Appeal Name: CWS’ Emboldened Commitment in the Face of Adversity
Date Issued: 14 February 2025
Appeal Code: 6210
Appeal Amount: $5 million over 18 months
Church World Service was born in the wake of the devastation of World War II. People of faith came together “to do in partnership what none of us could hope to do as well alone.” Together, the CWS family mobilized more than 11 million pounds of food, clothing and medical supplies for war-torn Europe and Asia. In the United States, we began to welcome refugees who were looking to start new lives in safety, resettling more than 100,000 refugees in our first 10 years.
Today, as the administration seeks to close the door to refugees and cut off aid to neighbors around the world, the work of CWS is more critical than ever. Our reason to exist is acutely in the spotlight. But, alongside our supporters, we stand with courage and commitment in the face of this adversity.
The Situation: A Crisis of Welcome
On January 20, President Trump signed a series of sweeping executive actions that reversed decades of precedent for welcome, targeting bi-partisan supported, life-saving programs for refugees and others who are fleeing persecution and violence. This includes an executive order indefinitely suspending the United States Refugee Admissions Program (USRAP), as well as multiple actions that will limit access to asylum protection for people seeking safety.
On January 24, 2025, the U.S. Department of State issued sweeping Suspension Notices, halting all foreign aid programs. These devastating orders suspended funding for critical services to resettled refugees and humanitarian aid for millions worldwide.
The impact of these actions is immediate and dire:
- 4,200 newly arrived refugees as well as thousands of refugee families who have only been in the U.S. a short time are left with limited essential resettlement services.
- CWS has been forced to furlough over half of its U.S.-based staff.
- Legal aid staff at our offices are overwhelmed with newcomers at risk of detention and deportation.
- Vulnerable communities abroad face starvation, persecution, and exploitation without U.S. humanitarian support.
- Thousands of refugees already vetted for resettlement to the US have had the doors closed to them indefinitely
- Thousands of community members waiting to welcome or reunite with loved ones remain separated.
- The groundwork is being laid for future extreme actions that would facilitate mass detentions and deportations.
- Communities lose hardworking, innovative members who enrich our economy, faith groups, and workplaces, making our cities less vibrant and resilient.
This moment is a defining test of our nation’s commitment to welcome.
CWS Response: Standing Strong for Displaced People
CWS is taking bold action to fight these unjust policies and protect those we serve. With your support, we will:
- Challenge these orders in court: With pro-bono legal support, CWS has joined HIAS and Lutheran Community Services Northwest and several individual plaintiffs in a federal lawsuit challenging the suspension of the US Refugee Admissions Program.
- Engage elected officials: CWS is mobilizing faith communities and advocates at local, state and federal levels to demand the reversal of these harmful policies.
- Sustain life-saving services: Despite funding cuts, CWS is providing emergency aid and support to the most vulnerable refugees and communities in crisis.
Budget: $5 million over 18 months.
Your investment today can keep hope alive. By donating, you can help us continue to provide essential services to vulnerable families during this challenging and uncertain time. With your support, CWS aims to:
- Stabilize Critical Infrastructure: CWS must preserve our core capacity to support people and programs central to our mission.
- Immigration Legal Services: Providing legal services to newcomers who have already permitted legal temporary status and are being targeted for detention and deportation
- Refugee Services: Meeting the basic needs of recently arrived refugee families such as food, health care, language training, and shelter
- International Humanitarian Assistance: Wrap-around services for refugees and others in Indonesia, Egypt and Honduras
- Child Protection Services: Advocacy and aid for unaccompanied immigrant children
- Community Outreach: Countering harmful rhetoric and mobilizing support for just policies.
- Awareness Building: Engaging decision makers at local, state, and national levels in support of welcoming policies and programs.
How to Help:
When you support CWS, you support the only agency that processes all U.S. bound refugees from Sub-Saharan Africa and one of only ten agencies who oversee the Refugee Resettlement Program. CWS is one of the only non-profits who works with the displaced at every step of their journey. From development work that supports a family’s choice to stay, to protection along the journey and finally to a dignified and safe place to call home, your donations make a profound impact. Represented pro bono by IRAP and Perkins Coie, CWS has taken legal action in coalition with two other resettlement agencies in the first suit to challenge the Trump administration’s freeze of the Refugee Resettlement program.
CWS has a unique capacity and decades of experience to effectively meet the needs facing the world today. And, with your support, together we can stand emboldened in our commitment to justice and welcome. After 80 years, we refuse to turn our backs now. Your leadership gift will be the difference between despair and hope for thousands.
Time is running out. Will you stand with refugees today?
Donations can be made online or sent to:
Church World Service, P.O. Box 968, Elkhart, IN 46515
(Designate 6210: Emboldened Commitment)