Op-Ed’s & Press Releases

December 1, 2021

CONTACT:
Audrey Garden
audrey.garden@pinkston.co
571-405-1606

BALTIMORE – World Relief today marked World AIDS Day by re-committing to address the HIV epidemic, one of the world’s most serious public health challenges. This World AIDS Day, UNAIDS is highlighting “the urgent need to end the inequalities that drive AIDS and other pandemics around the world.” ​​Should these inequalities not be adequately addressed, ending AIDS by 2030 will be an unlikely possibility. In the midst of a prolonged COVID-19 pandemic and a worsening social and economic crisis, World Relief remains committed to assisting the 37.7 million people – 1.7 million of whom are children – worldwide who are living with HIV or AIDS.

“World Relief has worked in HIV/AIDS prevention and care for more than 25 years. Eradicating this global health crisis will take a dedicated and sustained effort from governments, communities and people of faith around the world,” said Myal Greene, president and CEO of World Relief. “While progress has been made in many key areas, upholding the rights and protecting the health of all peoples must remain a top priority in the Church’s HIV response.”

Gender-based violence is both a cause and a consequence of HIV. November 25 marked the beginning of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence. For 30 years, the international community has come together to amplify voices and speak out against gender-based violence, which affects millions of people worldwide. While the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence runs from November 15 to December 10, World Aids Day falls in the middle, on December 1.

World Relief especially focuses on Malawi, where, as of 2020, 1.1 million people are still living with HIV, with 33,000 new HIV infections each year. Of the 1.1 million living with HIV, 20% reported experiencing physical violence, and 41% reported sexual violence within a year. In Malawi, World Relief’s work is possible through SCOPE HIV, a cooperative agreement with USAID, implementing the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) strategy alongside the Ministry of Health and National AIDS Council. 

World Relief is addressing the issue by engaging local faith and community leaders to highlight harmful gender norms that act as a barrier to men and youth and a risk factor for adolescents. World Relief’s SCOPE HIV program in Malawi continues to reach the last mile with HIV care and treatment, and prevent new HIV infections by reducing sexual and gender-based violence. HIV infections in Malawi are declining, but positive gender norms and gender-based violence prevention are critical to sustaining this momentum and reaching every person who needs it with HIV care and treatment. In just seven months of implementing SCOPE activities, World Relief Malawi has helped 582 survivors gain access to services. These community volunteers and faith congregations have also intervened to stop child marriages and keep young girls in school.

“Addressing harmful gender norms is crucial to continue the decrease in new infections every year,” said Emily Chambers Sharpe, World Relief’s Senior Technical Advisor for HIV and Health Strategy. “Positive gender norms and gender-based violence prevention help us reach the last mile with HIV care and treatment.” Globally, the last mile is described in the 95-95-95 goals–that 95 percent of those living with HIV know their status, 95 percent of people who know their status are on HIV treatment, and 95 of those on treatment reach an undetectable viral load level. 

By 2022, World Relief will support 39,000 children to graduate from the IMPower program, preventing an estimated 2,800 cases of sexual violence against boys and girls in Malawi. Additionally, World Relief Malawi is engaging faith leaders to reduce HIV stigma and promote positive messages about available testing, care and treatment for HIV. Through disseminating these messages with their congregations, faith leaders will reach the vulnerable with HIV treatment literacy.

“Faith leaders in Malawi and in vulnerable countries around the world play a key role in helping communities break the silence around HIV and dispel common misinformation. It is crucial that organizations and nations not give up in the fight against HIV/AIDS,” said Chambers Sharpe. “As the global community faces the COVID pandemic, we must also continue to invest in HIV treatment support at the grassroots, raising awareness, reducing barriers, and promoting justice for affected and at-risk women, men and children.”

For more information about World Relief’s HIV/AIDS prevention work, other projects and how you can help, visit https://worldrelief.org/.

To download a PDF version of this press release, click here.

