Church World Service

Walnut Creek, CA – Church World Service announced the launch of its new Northern Californian office to provide service to new Californians, including by distributing hygiene and school supplies, directing services to recent migrants, legal support for newcomers, and resources to better understand and identify human trafficking. CWS will do this in partnership with local residents, congregations, and partners on ... Read More

In February, as Congress faces the specter of another government shutdown in early March, it continues to negotiate vital funding legislation that could have immense ramifications for refugees, asylum seekers, and all those seeking safety. On February 13, after rejecting an emergency supplemental funding package that included significant anti-asylum, anti-immigrant border provisions, the Senate passed the National Security Act, 2024, ... Read More

Churches for Middle East Peace (CMEP) Executive Director Rev. Dr. Mae Elise Cannon joined 22 church-based denominational leaders, including Rick Santos, President and CEO of Church World Service, in a letter to President Biden. Washington, D.C.—Church World Service today joined with Churches for Middle East Peace and 22 other faith leaders in a letter to President Biden calling for an ... Read More

My people are from Ohio; I am from a long line of people born and raised there, yet have roots in Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Virginia and possibly elsewhere. Both sides of my family are products of the Great Migration. I was raised in a loving family, rooted in cultural pride, the power of education, self-awareness, self-determination, love and a commitment ... Read More

A few weeks ago, over 125 of our newly arrived neighbors visited Church World Service Harrisburg office to see a team of dentists assembled by one of our community partners, Power Women. After each client saw the dentist, they were provided with a hygiene kit. Our clients were deeply thankful for the opportunity to see a dentist and receive a ... Read More

CWS Lancaster launched the Youth Mentoring Program last year, a vital support system for newcomers aged 15-24. This innovative program provides essential guidance to individuals as they navigate the complexities of their new lives. Each participant is paired with a committed volunteer mentor, creating a one-to-one connection to assist them in achieving various goals, including academics, vocations, physical well-being and ... Read More

On February 4, a group of Senators released the long-awaited text of an emergency supplemental funding bill that includes devastating, permanent restrictions on protections for asylum seekers. This legislation would render asylum protections nearly inaccessible and exacerbate humanitarian challenges that require meaningful and compassionate solutions. The proposed anti-asylum legislation includes a number of troubling provisions that would place people fleeing ... Read More

Washington, DC—Church World Service today condemned restrictions on access to protection for asylum seekers and newcomers in legislation released Sunday. Negotiated by a small, bipartisan group of senators in partnership with the Biden administration—against the wishes of faith communities, service providers, and those who would be directly-impacted—the proposal would continue dismantling crucial protections and undermine the credibility of the United States. CWS urges policymakers ... Read More

I’m bouncing around in the back of a 1970’s-style Jeep while rocks are falling from the hillside above, and I’m trying not to glance at the sheer cliff below. There are no guardrails, no passing zones, just a one-way path recently cut into the side of the mountain thousands of feet above the valley floor. I’m certain that the freshly-bulldozed ... Read More

Since March, 2022 Lilia Vitalievna Miasnikova has lived in Balti, Moldova where she receives support from CWS’ partner, *Zdorovii Gorod (Healthy City). Before life in Moldova, Lilia was a successful doctor in Ukraine. Her interest in medicine began when Lilia was just 11 years old as she accompanied her mom, a pediatrician, to her job. Following in the footsteps of ... Read More

The life that Olga and her family had in Ukraine was the type of life that many dream of. She had a loving husband and two healthy and happy children. Her daughter, Carina, was a talented ballerina and on her way to becoming trilingual at just nine years old. Her three-year-old son, Gleb, loved his family and was especially close ... Read More

Washington, D.C.—Church World Service today expressed its alarm, and confusion, over President Biden’s statement endorsing ongoing Senate negotiations to enact extreme, permanent, and inhumane policies at our Southern Border. The proposals reportedly under consideration include the codification of Trump-style asylum and parole restrictions that could completely cut off vital pathways to humanitarian protection at the border. These anti-immigrant proposals violate ... Read More

According to multiple reports, the Senate is continuing to negotiate a deal that could pair devastating, permanent restrictions on protections for asylum seekers and other immigrants with needed foreign assistance funding. The proposed anti-asylum legislation includes a number of troubling provisions that would place people fleeing persecution in harm’s way. The measures under consideration include: An expulsion authority that would ... Read More

Last year ended with the festive spirit of Feliz Navidad, which filled the Church World Service Harrisburg office, spreading warmth and joy to many. Health Navigator Kara Emrich and Resettlement Supervisor Sarah Michitsch quickly planned this event when they found out that some of their Hispanic clients didn’t know where to spend Christmas and were worried about being alone. “Our ... Read More

In December, a group of CWS board members and I visited CWS programs in Kenya. On one day, we embarked on a challenging journey by Jeep, navigating through rugged terrain until we reached a secluded community where a chorus of joyful women welcomed us with dancing and clapping. Amidst this warm reception, we met with Michael, a farmer who had ... Read More

  WASHINGTON, D.C.— Today, the Welcome Corps is celebrating its first anniversary as the flagship program for private sponsorship of refugees in the United States. Through the Welcome Corps, everyday Americans are stepping up to directly support the resettlement of refugees in communities across the country. In the first year of the program, more than 15,000 Americans answered the call ... Read More

One of my favorite moments of last year, one that provided me with a special experience that brought me back to my “why.” I had the privilege of taking two refugee women from two different families to Salem United Church of Christ’s clothing bank. One woman, a mother of a family of 11 from Syria, and the other, a mother ... Read More

Mark Storella, Samuel Mwenda Join the CWS Board   New York City – Church World Service today announced that it has welcomed two new members to its Board of Directors, Ambassador (ret.) Mark Storella and Dr. Samuel Mwenda. Each of these leaders brings decades of experience related to CWS’ mission of building a world where everyone has food, voice and ... Read More