Our Work
Our vision is a world where everyone has food, voice and a safe place to call home.
After seven decades moving towards this goal, CWS has the faith and experience to know it’s possible. Working around the world, we’ve seen gardens flourishing in barren land. Migrants and refugees finding home even after every door seems to have been closed. Houses standing strong against nature’s worst disasters. That’s the power of your compassion at work when it links to human resilience.
Latest Updates
I Am Because We Are
In 2016, as the war in Syria dominated world headlines, nearly eight million Syrians were internally displaced while hundreds of thousands lived in areas under siege. Millions of Syrian refugees were registered in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt. One of those millions is a Church World Service case manager, Doha, who left Syria in 2013 and arrived in Egypt in …
From Kabul to CWS Paralegal: The Story of Samir.
It was a beautiful spring morning in Greensboro, North Carolina, as we sat in the office of Church World Service. Looking out of the window, the tulip magnolia trees were in bloom, decorating the skyscrapers of Greensboro and roads that stretch as far as our eyes could reach. Sitting with us that day was an Afghan national and a CWS …
CWS Named National VOAD Member of the Year
For Immediate Release: May 4, 2022 CWS Named National VOAD Member of the Year Baltimore, MD– Church World Service has been named the 2022 National VOAD Member of the Year. The honor was announced last night, as part of the National VOAD conference in Baltimore Maryland. National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster, or VOAD, is a coalition of 70+ of …
Ramona Finds Her Voice and The Opportunity for a Better Life
Note before reading: This story includes references to sexual assault and kidnapping. Like many Cubans, Ramona lived in her country under constant fear. She worked at a small restaurant to sustain her son and was silenced whenever she tried to express her thoughts about the government. “I was treated badly there because I didn’t agree with how things were done. …
Finding Strength and Pushing Forward: Anna’s Journey
In Cuba, when someone speaks out against the government they risk being ostracized by their neighbors, coworkers and friends. When her neighbors protested against the regime, however, Anna did not look down on them. Instead, she stepped in and defended them at the expense of her ability to live a calm life in Cuba. She shared, “I am seen poorly …