“One of the most devastating effects of poverty is hunger, and we cannot End Hunger Now if we’re not talking about it. This is a big problem. This is a problem that is not going away unless we act,” says Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) in a series of speeches he’s making on hunger in America on the floor of the …
Immigration reform has mandate, momentum and movement
Rev. John L. McCullough | February 27, 2013
Elections matter – and no more so than when a pressing issue that the two parties can’t agree on hangs in the balance. At issue is the matter of comprehensive immigration reform, which gained major traction following the demographic truths unveiled by the results of the 2012 presidential election. We can’t allow that issue to be derailed or detoured now, …
An Oasis in the City
Amy Porter | February 26, 2013
When we drove into the CWS-supported Oscar Romero Center in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, I was immediately struck by the contrast. Outside, the city was still broken and bruised by the earthquake of January 12, 2010. Inside the center, the walls were whitewashed and framed by flowers, with inspirational quotations from scripture, Oscar Romero, Mother Teresa, and other peace and justice leaders …
MEDIA ADVISORY: Recovery Trainings Planned for NYC Outer Boroughs
New York, N.Y. – As part of its ongoing work in support of recovery efforts following Hurricane Sandy, global humanitarian agency Church World Service will present a series of long-term recovery trainings in the outer boroughs of New York City, March 4-7. The three planned workshops in Queens, Staten Island and Brooklyn are designed to provide those working to help communities …
The Broader Meaning of Our Work
Chris Herlinger | February 23, 2013
It’s not often that you get to write and explain the deeper meaning of your work. But that’s what happened to me recently when America magazine, a Jesuit magazine based here in New York City, asked me to reflect on my time as a “humanitarian journalist” for CWS and others. America published the piece in its most recent issue. The …
Giving Hope
Caroline Kuse | February 22, 2013
What do you think of when you think of Rwanda – giraffes? Genocide? Poverty? In all honesty, if you answered any of those items, you’d be accurate to some extent – but my experience with Giving Hope, a CWS program implemented by the YWCA of Rwanda at a grassroots level, allowed me to experience so much more than these superficial …
How the Dominican Republic Changed My Life
Krista Connelly | February 19, 2013
It had been a long morning in the Dominican Republic, visiting a local community called Antonci. We had just spent hours in the crop fields under the Caribbean sun, learning all of the wonderful ways in which CWS and our local partners have helped transform this community and the families who live here. We were just about to leave when …
It isn’t sexy work – but it needs to get done
Chris Herlinger | February 15, 2013
Sometimes it takes an outsider to help you say what you want to say. For years, those of us involved in our emergency response work have struggled with “the message” of what we do in the United States. It’s been a struggle because it isn’t sexy work; it’s long and drawn out, and the fruit it bears can take years. …
My two cents on President’s Obama’s State of the Union address
Maurice Bloem | February 14, 2013
I was disappointed that the president seemed to have forgotten what he said at the 2012 G-8 Summit: “We can unleash the change that reduces hunger and malnutrition. . . . I pledge to you today that this will remain a priority as long as I am the United States president.” We commended him for this commitment in a letter …
Improve the world from our kitchen table
Maurice Bloem |
People who know me have heard me say at more than one occasion that ending hunger and malnutrition is possible in our lifetime. I know that there are still skeptics but we really do know what is required to make this a reality. For one we need to ensure that we give a child the proper start by ensuring that …