pastoral experience, passion for mission and history with World Relief uniquely equip him for his role as President of World Relief. Scott was a partner at Arthur Andersen serving in a variety of functions over his seventeen-year marketplace career. In 2001, Scott resigned from the partnership to serve at Elmbrook Church in Milwaukee, where he became Lead Pastor. Scott has also served on World Relief’s Board of Directors for nearly a decade, including three years as Chairman. After finishing his term on the board in 2015 Scott became a consultant and advisor to World Relief Leadership. Scott has been married to Jewel for thirty-three years and together they have raised three daughters, Kelsey, Jacquelyn, and Karis, all of whom have grown to love and serve Christ in their own remarkable ways.
Hope in the Margins
On International Day to End Obstetric Fistula, we asked Brooke Sulahian, Founder of Hope for Our Sisters, to help us learn more about this tragic injury and the ways in which it might be prevented, treated, and healed.
In June 2010, I read about fistula for the first time. That day, God allowed my heart to break, and my life was forever changed.
For the many of you that have not heard of fistula, let me take a moment to explain the nature and causes of this horrific injury. Obstetric and traumatic fistula presents as a hole between the tissues of the vaginal canal and bladder, vaginal canal and rectum or all three. As a result, women with fistula constantly leak urine, feces or both. Many are shunned and abandoned by their husbands, families and communities. An estimated 2-5 million women worldwide suffer from fistula due to obstructed labor (76-97% of fistula cases), trauma (usually caused by violent rape) or medical error.
Many Americans have never heard of fistula, because it is a condition that is nearly obsolete in the developed world. However, it is a huge problem in developing nations where poverty, malnourishment, early marriage and pregnancy, low education levels, political unrest, use of violent assault as a weapon and lack of access to adequate medical care all contribute to the occurrence of fistula.
Perhaps the most tragic aspect of fistula is the ostracization it causes. Women with fistula are made to believe that they have no value and contribute nothing to their community, larger society or the world. In 90% of obstetric fistula cases, the unborn baby will die. Yet rather than receiving the comfort and love of family during this time, these precious women and girls created in God’s image, are pushed to the margins of society in their loss, and fistula keeps them there.
After first reading about fistula, I envisioned isolated women suffering without dignity or hope. And yes, this is the tragic case for many women with fistula. However, recent trips to Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) challenged this view as I witnessed the dignity, hope, strength and courage of fistula survivors.
While traveling with World Relief in the DRC, I met my first survivors of rape, many with traumatic fistula. Their stories told of their miraculous transformation, from a desire to die to the desire to live, hopelessness to hope and a lack of dignity to a belief in their priceless value in God. Here was strength and courage in the margins.
In Angola, I witnessed Maria put on earrings before we took her picture. I witnessed Celia, battling an infected colostomy, surprise us with smiles, jokes and confidence. Here was hope and dignity where I believed it could not be found!
We cannot let fistula destroy this dignity, hope, strength and courage. Instead, I believe that our investment of hope, love, prayer and resources will eventually defeat fistula, so that the next generation of girls in developing nations won’t have to face such a life of loss.
At Hope for Our Sisters, we began by funding fistula surgeries and will continue to do so. However, we know that treatment is not enough. We want to invest in our sisters before they become injured and prevent fistulas before they are created. Our answer? Prevention, treatment and empowerment.
Obstetric and traumatic fistula is 100% preventable. And though prevention can be hard to measure, it has the potential for lasting impact. Preventative measures are everything from education and awareness, to prenatal care, to proper nutrition, to assisted delivery, and help covering the costs of each of these treatments. At Hope for our Sisters, we partner with World Relief and other organizations to meet these needs.
In cases where prevention is sadly no longer an option, women suffering from fistula need a variety of interventions and treatments to help restore them to health and wholeness. We help to fund fistula surgeries to restore these women to their optimal physical health status, as well as creating empowerment programs that are key to repairing some of the psychological trauma associated with suffering from fistula. Marketable skills, such as sewing items or weaving baskets to sell in the local markets, equip women to contribute to their families and communities while rediscovering a sense of value.
We are also very proud to partner with World Relief on their Sexual Gender-Based Violence (SGBV) program. These groups provide our beautiful sisters with much-needed community, assistance with owning and sharing their stories, opportunities to give back by providing for women who join the groups and the encouragement to help change their culture one step at a time. SGBV groups teach communities across the DRC that all women have inherent value, no matter their circumstances.
We at Hope for Our Sisters and our partners at World Relief see our sisters’ priceless value. We see the lives they could be living and the contributions they could be making. We envision a world where women are valued, live to their fullest potential, and are positive change-agents within their communities.
Together, we can bring God’s precious daughters out of the margins and back into fullness of life.
Brooke Sulahian – Following a successful thirteen-year career in Human Resources and four years as a stay-at-home mom, Brooke’s eyes were opened to the plight of women and girls around the world who lacked access to medical care and suffered from, or were at risk, for fistula. As a result, she co-founded a volunteer group in October of 2010, which led to the founding of Hope for Our Sisters, Inc. in January of 2012. She is driven by her belief in the inherent value of each person and her hope that women and girls around the world will one day be fully cherished and valued by their families and communities, as God intended. Brooke lives in the Boston area with her husband and two children.
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