Blog

David Shaw | April 9, 2024

A thirteen-year-old boy, his possessions close at hand and surrounded by strangers, is on his way to New Jersey. He left his small Italian town for a multi-day trek by foot and train to Naples and then boarded a ship, one larger than any he had ever seen. He is alone in the North Atlantic, a place feared for its …

Erica Hunter | April 8, 2024

When I signed up to participate in the Overseas Educational Experience in Africa, I didn’t know what to expect. I was a little nervous to travel that far away from home, but mostly excited at the possibility of visiting the continent of Africa and seeing, first-hand, the CWS programs there. I had no idea the life-changing experience that lay ahead …

March 26, 2024

On March 14, Sarah Michitsch, CWS Harrisburg’s Resettlement Supervisor, had the opportunity to attend the National Immigration Forum Luncheon in Washington D.C. featuring two insightful panel discussions that shed light on crucial aspects of immigration reform. The first panel, which included panelists Rep. Lloyd Smucker and Rep. Henry Cuellar, answered questions about bipartisan bills aimed at reforming immigration policies. Among …

Mariana Gama | March 12, 2024

CWS and Africa team members with U.S. based staff on recent program visit trip in Tanzania and Kenya There’s a somewhat magical aspect of remote work that occurs every now and then when you finally get to meet your coworkers in person. A name from an email gets a face, a face from a weekly team call gets a personality. …

Abdi Iftin | March 8, 2024

As Ramadan begins, the gentle ping of text messages bearing wishes of Ramadan Kareem signals the imminent arrival of this sacred month. As I write this piece, my phone has nearly fifty messages of Ramadan wishes from friends around the world. A reminder of what Ramadan is to many of us: connections and checking on friends and family. I am …