Church World Service

Church World Service (CWS) is the relief, development, and refugee assistance ministry of 36 Protestant, orthodox, and Anglican denominations in the United States. Partnering with indigenous organizations in 80 countries worldwide, CWS works to meet human needs and foster self-reliance. CWS is affiliated with the National Council of Churches and helps U.S. communities [Page 170]respond to disasters, resettles refugees, promotes fair national and international policies, provides educational resources, and sponsors CROP Walks.

CWS began in 1946 as a partnership of several Christian denominations responding to human needs in the aftermath of World War II. Its mission was biblical: feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, comfort the aged, and shelter the homeless. In the 1950s and 1960s, CWS expanded its relief work to include Asia, Africa, and Latin America. During the 1960s emergency relief was complemented by social development addressing long-range needs.

CWS's mission today is Christians working together with partners to eradicate hunger and poverty and to promote peace and justice around the world. CWS programs are guided by principles derived from experience: relief packages are not enough; long-term needs must be addressed to avert future crises; true partnering involves giving and taking, learning and teaching, listening and teaching; development priorities should come from grassroots partners rather than from donors; ending hunger requires integration of material assistance with attention to the root causes of hunger—poverty and injustice; women are integral to lasting solutions to poverty and hunger; all people have fundamental human rights; need must be addressed without regard to religious affiliation or creed; and interfaith collaboration is essential.

The CWS budget exceeded $72 million in 2004, supporting CWS programs for Immigration and Refugees (35.1 percent), Disaster Relief and Recovery (18.7 percent), Social and Economic Development (15.6 percent), Education and Advocacy (4.9 percent), and Mission Relationships and Witness (1.8 percent).

The CWS Immigration and Refugee Program (CWS/IRP) has resettled about 400,000 people and settles approximately 5,000 refugees annually in the United States. CWS/IRP is one of nine voluntary agencies that, through private and government funding, ensure that refugees are properly resettled, adjust to their new homes, and regain self-sufficiency. The agencies help refugees enroll children in school, seek medical attention, apply for work, receive language training, obtain housing and basic necessities, and receive legal services.

The CWS Emergency Response Program works in the United States and throughout the world to help vulnerable persons and communities achieve long-term physical, psychological, and spiritual recovery in the aftermath of natural and human-caused disasters. Globally, CWS responds to disaster through Action by Churches Together. In the United States, CWS coordinates its disaster response work through a network of Professional Disaster Response and Recovery Liaisons. CWS Tools of Hope (blankets, tents, fishing nets, clean water, microloans, garden tools, seeds) and Gift of the Heart Kits (soap, toothpaste, bandages, pencils, diapers, and emergency cleanup buckets) are widely distributed following disasters.

CWS fosters education, innovation, enterprise, and collaboration powered by local ingenuity and nurtured by self-respect. Through facilitation, capacity building, and financial support, CWS helps vulnerable and marginalized groups build just and sustainable communities. Programs addressing health and HIV/AIDS, water management, community-based development, education, women and children, civil society, and indigenous populations are being carried out in Africa, Asia and the Pacific, Europe, Latin America and the Caribbean, and the Middle East.

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