Op-Ed’s & Press Releases

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

July 14, 2020
CONTACT:
Lauren Carl
lauren.carl@pinkston.co
(703) 388-6734

World Relief Sudan Received $4.8 million from Sudan Humanitarian Fund in 2019 to Respond to Humanitarian Crisis in Sudan

BALTIMORE – World Relief, a global humanitarian organization that brings sustainable solutions to alleviate poverty and respond to disasters worldwide, is proud to announce that World Relief Sudan earned the largest amount of funding from the Sudan Humanitarian Fund (SHF) of $4.8 million in 2019. This funding enabled World Relief to provide urgent aid to the estimated 6.9 million people that, according to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), faced food insecurity during the lean 2019 season. Flooding and violence impede trade and cultivation, putting millions at risk for malnutrition and stunted growth. World Relief continues to invest in sustainable solutions that meet immediate needs while working to build long-term food security.

The SHF is a multi-donor pooled fund established in 2006, which allows humanitarian organizations early and fast response to some of the greatest needs across Sudan. The SHF has been funding World Relief’s projects in Sudan for many years, increasing from of $200,000 total funds in 2015 to $4.8 million in 2019. This past year, World Relief Sudan reached 428,160 beneficiaries in seven localities of West and Central Darfur from the SHF funding alone. The resulting programming includes Health, Nutrition, Food Security and Livelihoods, and Protection.

“The incremental growth of SHF funding is a result of World Relief’s strong presence in the field, our active participation in sectoral coordination meetings which improve our project implementation, and our compliance with all donor requirements,” explains Gemta Birhanu, Sudan Country Director at World Relief. “The World Relief Sudan team’s commitment in the field and improved capacity to deliver project deliverables within the project scope, time, and budget resulted in increased donor trust to fund the organization.”

Since 2004, World Relief Sudan has been on the ground, working to alleviate poverty and stabilize conflict. For decades, Sudan’s westernmost region of Darfur has been troubled by armed conflict. The country’s poverty levels are highest in Darfur, with almost two-thirds of the population falling below the poverty line. Human development indicators are among the worst in Africa. The delivery of essential services like health, nutrition, education and water have been severely compromised, not just by the conflict but by the limited human and financial resources available to the region.

“We are proud of World Relief Sudan’s accomplishment and for its commitment to serve the people of Sudan,” said Myal Greene, Senior Vice President of International Programs at World Relief. “This funding is very significant, as it shows great trust in the work that World Relief Sudan is doing in the field. We hope to continue growing our programming and ability to serve the people of Sudan in the upcoming years.”

To learn more about World Relief Sudan, visit here.

Download a PDF version of this press release here.

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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.

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

July 10, 2020
CONTACT:
Madeline Ingram
madeline.ingram@pinkston.co
(571) 326-3090

Paige Collins
OpenDoors@iconmediagroup.com
(615) 934-4162

Leaders of the country’s largest Christian traditions respond with alarm as World Relief and Open Doors USA release “Closed Doors” report on religious freedom impact of changes to immigration and asylum policy

BALTIMORE – World Relief, a global Christian humanitarian organization that serves refugees and other displaced people, and Open Doors USA, an international religious freedom watchdog group, published a joint report revealing a surprising 90% reduction since 2015 in the number of Christians resettled from countries where the church faces persecution. Resettlement for other religious minorities — Jewish refugees from Iran, Yezidi refugees from Iraq, Muslim refugees from Burma and others — are all also on track to end 2020 down more than 90% from 2015.

The report drew responses from leaders within the largest streams of American Christianity, including from the National Association of Evangelicals, the Southern Baptist Convention and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, institutions which represent more than 90,000 congregations in the United States.

“As Christians, we’re concerned about the wellbeing of all people who have faced persecution, including the many who are persecuted for their Christian faith,” said Scott Arbeiter, president of World Relief. “While we can and should do all we can to advance religious liberty abroad, we must also continue to offer refuge to those who have felt they had no choice but to flee. We must not close our nation’s doors on the persecuted.”

These saddening numbers are the consequence of major changes to our nation’s historical approach to refugee resettlement. Last November, the refugee cap was reduced to 18,000 – the lowest level in U.S. history. Of these slots, 5,000 are reserved for those whose designation as a refugee is based on their religious tradition.

Data from prior years demonstrates that these policy changes do not result from a lack of administrative capacity. In 2015, the U.S. admitted more than 18,000 Christians from the 50 countries on the Open Doors USA 2020 World Watch List for the persecution of Christians. Midway through this year, we have admitted fewer than 950.

