When you hear the term “faith-based humanitarianism” (admittedly, a mouthful), what do you think of? Do you think it means trying to promote a certain religious faith? Does it mean passing out religious tracts along with blankets and cleanup buckets during an emergency? Or does it mean that, if you work for a faith-based organization, the foundation on which your …
Feeding Hungry Little Minds and Bodies in Serbia
Amy Bobbette | June 10, 2013
The Naša Radost school is an inclusive pre-school in Smederevo that serves the most vulnerable and marginalized groups in Serbia. Children from Roma settlements and children with developmental and other disabilities attend the school. They are not only being prepared to enter primary school but, along with their parents and teachers, are learning to grow food. The school ground has …
Rev. John L. McCullough Addresses 2013 Bread Gathering
CWS President and CEO, the Rev. John L. McCullough, was asked to address a joint gathering of Bread for the World and Scaling Up Nutrition June 10. Download a PDF copy or read his full remarks below. In the days of “Leave It to Beaver” a couple of common expressions were that children are made to be seen and not …
Volunteers Keep Us Walking
Amy Porter | June 8, 2013
My first meeting with volunteers after starting with CWS eleven years ago was a post-Walk celebration for the Southwick/Granville CROP Hunger Walk at the Roma Restaurant in Southwick. I was a bit nervous, but so warmly welcomed by co-coordinators Clayton Cigal, Sr. and Carolyn Mills – who was stepping down after many years and to whom we were presenting a …
Service is Worship: Church Stocks CWS Emergency Cleanup Buckets
Kathryn Goldsmith, Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church | June 7, 2013
One year ago, Preston Hollow Presbyterian Church in Dallas launched a concept called “Micro Mission Trip.” The idea was simple – engage more members in service by offering short service opportunities during the typical Sunday worship time slot four times a year. The idea of worshipping and serving simultaneously was born in a Community Outreach Council meeting. “Since Saturdays are …
Appeal Update #1: 2013 U.S. Tornadoes, Storms and Floods
June 6, 2013
Revised Appeal Goal: $100,000 (Up from $55,000) Received to Date: $27,000 Situation: Severe springtime weather continues to adversely affect much of the United States. In recent weeks, storms, floods and tornadoes have hit many states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Illinois, Michigan, Pennsylvania and Louisiana. On May 15, the EF-4 tornado that hit Granbury, Texas, killed six persons and …
UMC Church Engages Neighborhood to Raise Support for Refugees
June 5, 2013
Inman Park United Methodist Church in Atlanta, Ga., sets a great example of how a small church can make a big difference in the lives of refugees, do so with imagination – and in the process get its neighborhood and a lot of other churches involved. Every year, the 130-member congregation completely furnishes an apartment for a newly arriving refugee …
Nuns on the Bus Visits CWS in North Carolina
Sister Judy Best, SSND, Nuns on the Bus | June 4, 2013
On May 31, the CWS Raleigh/Durham office was visited by the Nuns on the Bus tour, a group of Catholic nuns traveling around the country to raise support for compassionate immigration reform. In Durham they learned about refugee resettlement, had a chance to meet refugee clients, and held a press conference. The following post was written by Sister Judy Best …
Now I Can Smile
Ngura Kapalee | June 3, 2013
The lack of access to water close by is not just a threat to health and hygiene and livestock. It can also put at risk the lives of people looking for water to graze their livestock. Fifteen-year-old Ngura Kapalee gives an account of what he endured before a CWS project made water easily available in his village in Kenya’s semi-arid West …
Chorequepaio is Blooming
Fionuala Cregan | June 1, 2013
In the indigenous Guaraní language in Bolivia, chorequepaio means new flower. It is also the name that ten families gave their community when they moved here seven years ago. Most had worked as labourers on large private estates – long hours under difficult conditions for wages well below the minimum. With support from CWS Chaco Program partner CERDET, they received …