About World Relief

World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that brings sustainable solutions to the world’s greatest problems – disasters, extreme poverty, violence, oppression, and mass displacement. For over 75 years, we’ve partnered with churches and community leaders in the U.S. and abroad to bring hope, healing and transformation to the most vulnerable.

Learn more at worldrelief.org.

November 1, 2021

CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
lauren.carl@pinkston.co
703-388-6734

BALTIMORE – On October 25, 2021, military forces in Sudan under the command of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan arrested Sudan’s sitting Prime Minister Abdalla Hamdok, along with several other key ministers. The military has dissolved the civilian government that had led Sudan since Al-Bashir, the previous military leader of Sudan, was deposed at the end of 2018. General Burhan’s forces have since taken control of the government and all ministries and have placed the country under a State of Emergency.

All World Relief staff are safe across the five main office locations and in all sub-offices in the region. World Relief’s deep field offices are yet unaffected by the coup. While the lockdown has disrupted many vital supplies, World Relief expects a return to stability once the conflict has subsided. Despite the upheaval, World Relief remains committed to serving the vulnerable in Sudan, and will continue to operate in the region without interruption. 

“We are incredibly grateful to be able to report all World Relief staff are safe and accounted for during this tumultuous time,” said Myal Greene, World Relief president and CEO. “Most local and international staff are back at work, and our programs are carrying on in the operational areas as per the previous plan.”

Today, 13.4 million people are estimated to be in extreme need of humanitarian assistance in Sudan, up from 5.8 million in 2016. More than 3 million people remain displaced within the country.

“Sudan remains extremely susceptible to humanitarian crises for the foreseeable future. Over the last several years, World Relief Sudan has become a trusted agency among the Sudanese people, other NGOs and the Sudanese government. Our staff will continue to prioritize the security, prosperity and stability of the country and its people in the years to come — no matter what,” added Greene.

During this ongoing humanitarian crisis instigated by the military’s coup, the potential for mass violence in Sudan is high. World Relief asks our partners and supporters to join us in praying for World Relief Sudan staff and for all World Relief beneficiaries who will be the hardest hit by any economic turbulence. We pray for wisdom in how to most effectively carry out our operations, and we ask for continued prayers for the people of Sudan.

“World Relief will continue to protect the most vulnerable in this time of crisis and uncertainty,” said Lydia Dawson, World Relief Sudan humanitarian and disaster response unit program officer in Sudan. “Please pray for protection over our staff and their families as they go about their duties and move through troubled streets to get from their homes to their offices.”

To learn more about World Relief Sudan, visit https://www.facebook.com/wrsudan.

To download a PDF version of this press release, click here.

About World Relief

World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that brings sustainable solutions to the world’s greatest problems – disasters, extreme poverty, violence, oppression, and mass displacement. For over 75 years, we’ve partnered with churches and community leaders in the U.S. and abroad to bring hope, healing and transformation to the most vulnerable.

Learn more at worldrelief.org.

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October 15, 2021

CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
lauren.carl@pinkston.co
703-388-6734

BELLINGHAM, Wash. – World Relief has announced the opening of a new office in Whatcom County, Washington, one of several new offices slated to open around the country in the coming months to serve the refugee community.

World Relief’s Whatcom County location, approved by the State Department in mid-September, currently has one professional staff member: resettlement manager Steven Shetterly. The office’s focus at present is on refugee reception and placement, securing housing, helping children get into school and offering employment aid. World Relief hopes to continue to expand its services throughout Western Washington in the years to come.

“World Relief is excited to launch the Whatcom County office in concert with the community. We have been welcoming, rooting and empowering refugees and immigrants throughout the community for 40 years in Western Washington and are excited to extend our reach to Whatcom County,” said World Relief Seattle executive director Chitra Hanstad. “As we have seen here in King County, refugees and immigrants bring their culture and innovation to our local community and economy. We look forward to this partnership and to building a thriving community together.”