“The global reality is that more people than ever before are facing discrimination, violence, and even death because of their choice to practice their faith. Religious persecution is not an isolated problem: it overlaps with an array of issues that together impact Christians,” said Open Doors USA CEO David Curry.

The report also draws attention to the harm that new proposed asylum regulations would have on the ability for persecuted Christians and others persecuted for their faith to receive asylum in the U.S.

“Our intent is to recognize, prevent, and address these issues by engaging on each point at which religious minorities are suffering. We’re glad to partner with World Relief in calling on people of faith in the U.S. to support and advocate for their brothers and sisters in every country so that we do not see their suffering magnified in our own backyard,” Curry said.

“In their shocking report ‘Closed Doors: Persecuted Christians and the U.S. Refugee Resettlement and Asylum Processes,’ World Relief and Open Doors USA document the tragic persecution of Christians whose only crime is belief in Jesus,” said Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangelicals. “Even more shocking is the revelation that the United States, long a beacon of hope for those fleeing religious persecution, has closed its doors to virtually everyone seeking our protection, including persecuted Christians. We must change this policy and remain a leader for religious freedom.”

“We are living in what St. John Paul II called a ‘new age of martyrdom’, where many worldwide face persecution for their faith,” said Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville, auxiliary bishop of Washington and Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration. “As this report documents, there are dramatic decreases in the ability of those fleeing for their lives to access protection. I pray our nation will reverse course and once again stand with refugees and asylum seekers, including those escaping religious persecution. Catholic and evangelical leaders have formally asked the Administration to consider refugees fleeing persecution at this time.”

Dr. Russell Moore, president of the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, added: “As Christians, we recognize the pain of persecuted people fleeing for their lives. From our ancestors in Egypt to our Lord Jesus himself to many of our brothers and sisters around the world right now, this is part of our story. And as Americans, we recognize our country’s history of providing a safe harbor for those yearning to breathe free. In recent years, changes in our country’s refugee policies have had negative consequences for many looking to the United States for help. This report details how these matters affect persecuted Christians, and other religious minorities, in need of our aid. We should pay careful attention to these findings. As Americans, we should live up to our history. And, as the church, we should recommit ourselves to ministering to all of those in our communities, and around the world, who are fearful for their very lives.”

The report encourages American Christians to both pray and advocate for those persecuted for their faith. They echo calls from the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom to restore the level of refugee resettlement to the historical norm of 95,000 refugees per year. They also invite Christians to voice concerns about proposed new asylum regulations that, if finalized after the completion of a 30-day public comment period that ends on July 15, 2020, would significantly restrict asylum eligibility for persecuted Christians and others.

For more information about the report click here.

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.

About Open Doors USA:
For more than 60 years, Open Doors USA has worked in the world’s most oppressive and restrictive countries for Christians. Open Doors works to equip and encourage Christians living in dangerous circumstances with the threat of persecution and equips the Western church to advocate for the persecuted. Christians are one of the most persecuted religious groups in the world and are oppressed in at least 60 countries.

For more information, visit OpenDoorsUSA.org.

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
June 18, 2020

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

Findings show that households who participate in both Savings Groups and Farmer Field Schools in tandem reap greater reward

BALTIMORE – World Relief, a global humanitarian organization that brings sustainable solutions to alleviate poverty and respond to disasters worldwide, released new research in partnership with Mennonite Economic Development Associates (MEDA) and the University of Michigan that found that participation in World Relief’s Agriculture for Life (AFL) and Savings for Life (SFL) programs simultaneously provides smallholder farmers substantially greater agricultural, nutritional, and economic improvements compared to either program on its own or no program intervention at all. The research was conducted with rigorous testing in ten villages in Musanze District, Rwanda.

Agriculture for Life is based on the Farmer Field School (FFS) model. Farmer Field Schools are comprised of 20-25 small-scale farmers, who are taught experimental techniques and innovation in agriculture. World Relief’s AFL curriculum also intentionally weaves in content on nutrition education and gender as it relates to production and use of agriculture.  Savings for Life is World Relief’s innovative approach to the Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) Model that has been replicated throughout much of sub-Saharan Africa. It brings credit, loans, and insurance to the poor who do not have access to formal microfinance institutions.

