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What makes someone a refugee? What evidence are we seeing of climate change? How does CWS respond when a disaster hits? Are we making progress in the fight against hunger?
And, most importantly: how can I help?
Explore the sections of our website below to find the answers to these questions, and many more.
Latest Updates
Situation Report: U.S. Tornadoes
Situation: Over the weekend, extreme widespread storms, including more than 100 tornadoes, were reported across multiple states, including Nebraska, Oklahoma and Iowa. The storms caused widespread damage and power outages, and initial estimates indicate over 200 homes have been destroyed across these three states, with an additional 180 homes sustaining damage. Dozens of injuries and several deaths have also been …
Empowerment and Freedom: Claudia’s Story
Claudia Cardona, changemaker and women’s advocate, has turned her life story into a platform for the voices of many incarcerated and formerly incarcerated women. Through her work and devotion, she has earned a place in national and regional debates, hearings and meetings on the subject. Behind Claudia’s work is a difficult past that has left her with many valuable lessons. …
Cultivating Hope and Equality
Encouraging and selfless are a couple of the words used to describe Matumaini Narcecine, a lead farmer at Nyarugusu refugee camp in Tanzania. Since joining the CWS-supported vegetable farming program two years ago, she has become a leader—passionate about uplifting others, especially women, in her community. As a Burundian refugee, Matumaini has experienced gender inequality. “In our traditions, women they …
Planting new Trees and Seeds of Hope
Ebocwa and Nadia in their home garden In 2018, due to ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Ebocwa and his wife Nadia had to leave their home and flee to Tanzania where they would have to restart their lives in the Nyarugusu Refugee Camp. Life was immediately challenging and Ebocwa was soon forced to make a difficult decision …
Penda Plants Seeds with Love
Scroll through the gallery above to see Penda in her garden In the Nyarugusu refugee camp in Tanzania lives a woman named after the Swahili word for love, Penda. With just one smile, we could see that Penda’s name fits her perfectly. Like many of the refugees in the camp, Penda fled the intense violence in her home country, Democratic …