World Relief’s Whatcom County office began as a core group of volunteers who were eager to see more locations open in their region. Shetterly coordinated with Hanstad and World Relief vice president of U.S. programs Jennifer Foy, who both came alongside Shetterly and the volunteer group at large to facilitate World Relief’s expansion into Whatcom County with their experience and resources. 

“I have been thrilled to see the amount of local support shown for the opening of this office, from community organizations and faith groups to local government and the many individuals who have reached out to offer help and support. I’m convinced that Whatcom County has the ability to serve as a place of welcome and refuge for families fleeing violence and persecution, and that ultimately we will be a stronger community because of it,” said Shetterly.

More than 4,000 Afghans arrived in Washington state with special immigrant visas from 2010 to 2020, and there are many more to come from various countries. World Relief’s further expansion in Western Washington, starting in Whatcom, will broaden the structure of work previously being done by the organization in neighboring regions and increase its capacity to serve the refugee community within a 100-mile radius of the site.

World Relief’s Whatcom County location will begin receiving arrivals in November. The office expects to receive 15 arrivals before the end of 2021 and plans on resettling a total of 75 throughout the remainder of the federal fiscal year. The biggest needs are finding available and affordable housing and financial funding to hire additional staff to hire staff who will be ready to welcome newcomers with excellence.

“Refugees bring their courage, creativity and resilience in the face of hardship, and we will benefit from welcoming them into our community,” said Whatcom County Executive Satpal Sidhu. “We look forward to providing an opportunity for these families to thrive!”

To learn more about World Relief’s work in Whatcom County and Western Washington and how you can financially support, visit: http://tinyurl.com/whatcomrefugees.

To download a PDF version of this press release, click here.

About World Relief

World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that brings sustainable solutions to the world’s greatest problems – disasters, extreme poverty, violence, oppression, and mass displacement. For over 75 years, we’ve partnered with churches and community leaders in the U.S. and abroad to bring hope, healing and transformation to the most vulnerable.

Learn more at worldrelief.org.

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October 6, 2021

CONTACT:
Audrey Garden
audrey.garden@pinkston.co
571-405-1606

BALTIMORE – Today,  newly released data shows that the United States resettled the lowest number of refugees in U.S. history at a total of 11,411 refugees in Fiscal Year 2021. World Relief continues to call on the Biden administration to sign the Presidential Determination for FY22 of 125,000 and follow through on this commitment to refugees by strengthening the program and providing the resources necessary to resettle 125,000 refugees in FY22. While a refugee ceiling of 125,000 for Fiscal Year 2022 is a significant increase from the historic low ceiling of 15,000 set last year, much work remains to be done to rebuild the program to have the U.S. lead again in refugee resettlement. 

“This past year’s refugee resettlement numbers show the lowest number of refugees resettled in the history of the U.S. refugee resettlement program,” says Myal Green, president and CEO of World Relief. “The U.S. is taking in fewer refugees than ever at a time when there are more refugees in the world than at any point in recorded history, which is unacceptable. The Biden administration will need to prioritize creating more efficient and equitable methods of processing for refugees in order to reach the ceiling of 125,000 refugees for the fiscal year that’s just begun”

The global pandemic highlighted the clear vulnerability of persecuted populations and aggravated existing conditions of hardship for the world’s refugees and other displaced people. It also presented a barrier to the U.S. government’s process of processing refugees overseas. But the larger factors influencing the stark decline in refugee admissions include the historically low refugee ceiling and the slowdown in overseas processing as well as the U.S. refugee resettlement infrastructure that preceded the global pandemic. In order to rebuild the refugee resettlement program to return to historically normal admissions level, the Biden administration will need to continue to invest in rebuilding both the overseas and domestic components of the program.