“The research that we conducted in Rwanda has helped our organization identify key areas of improvement and how bringing these two programs together results in lasting change for communities in need,” said Moses Ndahiro, country director of World Relief Rwanda. “Both the Savings for Life and Agriculture for Life programs have proven to be very effective over the years, but this research has helped us shift our mentality to be even more innovative and seek new ways to alleviate poverty.”

While World Relief has seen the effectiveness of AFL and SFL independently, this new research shows that doing these programs together greatly multiplies the overall benefits to households. Six key results emerged from this research:

• Economic Improvement: Participants in both AFL and SFL had 9.45 times the odds of reporting economic improvement in the prior year when compared to those who did not participate in either program. 
• Increased Food Security: Households participating in AFL and SFL had 7.69 times the odds of household food security when compared to those who did not participate in either program.
• Improved Nutrition:  Households in AFL and SFL had significantly higher odds (9.65) of the youngest child 6-23 months meeting minimum diet diversity requirements compared to those in neither program. Additionally, children in households participating in both programs ate two times the number of food groups compared to those households in SFL alone.
• Increased Savings:  Those in AFL and SFL saved $7.10 USD more in a month than those participants in AFL only. Additionally, those in AFL and SFL saved on average $3.67 USD morein the previous month than those only in SFL.
• Improved Agricultural Outcomes:  Participation in AFL and SFL led to the greatest relative increase in the number of innovative agricultural strategies used; on average, those participating in AFL and SFL were 1.94 times more likely to use innovative agriculture strategies than those who did not participate in either program. Participants in both programs also were 1.17 times more likely to employ innovative strategies compared to AFL alone.
• Increased Agricultural Investment:  Finally, qualitative interviews suggest that among World Relief beneficiaries, households participating in both AFL and SFL invested more in agriculture than those participating in AFL or SFL only. Land rental was the most common investment, followed by potato seeds and fertilizer.

“World Relief’s inclusion of joint decision making and nutrition education throughout their programs encourages participants to channel the agricultural and economic improvements they receive from the programs towards the benefit of their household,” said Kallisse Dent, MPH, Research Assistant at University of Michigan. “Typically, in research we look for key indicators of ‘success’ such as crop productivity or the amount of savings. The quantitative and qualitative results from this study challenges us to continue to think beyond these key indicators of ‘success’ to the holistic impact that these programs can have on families. I am excited to see how World Relief continues to build off these results to provide families throughout the world with efficient and effective strategies to promote resiliency and hope.”

Download the PDF version of this press release.

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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.

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
June 18, 2020

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

BALTIMORE – Today, in a 5-4 decision, the U.S. Supreme Court challenged the process by which the Trump administration sought to terminate the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program, which since 2012 has allowed roughly 800,000 individuals who were brought to the United States as children to receive protections from deportation and employment authorization.  World Relief celebrates this decision, which, for now, preserves the jobs of and protects from deportation hundreds of thousands of young people.

“Our network of World Relief offices throughout the U.S. has helped to file approximately 4,300 applications for protections under the DACA program,” commented World Relief President Scott Arbeiter. “These young people have come forward at the invitation of our government, submitted to thorough background checks, paid fees and done everything that our country has asked of them. These protections are particularly important now while tens of thousands of DACA recipients are on the front lines fighting COVID-19 as essential healthcare workers. We are incredibly encouraged that these deserving young women and men will continue to have the opportunity to live in the communities they consider home.”

Last November, World Relief joined various other Christian organizations in submitting an amicus brief in support of the DACA program. We rejoice with the many DACA recipients and their families, including hundreds of thousands of U.S.-born children whose parents will retain their ability to reside and work lawfully in the United States.

Notably, however, while the Court’s decision rejects the manner by which the executive branch attempted to end DACA, it leaves open the possibility that this or another administration could terminate DACA in the future. As it has for many years, World Relief continues to call upon members of Congress to work together on a bipartisan basis to pass the Dream Act or similar legislation that would allow undocumented immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children the opportunity to earn citizenship in the country where they have grown up and which most consider their home.

World Relief SVP of Advocacy and Policy Jenny Yang said, “Dreamers are demonstrating what those of us who have known them personally have long understood: they’re an essential part of the American community. Many are on the front lines of caring for the sick and elderly as healthcare workers. They are members and leaders within local churches. They belong here, and even as we celebrate this decision from the Supreme Court, it remains urgent that Congress take action to codify that reality.”

World Relief’s network of immigration legal services programs stands ready to assist as many individuals as we can in determining what this decision will mean for them and to assist with applications for those who qualify. World Relief invites local churches and individuals to stand with DACA by providing financial support to subsidize the cost of these legal services, to ensure that as many individuals can access authorized, competent, affordable legal counsel as possible.

