CWS at 60 -- A tradition of help. A legacy of hope.

Page 2, story by Ron Kaser/CWS and Carol Fouke-Mpoyo/CWS

Assisting refugees

Since its inception, Church World Service has offered assistance to refugees. This CWS ministry continues today through a network of 40 local refugee resettlement affiliates in 25 states.

"To extend hospitality to refugees is part of the DNA of who we are as churches," says Pastor Edgar S. Goins of Wesley United Methodist Church in Lexington, Kentucky. Wesley is one of hundreds of congregations helping to welcome the about 5,000 refugees who resettle in the United States each year under the auspices of Church World Service.

CWS has found that when refugees have congregations as cosponsors, they become self-sufficient faster.

"A church can provide so much personal assistance," says Pastor Goins, whose congregation cosponsors four refugee families annually. "I'd just hope more and more churches would extend themselves and get involved in this kind of ministry."

Church World Service...

Processes all refugees from sub-Saharan Africa seeking resettlement in the U.S.
Provides needed services to refugees, asylum seekers, immigrants, and Cuban and Haitian entrants through its Miami office.
Provides spiritual care in eight government-run immigration detention centers through its Religious Services Program.
Helps meet the needs of people in protracted refugee situations through its Durable Solutions for Displaced Persons program.
Monitors public policy and practice toward immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants.

The Hakims' story is one of thousands. Already widowed by Sudan's brutal civil war, Margreat Hakim was forced from her village late one night in 1996. Wakened by the sounds of gunfire and neighbors screaming, she ran with her three children, then ages 3 through 6, to safety in the dark night. They walked for days, hiding in the bush when enemy soldiers passed, finally reaching a refugee camp in Kenya. There, her skills as a pediatric nurse got put to use: She was sought out as the expert in inserting intravenous needles in tiny arms.

In 2001, the Hakims resettled in the United States under CWS auspices. They were welcomed to Texas by Kingwood Christian Church and Interfaith Ministries of Greater Houston. The children were enrolled in school, and Margreat found work at a hospital close to her home. Margreat now works for ServiceMaster Restoration & Cleaning as a Restoration Technician, and is pursuing studies that will enable her to return to nursing.
"We had much to learn from Margreat," says Rev. Renee Hoke, Kingwood's pastor. "Her faith is remarkable. It is what sustained her all those years in the refugee camp. What an example she has been for us!"

A legacy of hope and change

Throughout its ministry, CWS has learned many things from people and partners the world over. An early and abiding lesson: Successful projects and programs must come from the people themselves, not be imposed by others.

One community that has benefited greatly from the participatory development model is Masongaleni, in southwestern Kenya, not far from the Tanzanian border.

When David Bower, long-time Michigan CWS director, first visited Masongaleni in 1995, he found a village of people who had been resettled in the area by the Kenyan government (to accommodate the expansion of a game preserve). There were no wells in the immediate area, which received little rainfall. No schools, no churches, no markets, just a few animals. The women and children were walking four miles to get safe drinking water.

A Roman Catholic priest serving in the area, Fr. Thomas Kyallo, asked CWS if they could help the people get water for their village. CWS began by providing water for a thousand families. The villagers contributed all of the labor. CWS provided pipes, cement, tools, and the expertise of a hydrologist.

When Bower returned to Masongaleni in 2005, he found that having water available for ten years has helped transform the village into a bustling marketplace. Masongaleni now has four schools, five churches, and a small charcoal-making industry. Best of all, 9,000 people have clean, safe water readily available, and they are handling all of the care and maintenance of the system themselves.

Fr. Kyallo sums it all up in one simple, heartfelt sentence: "Wells were the salvation for our people."

Facing the future

Today, Church World Service is responding to many challenges: The rebuilding in Pakistan and Indonesia after major earthquakes; the ongoing recovery from the Indian Ocean tsunami; aiding survivors from Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and assisting rebuilding efforts; and responding to and recovery from food emergencies in various parts of Africa. Recent events in the Middle East auger a major effort there.

Church World Service is leading the way internationally, with cutting edge programs such as its Africa Initiative, outreach to the indigenous people of South America's Gran Chaco region, the groundbreaking Africa Summit of church leadership from the U.S. and Africa, and education and advocacy efforts to raise awareness of the suffering of our sisters and brothers -- reminding us that solutions do exist, if everyone has the will and commitment to invoke them.

Over the years the successes have been many, and the journey continues. The how and where may change, but our commitment to the vulnerable, the uprooted, those without a voice continues. Six decades later the CWS mission remains clear: Christians working together with partners to eradicate hunger and poverty and to promote peace and justice around the world.

Thank you for your prayers and support for the work of Church World Service -- whether directly or through your local CROP Walk.

You can honor a loved one and make an alternative gift to Church World Service via the Best Gifts catalog.

Might your congregation help to resettle a refugee family? To find out more, visit the Refugees section.

SHARE A STORY: If you participated with Church World Service and/or CROP in the early years, we would like to hear from you. Please phone your regional CWS/CROP office toll-free at 888-CWS-CROP (888-297-2767), and tell us your story.

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