Refugees admitted to the U.S. have, by definition, fled a credible fear of persecution on account of their race, religion, political opinion, national origin or social group. In recent years, World Relief has sought to particularly highlight the decline in the number of refugees persecuted on account of their status as religious minorities, including partnering with Open Doors USA last year to publish a report, “Closed Doors: Persecuted Christians and the U.S. Refugee Resettlement and Asylum Processes,” that documented a roughly 90% or greater decline in the number of persecuted Christians and various other religious minorities resettled since 2015. 

After the publication of this report, the State Department stopped making the religious affiliation of resettled refugees publicly available, making it difficult to precisely track the further decline in the resettlement of specific religious minority groups. But as the overall number of refugees admitted has continued to decline from FY 20 to FY 21, the number of persecuted religious minorities able to access safety and religious freedom in the U.S. as refugees has clearly declined as well. From the ten countries identified by the Secretary of State as “countries of particular concern” for severe violations of religious freedom — including Burma, Iran and Pakistan — just 1,271 refugees (of all religious traditions) arrived in FY 21, 56% fewer than in FY 20 and 93% fewer refugees from those countries than in FY 16.

“For decades, the United States led the world in refugee resettlement, but the precedent set by U.S. policy over the last five years, both in terms of refugee resettlement and asylum, has marred our global reputation as a safe haven for persecuted people,”  said World Relief U.S. director of church mobilization and advocacy Matthew Soerens. “We are praying that the United States will quickly step back into the position of welcoming more refugees, whether they are persecuted for their faith, their ethnicity, their protest of tyrannical governments, their affiliation with the U.S. military in Afghanistan or Iraq or any other reason.” 

World Relief thanks the Biden administration for setting the refugee ceiling at 125,000–the highest since 1993–and urges continued leadership and investment in both overseas processing and in rebuilding the resettlement infrastructure within the U.S. so that resettlement organizations have the capacity to welcome and serve 125,000 refugees, in addition to the many Afghans being admitted with parole or with approved Special Immigrant Visas who do not count toward this ceiling.

“We have an uphill battle ahead repairing our refugee resettlement program. But setting the refugee ceiling at 125,000 establishesthe right framework in which we can continue to expand protections to those fleeing persecution overseas. We urge President Biden to sign the Presidential Determination as quickly as possible and to continue the critical interagency work that is necessary to build both federal and broad public support to help refugees arriving this fiscal year.” said World Relief senior vice president of policy and advocacy Jenny Yang.

World Relief offices around the country are eager and ready to welcome more individuals who have fled persecution in their countries of origin. As World Relief staff and volunteers continue to welcome refugees, the most urgent needs are housing and additional volunteers and funding.

To download a PDF version of this press release, click here.

About World Relief

World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that brings sustainable solutions to the world’s greatest problems – disasters, extreme poverty, violence, oppression, and mass displacement. For over 75 years, we’ve partnered with churches and community leaders in the U.S. and abroad to bring hope, healing and transformation to the most vulnerable.

Learn more at worldrelief.org.

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October 5, 2021

CONTACT:
Audrey Garden
audrey.garden@pinkston.co
571-405-1606

BALTIMORE – The World Relief family celebrates the life and ministry of Evelyn Mangham, who passed away today at the age of 98. Along with her late husband, Grady Mangham, Evelyn began World Relief’s refugee resettlement program in the 1970s. 

Evelyn Breaden was born in 1922 and spent the early years of her life as the daughter of missionaries in the Middle East. After marrying Grady Mangham, she moved to Vietnam, where the couple lived and ministered from 1947 to 1967 as Christian & Missionary Alliance missionaries, teaching in a Bible school and supporting church planting and discipleship among the Montagnard people. They returned to Nyack, New York, where they worked from the Alliance’s headquarters. 

In 1975, when Saigon fell, Evelyn and Grady began receiving urgent pleas from people whom they had known in Vietnam who had been forced to flee as refugees. “We had to do something,” Evelyn reflected in a 2016 interview. The couple tirelessly worked to advocate for refugees to be welcomed to the U.S., knocking on the doors of both the U.S. government and the various churches that had supported them as overseas missionaries. Evelyn would often work from the hallway of the denominational offices in Nyack, insisting that churches welcome the large number of refugees who were arriving. In a single year, Alliance churches welcomed more than 10,000 refugees who had fled Vietnam and from conflicts in neighboring Laos and Cambodia.