To learn more about DACA, visit World Relief’s website: https://worldrelief.org/daca-and-dream-act-101/. And for giving opportunities, visit: https://worldrelief.org/dreamers/

Download the PDF version of this press release.

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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.

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
June 17, 2020

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

BALTIMORE – This week, World Relief is marking World Refugee Day 2020, which is annually commemorated on June 20, with a number of activities, including the launch of an online Facebook Live event called, “Creating Welcome with Story,” on Wednesday, June 17 at 4 p.m. EST. This conversation will dig into the challenges of immigrants and Biblical teaching through the stories of four women. Additionally, on Thursday, June 18, World Relief’s three offices in California are joining together to celebrate an evening of storytelling and commemorate the importance of refugees in their respective communities. Finally, World Relief is appealing to the administration to increase the refugee ceiling in FY 2021 to 100,000.

As the U.S. continues to fight the novel coronavirus, refugees and other immigrants are at the front lines continuing to serve our communities. Refugees and immigrants make up one in four health care workers, one in five workers in the U.S. food sector and over a quarter of the workers in both the food processing and agriculture industries. The Facebook Live event World Relief is hosting, which will include panelists Jo Saxton, author, speaker, podcast host and leadership coach; Adriana Mondragon-Hill, marriage and family therapist; Roza Rudeychuk, resettlement manager at World Relief Sacramento; and Jenny Yang, vice president of advocacy and policy at World Relief, will also discuss the impact that COVID-19 has had on immigrant communities in particular and how the local church can respond through welcome. At a time of increased racial tensions in the U.S., World Relief believes honest, personal conversations about welcome and inclusion can help equip the church to respond to those who are often marginalized with compassion and justice.

“While many have had the privilege to hunker down behind their laptops at home to wait out the virus, many foreign-born women and men continued to go to work to keep the food supply chain running, provide medical treatment, care for the elderly, enforce the laws and perform countless other essential jobs,” commented Tim Breene, World Relief CEO. “For all the decades World Relief has worked with refugees and immigrants, we continue to be humbled by the ways that these women and men who have lived through incredible hardship choose to lay down their lives for others through daily sacrifices.”

The combination of the virus with shocks like famine and locusts in sub-Saharan Africa is threatening already vulnerable populations. With historic numbers of those forcibly displaced at 70 million, the impact of COVID-19 will continue to devastate large portions of the world that are already struggling with extreme poverty and hunger.

“The need around the world is only going to continue growing,” said Scott Arbeiter, president of World Relief, “and the U.S. is well-positioned to answer that call. As public health considerations allow, we strongly exhort the administration to open the doors to admit refugees in numbers proportionate to the need. We believe that as a nation we can’t afford to turn away these individuals and families for whom we can offer a safe haven, not only for the economic and societal benefits that a diverse workforce brings, but for the fundamental reason that we are called to love others as Christ first loved us.”

For more information about World Relief’s refugee resettlement and other services, please 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 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.

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
June 3, 2020

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

BALTIMORE – World Relief has worked for over 75 years in the U.S. and in 100 countries throughout the world to stand with vulnerable people of every background. Today, we stand grieving in the face of the effects of the racial injustices that have, for too long, plagued our own nation.

Sadly, racism is not new, but we have been reminded in the last few weeks of the tragic effects it has on society and culture. We are grieved by the deaths of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Breonna Taylor, and our hearts cry out for their families and the families of the many others brutally killed, the latest of many victims in a society that continues to be marred by systemic racism.

We are grieved for our own staff as well as those whom we have served, including many refugees and other immigrants, who have experienced racism firsthand. The Bible is unequivocal when it comes to human dignity before God. We stand with nonviolent protesters to decry the evil of racism wherever it may exist.

As an organization and as individuals, we call on the church body around the world to condemn racism in all its forms, to repent for its silence, stand up for biblical justice, and renew our calling to minister and stand with the vulnerable, oppressed and hurting among us. Specifically, we acknowledge that the white church in the United States (of which many of us are a part) has too often sanctified and supported institutional racism and we repent of our complicity.

We celebrate and stand in solidarity with the many thousands of people bringing their voice of protest by peaceful means across the country, even as we decry those who have done so with violence. And while the administration’s call for restoring law and order is on the surface valid, we passionately disagree with the way it is both threatened (via military force) and carried out. World Relief CEO Tim Breene adds; “Without an equal and enduring commitment to address the systemic racism and injustice thrown into stark relief by the coronavirus epidemic and the brutal killing of George Floyd, and without a commitment to reconsider policies and positions that continue to further oppress marginalized communities in America, these actions will only continue to divide us as a nation.”

