A hallmark of CWS development work involves partnering with each community, working with them to find solutions to their problems together. CWS launched a new program in Myanmar’s Kayin State in 2014 that began with gathering the perspectives of the local community towards their development. Because the peace process among ethnic minorities and government in the region is still a …

WASHINGTON, D.C. – “To connect organizations and issues is the only way I see to break global systems of oppression. No one can do it alone. We have to see this as one movement.” That’s how David Schilling describes the task facing the more than 1,000 Christian advocates who are expected to attend the 13th Annual Ecumenical Advocacy Days for …

They call Haiti ‘the Pearl of the Antilles.’ It turned out not to be a fairy tale. Haiti, a small country on an island tucked in the middle of the Caribbean sea, a country of natural beauty, mountains, beaches, sun. A country so much has been written about. Struggles did not end with independence. They had only just started. Somehow, …

Washington, DC – With calls to commemorate, remember and heal, the people of Haiti were affirmed and recognized today (Jan. 12) during a Capitol Hill interfaith prayer service, marking the fifth anniversary of the catastrophic 2010 Haiti earthquake. “We’re here to commemorate the incredible courage and perseverance of the Haitian people in their rebuilding,” said Martin Shupack, Washington-based Director of …

Five years after the earthquake in Haiti, the question is asked, “where all the donated money went” and what the impact was. CWS advocated for and applauds the passing of the Assessing Progress in Haiti Act by the U.S. Congress and supports a shadow report of a national human rights platform to the government of Haiti anti-corruption self assessment. Within …

Even while in the throes of helping survivors of a hurricane, flood or other disaster, it is never too early for a local long-term recovery group to start thinking about what it will do after it has closed its last case. Among other things, a little foresight can make the final evaluation easier to conduct and “must-keep” information easier to …

Refugee resettlement offices rely on volunteers, churches and community groups to help welcome refugees to their communities. With offices spread across the United States, each has a distinctness based on the local community, and many train local volunteers to mentor refugees in their time of need. Mentors serve different rolls. Pam Welch, formerly of the Amarillo branch of Refugee Services …

The American health system is not intuitive. Health insurance is required. Under an individual’s plan, some doctors are covered, while some treatments are not. Some plans provide coverage for alternative medicine and chiropractics, but mental health coverage might be limited. Even for those who grew up in the US, the system can be a labyrinth of deductibles, co-pays, and referrals. …

DETROIT — “I just feel alone.  Sometimes I want to just ball up in this cold, cold house and sleep all day and sleep all night.” That’s how Karen C.* of Detroit said she’s feeling now, more than four months since flash flooding resulting from torrential rain sent sewer and surface water gushing into tens of thousands of basements – …

DETROIT — Southeast Michigan’s Aug. 11 flood disaster affected more people than any other U.S. disaster in 2014.  Apart from a few hundred households still carrying sodden, ruined belongings to the curb, the disaster’s impact is no longer visible from the street. But Church World Service and the emerging local long-term recovery group CWS helped train on Dec. 16 know …