In 1979, this effort that had initially been coordinated by the Christian & Missionary Alliance’s Compassion and Mercy Associates (CAMA) Services and then through Lutheran World Relief was brought under the auspices of World Relief, the humanitarian arm of the National Association of Evangelicals, which had been focused on empowering churches to care for vulnerable and displaced people overseas since its founding, but which began its U.S. refugee resettlement ministry under the leadership of Grady and Evelyn Mangham. Grady Mangham continued to lead World Relief’s refugee resettlement program until 1987, resettling an average of 6,300 refugees annually from countries all around the world. Since then, several of Grady and Evelyn’s children and grandchildren have served World Relief in various capacities. 

The refugee resettlement program that Evelyn Mangham helped to found has now resettled roughly 300,000 refugees to communities throughout the United States. In the coming months, World Relief anticipates receiving between 7,000 and 10,000 individuals who have recently fled Afghanistan in an evacuation with many historical parallels to the refugee crisis in Vietnam that sparked Evelyn and Grady Mangham’s ministry. The local church remains central to our mission, just as it was when Evelyn and Grady founded the program.

The World Relief family throughout the globe grieves Evelyn’s death —  but not without hope, confident in the resurrection through Christ that was Evelyn’s greatest hope. And we celebrate the incredible legacy of Evelyn and Grady’s life and ministry. 

“Evelyn was a personal hero of mine whom I had the privilege of meeting several years ago when we were both speaking at a Christian & Missionary Alliance event. Her vitality, fierce sense of compassion, warmth, and humor inspired a room full of people who loved Jesus. Many of the Montagnard women who attended that event flocked to Evelyn to give her a hug and to dance and sing with her,” reflects Jenny Yang, World Relief senior vice president for Policy and Advocacy. “Her love for refugees, for the church and for her Lord were contagious. I and so many others at World Relief count it a privilege to be a part of her legacy. Her impact on the lives of those who are vulnerable will be felt for generations to come, and I know there was a huge celebration for her in heaven as so many people whose lives she touched welcomed her to her eternal home.”

“Evelyn spent her life in various parts of the world and knew what it meant to live as a foreigner, and then she devoted many years to welcoming others who had experienced that displacement and liminality into the United States. She lived out better than most the biblical truth that we are all ‘foreigners and strangers on earth.’ As the author of Hebrews wrote, she was “longing for a better country — a heavenly one,” and we rejoice that Evelyn now rests in the presence of the Lord, even as we grieve with her family still on earth,” reflected World Relief President & CEO Myal Greene.

Even into her last years of life, living in Florida, Evelyn always would greet refugees from the Middle East with a smile, singing with them the Arabic songs she remembered from her childhood. As refugee resettlement has become increasingly controversial in recent years, including within evangelical churches, Evelyn was asked how she would advise Christians who felt reluctant to engage in refugee ministry:

Well, respond to what Jesus said, that’s all: “I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was a stranger” — refugee — “and you took me in … Inasmuch as you did unto one of the least of these my brethren, you did unto me.” It’s simple obedience.

World Relief honors the legacy of Evelyn Mangham, and our global community of staff, volunteers, and partners will be praying for her family and celebrating her life, grateful for the lasting impact she had on all of us.

To download a PDF version of this press release, click here.

About World Relief

World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that brings sustainable solutions to the world’s greatest problems – disasters, extreme poverty, violence, oppression, and mass displacement. For over 75 years, we’ve partnered with churches and community leaders in the U.S. and abroad to bring hope, healing and transformation to the most vulnerable.

Learn more at worldrelief.org.