For our part, we at World Relief resolve to listen to and elevate the voices of the marginalized and to advocate for policies that seek justice for those who are particularly vulnerable in the U.S. and around the world.

We ask God to teach us how to live out these values at World Relief in ways that are ever more true to His calling and to His heart.

Download the PDF version of this press release.

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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.

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***

May 20, 2020

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

BALTIMORE – On Wednesday, May 20, 2020, World Relief, a Christian humanitarian organization that brings sustainable solutions to respond to disasters and alleviate poverty worldwide, hosted a live press call on how the global COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating food insecurity in developing countries, particularly those in Africa, and ways to respond.

The press call included an on-the-ground perspective on the spread of COVID-19 from World Relief food security experts; background on the underlying conditions exacerbating the pandemic in developing countries; and the programs that World Relief has in place to prevent and address the crisis and food shortages.

“We’re looking at what is emerging to be one of the greatest humanitarian disaster in recent history,” said Myal Greene, SVP of International Programs. “Much of the world has felt the severity of COVID-19, but [we’re] recognizing that the potential medical emergency, as well as food scarcity in Africa and other countries, is really significant. The World Food Programme says the number of people who are pushed into starvation could double. In a crisis like this, it’s essential we think of both individual agencies’ ability to respond and the support of international governments. This is why we believe it’s essential the $12 billion in aid in the latest U.S. response to [the novel] coronavirus pass Congress.”

“Even before this virus, the hunger needs in Sudan, South Sudan and the DR Congo were huge. There are 80 million people in Congo, 40 million in Sudan and 11 million in South Sudan. In Congo, half of the country has food needs, [with similar needs] in the other countries.” said Charles Franzén, Humanitarian and Disaster Response Director.  “The major thing to look at in these three countries is the conflict that’s taken place in the past and the result of the very serious civil wars – [all of] that has exacerbated the food needs there. The virus makes this situation much worse. World Relief is providing food and nutritional assistance to about 200,000 people in Sudan [and] 150,000 in the Congo. In South Sudan, we’re reaching out with agricultural seeds and tools and providing food assistance and meeting life-saving needs for about 130,000 people.”

Franzén continued, “We also have a huge youth population in Africa; 75% of the population is below the age of fifteen. We need to provide food for schools, educational programs and lactating mothers. We can’t forget our neighbors in other parts of the world as well.”

“Here in Kenya, the impact of COVID-19 is already being felt,” said Elias M. Kamau, Country Director for Kenya at World Relief.  “What we are seeing here is this huge humanitarian need in the area of food, brought about by COVID-19. We are working in the very northwestern corner of Kenya and southern Kenya – which normally has food insecurities, but COVID-19 has exacerbated the problem. About 14.5 million  Kenyans (a third of the population) are very food insecure and in need of food support every year, and now COVID-19 is adding to that strain.”

Kamau continued: “The government has been active in placing measures to prevent expansion of COVID-19. Some of those measures are leading to the problem of food insecurities. We have lockdowns in Nairobi, Mombasa and other areas.  [Since] about 84% of our people are in the informal sector, when they’re not allowed to step outside, they’re not able to create income, [and] then they can’t purchase food. Scarcity has driven up prices of staple foods like maize, making it difficult for people to access it. If the imports don’t pick up, eastern Kenya could face food shortages of 50,000-60,000 tons.”

To learn more about how World Relief is responding to COVID-19, visit: https://worldrelief.org/covid-19. View a recording of the call here.

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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.

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
April 23, 2020

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

BALTIMORE – In response to President Trump’s announcement via Twitter and subsequent executive order halting immigration in the light of the COVID-19 crisis, World Relief urges the administration to reconsider. These measures to shut down already restricted travel – temporarily halting most categories of immigrant visas for those coming from outside of the U.S., with limited exceptions – are inconsistent with expert health advice, disregard immigrant contributions to frontline efforts and are contrary to the U.S.’s role in demonstrating leadership in managing the disease and opening the country up for work.

“Temporary travel restrictions are appropriate if driven by public health best practices,” commented World Relief President Scott Arbeiter. “But as the country slowly emerges from the COVID-19 shutdown, we must not use the pandemic as a pretext to restrict legal immigration that is essential for rebuilding our economy and for reuniting families.”

