Press Release

March 15, 2022

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

BALTIMORE – Today, World Relief published a new report revealing the immense impact of COVID-19 on the world’s poor. This report is one of the most comprehensive of its kind, corresponding to the two-year anniversary of when the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a global pandemic.

“The pandemic has grown into one of the greatest humanitarian issues in recorded history, with the World Bank showing that in 2020 alone, 97 million more people were pushed into poverty as a result of COVID-19,” said Matilda Matitha, World Relief Malawi country director.

There is virtually no aspect of livelihood and employment that COVID-19 has not interfered with. The pandemic has disrupted every area of the healthcare system worldwide and has had a particularly devastating impact on women and children.

“Women have been disproportionately affected by COVID-19,” said Lanre Williams-Ayedun, senior vice president of international programs. “Job losses, increased pressures of care and domestic work, reduced hours and strains on both physical and mental health have contributed to the disproportionate socioeconomic impacts of COVID-19 for women globally. Gender-based violence has also intensified since the pandemic began.”

An estimated three to four years of progress in ending extreme poverty has been lost because of COVID-19. This report expands upon the many complex factors which led to that regression.

“Our end goal with this report is not simply education. It’s a push toward compassionate, thoughtful action that recognizes we are part of a global community. We are more than just U.S. citizens — we are citizens of the world, and right now, our world needs open hands and open hearts,” said Myal Greene, president and CEO of World Relief.

The report invites Christians to pray and take action. It also encourages the U.S. government and other advocates to engage in a consistent, thoughtful, and compassionate response to reverse the devastating effects of COVID-19 on those in poverty.    

“Our prayer is that this report would incline the hearts of readers to more closely come alongside the vulnerable in their time of such great need,” said Jenny Yang, senior vice president of advocacy and policy at World Relief.

To view a recording of World Relief’s press conference on the report, visit: https://bit.ly/3tWd6SR.

To read the full report from World Relief, visit https://worldrelief.org/covid-report.

To download a PDF version of this 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.

February 24, 2022

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

BALTIMORE – Today, Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine, plunging the nation into further conflict. As an organization that resettles refugees and assists vulnerable people around the world, World Relief recognizes the significant impact this situation will have on the civilian population in Ukraine as well as those in surrounding communities.

Yesterday, the United Nations indicated that a Russian invasion could lead to as many as five million refugees fleeing into neighboring countries. World Relief has been monitoring the situation over the last few weeks and is working with partners to respond as needed. World Relief is also reaching out to our Ukrainian staff in the United States and resettled Ukrainian refugees in the U.S. to offer support.

“It is critical that as large numbers of Ukrainians flee the conflict, surrounding countries in the region allow those fleeing conflict to find safety and refuge there,” said Jenny Yang, senior vice president of advocacy and policy at World Relief. “Ukraine has already endured a significant humanitarian crisis with over one million conflict-afflicted Ukrainians inside the nation and in surrounding countries from the previous incursion in 2014. We urge the global community to continue to provide humanitarian support to Ukraine and the surrounding countries. Our hearts go out to the Ukrainian people, and we remain committed to praying for peace to prevail.”

As we keep abreast of the situation in Ukraine, World Relief urges people to pray and support partners on the ground who are responding.  With the loss of life already incurred as well as the significant displacement that will likely occur, many individuals will face dire humanitarian circumstances. A diplomatic solution is needed as urgently as possible to avert further humanitarian challenges.   

“This crisis hits very close to home for World Relief,” said Myal Greene, president and CEO of World Relief. “In the last 18 years, World Relief has resettled over 13,000 refugees from Ukraine. These individuals have become our neighbors and friends. Many have even joined our staff, and we serve together daily. For those in the Ukrainian community, the last few weeks have been stressful as they have watched with concern for what was unfolding. The events of the last few hours are devastating.”

World Relief is working with international partners on our response, supporting those who flee to other countries.  World Relief will continue to maintain a posture of prayer and support for our colleagues, neighbors, and friends in Ukraine and urges everyone to do the same in the coming weeks and months. 

For more information on World Relief, visit http://www.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.

February 24, 2022

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

BALTIMORE – The World Relief family celebrates the life and legacy of Dr. Paul Farmer, who passed away on February 21, 2022, at the age of 62. As the co-founder of Partners in Health and a practitioner of social medicine, Dr. Farmer sought healing not only at an individual level but also at local, national and global levels. Upon his passing, we both mourn the loss of a dear brother and friend, and we celebrate with deep gratitude the profound impact he had on so many lives around the world.

An inspiration to many in the humanitarian and health spaces, he was discontent with the current state of solutions around global poverty and illness and sought to facilitate change from the ground up. Compassion was a way of life for Dr. Farmer. He set a precedent of deep care and action for all who will follow in his footsteps. He lived a life marked by deep and genuine compassion. To Dr. Farmer, no life was insignificant, no problem was unconquerable, and no person went unseen.

Myal Greene, president and CEO at World Relief, reflects: “Dr. Farmer’s legacy is one of profound impact with many lives saved and improved. During the eight years i lived in Rwanda working in community health there, Dr. Farmer was always a personal inspiration to me.  He was an innovative practitioner, an influential voice on behalf of others and a loving and kind man. His work of training and equipping many people speaks for itself. I was deeply saddened to hear of his death, but I celebrate the ways he used his life well to care for so many people.  The impact of his work will be felt for generations.”    

Emily Chambers Sharpe, SCOPE senior technical advisor at World Relief, reflects: “Paul Farmer spoke often of having a preferential option for the poor. He truly put human beings at the center of his efforts. For him, going to scale was about providing everyone with the same type of healthcare you would want your own loved ones to receive. Paul Farmer thought everyone deserved the best we could provide. I imagine he heard “well done, good and faithful servant” because he treated everyone with such tender care.

Charles Franzén, humanitarian and disaster response unit director at World Relief, reflects: “In Rwanda, Haiti, Malawi and in many other places around the world, Paul was convinced that community challenges would be answered by community solutions.  His profound impact is felt and will be felt for many years in those parts of the world far from the eye of the media, the villages beyond the end of the road, where community health workers bring messages that transform the way people look at themselves as the most important actors in the drama that is public health. The best way to honor the life of Paul Farmer is to follow the path he blazed so tenaciously, to seek the answers to the most difficult health questions through community-directed interventions.”

Prava Chhetri, health and nutrition technical advisor at World Relief, reflects: “I was so sad to hear the news yesterday. I was truly inspired by his groundwork, which is just as amazing as his academic contributions. Back in 2012, he visited a remote (western part of Nepal) place called Accham, which used to be an epicenter for HIV (migrant workers from India returned with HIV infection and infected their wives). During a time when global messaging was around “value of money” or “return on investment” in public health programming, Dr. Farmer promoted equity to health to highlight the needs of people burdened with poverty and disease. He reminded us that the value of money is not up for negotiation to achieve better health outcomes.”

World Relief celebrates the legacy and impact of Dr. Paul Farmer, and our global community of staff, volunteers and partners are deeply touched and inspired by the tenderness and grace with which Dr. Farmer carried out his work, continuing his legacy of seeing every man, woman and child as a neighbor and friend.

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.

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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