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September 21, 2021

CONTACT:
Audrey Garden
lauren.carl@pinkston.co
571-405-1606

BALTIMORE – Yesterday, the Biden administration reaffirmed the president’s commitment to set the refugee ceiling for Fiscal Year 2022 at 125,000. World Relief welcomes this increase to the refugee ceiling, which comes at a time when the world is facing the greatest refugee crisis at any time in recorded history, but calls on the administration to do more to strengthen its refugee and asylum programs to protect any individual seeking protection from persecution

“While 125,000 is the highest refugee ceiling since President George H. W. Bush set the ceiling at 142,000 for Fiscal Year 1993, we believe this increase in and of itself is not sufficient to provide true protection to those fleeing persecution. We must invest resources in rebuilding the resettlement program and also increasing capacities overseas to process those waiting to enter the United States. This includes providing protection to at-risk Afghans, Uyghurs facing religious persecution, Hong Kongers seeking freedom, and others who remain in dangerous situations overseas, ” said World Relief Senior Vice President for Policy and Advocacy Jenny Yang. “While the 125,000 ceiling for FY2022 is short of our ask of 200,000 refugees we believe the United States can and should admit in FY2022, we urge the Biden administration to welcome as close to 125,000 refugees as possible while also upholding our commitments to provide protection to those arriving to our border.”  

As the recent withdrawal of U.S. military presence in Afghanistan and subsequent evacuation demonstrated, the U.S. refugee admissions program is a necessary and vital tool to not only protect our allies but also those facing violence and persecution. The United States must continue to strengthen the U.S. refugee resettlement program to not only help Afghans but also others fleeing violence and persecution. The administration must also commit more resources and institute reforms to the program to ensure we can reach the goal of resettling 125,000 refugees in FY22 while also fully supporting refugee integration as they arrive in the United States. “As most of the Afghans arriving to the United States are parolees, we urge both the administration and Congress to provide the necessary governmental support to allow Afghan parolees access to benefits and the ability to adjust status once in the United States,” said Jenny Yang at World Relief.

“World Relief has partnered with the U.S. State Department as well as with thousands of local churches and tens of thousands of volunteers since the 1970s to welcome approximately 300,000 refugees,” said World Relief President and CEO Myal Greene. “We’re eager and ready to welcome more individuals who have fled persecution in their countries of origin, whether they are Afghans or Iraqis persecuted for their service to the U.S. military, those persecuted for their faith, those fleeing repressive authoritarian regimes or others who qualify under U.S. law.”

Protection for those seeking refuge in the United States is offered not just through our U.S. refugee resettlement program but through asylum at our U.S. borders. As the United States increases its annual refugee ceiling in FY2022, World Relief is concerned with the denial of due process to Haitians and others who are currently seeking asylum along the U.S.-Mexico border, many of whom are being expelled to countries of origin without being allowed to present requests for asylum. Even as World Relief welcomes those processed for refugee status abroad, we also believe that our country must respect U.S. laws that offer asylum to those who reach our country and can demonstrate a credible fear of persecution. World Relief works through local church partners in various parts of Haiti to address the troubling conditions that have led many to flee, exacerbated by the recent earthquake in Les Cayes, and we also are eager to partner with churches in the U.S. to welcome those seeking asylum who are allowed into the U.S. to await their court hearings. 

To download a PDF version of this press release, click here.

About World Relief 

World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that brings sustainable solutions to the world’s greatest problems – disasters, extreme poverty, violence, oppression, and mass displacement. For over 75 years, we’ve partnered with churches and community leaders in the U.S. and abroad to bring hope, healing and transformation to the most vulnerable. Learn more at worldrelief.org.

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September 3, 2021

CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
lauren.carl@pinkston.co
703-388-6734

Yesterday, World Relief joined forces with Women of Welcome and We Welcome Refugees to host a virtual Prayer and Action Town Hall, an event that focused on responses to the crises in both Afghanistan and Haiti.