Every individual granted an immigrant visa is already required to undergo a thorough medical examination to ensure they do not have any contagious disease before being allowed to enter the U.S., so there is no reason to think that the immigrants who will be restricted under this new order would pose a public health threat.

The administration has also cited economic concerns as a rationale for this new order, but the vast majority of economists believe that immigration is actually a source of economic strength. Immigrants do not only “take jobs,” they also add to the economic pie through their consumption and through entrepreneurship, starting new businesses and creating jobs at higher rates than native-born U.S. citizens.

Refugees and individuals who served the U.S. military who qualify for Special Immigrant Visas are specifically exempted from this order, for which World Relief is grateful. However, the U.S. refugee resettlement program remains on hold. World Relief urges the refugee resettlement program to be reopened, allowing refugees to be reunited with their family members already in the U.S.

World Relief CEO Tim Breene said, “We have long affirmed that families are the building blocks of society, and the current crisis has underscored for many Americans the importance of family. Because the primary impact of this executive order is to restrict family-based immigration, it represents a new form of family separation, penalizing families that have already paid visa petition fees and waited for months, years or, in some cases, decades in our family reunification system. This is unacceptable.”

World Relief is supportive of the administration’s efforts to manage and prevent the further spread of COVID-19, but urges the government to reconsider measures that contradict both public health advice and the principles on which the U.S. is formed.

Download the PDF version of this press release.

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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.

***FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE***
April 22, 2020

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

The Impact of COVID-19 in Developing Countries and Ways to Respond

Global Humanitarian Organization World Relief Hosts Press Call on COVID-19

BALTIMORE – On Wednesday, April 22, 2020, World Relief, a global Christian humanitarian organization that brings sustainable solutions to alleviate poverty and respond to disasters worldwide, hosted a live press call on how COVID-19 is impacting developing countries, particularly in Africa, and ways to respond. For over 75 years, World Relief has partnered with community leaders around the world to help with disasters, extreme poverty, violence, oppression, health issues and mass displacement.

As the first cases of COVID-19 are now being reported in parts of Africa, the international community needs to continue to partner with and provide support to people on the ground there in response. The call covered World Relief’s work and the need for more international humanitarian assistance to help respond to COVID-19.

“This is one of the greatest global humanitarian challenges we’ve ever known. While we are currently working through our extensive, on-the-ground networks to respond to COVID-19, we have ongoing concerns about the potentially devastating impact this virus will have on developing countries that often don’t have the resources or capacity to respond fully,” said Myal Greene, SVP of International Programs. “We are asking that as Congress considers a fourth stimulus package, that it includes robust funding for international humanitarian assistance and continues to partner with organizations with extensive networks on the ground that can be critical in an effective public health response.”

Joanna Kretzer Chun, Director of the Program Resource Team, commented“Through our work, we’ve seen the impact that grassroots networks can have to spread critical messages and save lives. These networks will be critical in the months ahead to ensure that COVID-19 does not spread and that those who are sick are cared for appropriately.”

Gibson Nkanaunena, Malawi Country Director and Deputy Director for East & Southern Africa, provided information on the state of Malawi and how COVID-19 is impacting the country and other areas, such as Rwanda and Kenya. He commented: “Currently in Malawi there are a few cases of COVID-19 identified. However, there could be more, but there are not enough tests being done. So far World Relief has given forty churches handwashing buckets with soap as a startup kit, and we are planning to reach out to households with public health messages through church networks across all impacted districts. Currently, we have 30,000 volunteers across the districts that we work in who are ready to share the message with close to one million in a population of 17.44 million.”

“The health care systems in these countries are completely unprepared and incapable of mounting a reasonable clinical response of anything comparable to the U.S. response,” said Charles Franzén, Humanitarian and Disaster Response Director. “There will continue to be significant health challenges especially around the capacity of health clinics, and we anticipate an acute challenge around food security and food supplies as well. In addition, there are a lot of issues with trust and stigma, and so working with trusted leaders has been critical. All of our country’s programs have begun responding to COVID-19, and we’ve seen the impact that grass roots have on spreading messages and bringing resources. We’ve also seen the importance of home-based care and are helping to provide teaching and resources as many people can’t make it to clinics or hospitals. But we cannot emphasize the importance of testing enough as a key to control.”

To learn more about how World Relief is responding to COVID-19, visit: https://worldrelief.org/covid-19

Download the PDF version of this press release.

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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.