Over 1,350 participants pre-registered for the town hall and many more tuned in on Facebook. The town hall featured speakers such as bestselling Christian author Ann Voskamp, World Relief President and CEO Myal Greene, and Women of Welcome Director Bri Stensrud.

The event was sponsored by World Relief, Women of Welcome and We Welcome Refugees. Each of the partners is engaging in additional response efforts: World Relief is leading an on-the-ground response to the earthquake in Haiti and resettling Afghans in various communities. We Welcome Refugees is sharing an advocacy tool to encourage governors to welcome Afghan refugees to their state, and has produced guides for engagement on the Afghanistan issue and Haiti response. Women of Welcome recently launched a new Bible study focused on “Bold and Brave” responses to refugees and other vulnerable immigrants that has already been downloaded more than 10,000 times.

Myal Greene, World Relief president and CEO, commented:

“I began my tenure as president and CEO of World Relief one day after Kabul fell to the Taliban and two days after Haiti was rocked by yet another devastating earthquake. As heartbreaking as the past few weeks have been, I am grateful for World Relief’s incredible staff, volunteers, partner churches and donors who have already come together and provided emergency shelter to more than 1,200 Haitian families, resettled hundreds of Afghans into communities throughout the United States and advocated for more just policies for our most vulnerable neighbors. Undergirding those efforts is a deep commitment to prayer, which is why we’re glad to have been able to host this town hall focused on both prayer and action.”

Ann Voskamp, author of four NewYork Times bestsellers, commented:

“Why should we care about Haiti and Afghanistan? Why does God care? Because those in need are our own family, and oppressed people are our people. Everyone is our own flesh and blood. Our theology is best expressed in our hospitality. As we sacrificially give, we are showing hospitality to God himself. Christ doesn’t identify with the power brokers, he identifies with the broken. If we persist in staying silent at a time of injustice and crisis, our own family will die. Our own Jesus died for more justice and shalom than this. There is hope for healing, for justice and for shalom to reign. A whole world of people will decide who Jesus is by who we are right now, and we get to be shalom makers in this world.”

Bri Stensrud, director of Women of Welcome, commented:

“Evangelical women are, like so many Americans, heartbroken by the devastation in Afghanistan and in Haiti, and our faith compels us to be a part of the solution. Women are mobilizing their church communities to respond to both crises and striving to practice Christlike welcome for Afghans who have begun arriving and are likely to arrive in larger numbers in the weeks to come.”

Jenny Yang, World Relief senior vice president of advocacy and policy, commented:

“Even as we eagerly begin welcoming Afghans who were able to be evacuated to rebuild their lives in the U.S., we’re not giving up on our advocacy for the tens of thousands of individuals still in Afghanistan whose lives are at risk under the Taliban. As a nation, we have a moral obligation to stand with those facing persecution, particularly for those whose lives and whose families’ lives are threatened because of their service to the U.S. mission in Afghanistan.”

Matthew Soerens, World Relief U.S. director of church mobilization and advocacy, commented:  

“At the heart of the reason that Christians are concerned both with the plight of Afghans fleeing the Taliban and with Haitians rebuilding after a devastating earthquake is Jesus’ commandment to love our neighbors as ourselves, a mandate that Jesus makes clear applies to vulnerable people in need who may not share our nationality or religion. Through both prayer and tangible actions, Christians are mobilizing in remarkable ways to care for their Afghan and Haitian neighbors.” 

James Misner, World Relief senior vice president of strategic engagement, commented:

“The response from local churches and individual Christians to both the earthquake in Haiti and to the evacuation and resettlement of Afghan allies has been absolutely overwhelming. In the midst of the darkness of these crises, Christians throughout the country are stepping up, giving sacrificially, offering their time as volunteers and their influence as advocates. And yet the need is greater still, so we’re thankful for today’s call to sustained prayer and action.”

Rick Everswick, Global Director, Hill Country Bible Church, Austin, Texas, commented:

“At our church, as in congregations throughout the United States, we’ve watched the devastating images of chaos in Kabul as vulnerable Afghans have sought to flee the Taliban. We’re committed to standing with those who were evacuated out and who will eventually be resettled to the US, and to continually stand in prayer and advocacy for those who were left behind. My prayer is that the church would arise in this moment to demonstrate the love and compassion of Jesus.”

A recording of the Town Hall is available here.

To download a PDF version of this press release, click here.

About World Relief

World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that brings sustainable solutions to the world’s greatest problems – disasters, extreme poverty, violence, oppression, and mass displacement. For over 75 years, we’ve partnered with churches and community leaders in the U.S. and abroad to bring hope, healing and transformation to the most vulnerable.

Learn more at worldrelief.org.

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September 1, 2021

CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
lauren.carl@pinkston.co
703-388-6734

BALTIMORE – The Pentagon confirmed on Monday that the United States completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan, marking an end to a two-decade conflict. The longest war in U.S. history is over, but the lingering effects, especially on vulnerable communities, will be felt on the ground for years to come.  World Relief urges the United States to play a leading role in offering assistance and protection to Afghans left behind and continue efforts to evacuate the estimated 100,000 at-risk Afghans who still remain on the ground. World Relief also urges the international community to welcome and provide assistance and protection for the thousands of Afghans who are fleeing into neighboring countries. Without a clear plan for a continued evacuation process, the United States must continue to offer safety through all means necessary for vulnerable Afghans inside Afghanistan and those forced to flee. 

“We remember the thousands of lives lost in the conflict in Afghanistan, including American service members, Afghan civilians, and others. But the mission is not complete.  The United States and the international community must do the hard work now of protecting and assisting those who cannot remain in Afghanistan safely,” said Jenny Yang, senior vice president of advocacy and policy at World Relief. “We call on the U.S. in particular to welcome and assist Afghan refugees who are being displaced and ensure that we provide the resources and support to help rescue at-risk Afghans abroad and as they arrive in the United States.”

World Relief champions the intrinsic dignity of every human life. Every refugee is a human being made in the image of God and deserving of respect and protection. World Relief deplores the violence in Afghanistan and continues to mourn the loss of life in the recent terrorist attack on Kabul airport as well as the lives lost during the twenty-year conflict. In particular, World Relief honors the 13 U.S. service members who were tragically killed in that attack, and stands in support of the Afghan communities who are grieving the loss and injury of loved ones.

“World Relief commends the bravery and sacrifice of the 13 U.S. service members whose devastating loss is being felt throughout our nation,” said Myal Greene, president and CEO of World Relief. “We also stand in solidarity with every Afghan killed or wounded as we pray for peace in Afghanistan. With the completion of the official U.S. withdrawal, we must not forget our commitment to the women, men and children whose lives remain in jeopardy in Afghanistan.”

Across the nation, World Relief staff and volunteers are continuing to work to welcome and serve Afghans who were able to be evacuated and who are now beginning to arrive in the U.S., including more than 360 Afghans welcomed by World Relief in the month of August. Many more are anticipated in the months to come. World Relief is working to foster stability and integration for Afghan refugees building a new life in the U.S.

“We need a compassionate response to the needs of Afghan refugees,” said Greene. “World Relief calls on the church to continue to welcome refugees and provide safety for those who have been forced to flee their country. Every second counts as we work together to bring lasting change to our world.”

To learn more about World Relief, including opportunities to donate, volunteer and advocate, visit https://worldrelief.org/respond/#afghan.

To download a PDF version of this press release, click here.

About World Relief

World Relief is a global Christian humanitarian organization that brings sustainable solutions to the world’s greatest problems – disasters, extreme poverty, violence, oppression, and mass displacement. For over 75 years, we’ve partnered with churches and community leaders in the U.S. and abroad to bring hope, healing and transformation to the most vulnerable.

Learn more at worldrelief.org.

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