Church World Service (CWS)
date
Church World Service (CWS) has been feeding the hungry and helping the vulnerable for over 68 years! Photo: CWS
CWS has been feeding the hungry and helping the weak for 75 years! Photo: CWS
Universal Church Service was born in 1946, in the aftermath of World War II. Seventeen denominations came together to form an agency “to do in partnership what none of us can hope to do alone.” Mission: Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, heal the sick, comfort the elderly, shelter the homeless.
Now, 75 years later, the mission still stands, although where and how to achieve it has changed dramatically.
In 1946-47, American churches opened their hearts and provided more than 11 million pounds of food, clothing, and medical supplies to war-torn Europe and Asia. Protestants and Catholics have combined talent and resources to tackle a dizzying refugee crisis. Today, the CWS Immigration and Refugee Program is a vital, internationally recognized operation, resettling nearly half a million refugees since its inception.
Also in 1947, CWS, Lutheran World Relief, and the National Catholic Welfare Program created a joint community appeal against hunger, the Rural Christian Program Overseas, also known as CROP. The acronym is gone but the name and lifesaving work remains as CROP Hunger Walks in more than 800 communities across the United States.
The early CROP initiative captured the imagination of America’s heart. Soon, “friendship trains” spread across the country, picking up commodities like corn, wheat, rice, and beans to be shared around the world. The train experience led to the “friendship food ships”. A multi-denominational program called One Great Hour of Sharing was formed to collect gifts within the church to help fill these ships. CWS continued to provide community-wide opportunities for participation.
In the 1950s and 1960s, CWS expanded its reach across Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
As the 1960s dawned, CWS began increasing its work in emergency assistance while supporting far-reaching problem-solving efforts—what became known as development.
Evolution begins at the grassroots level. CWS recognized early on that successful projects and programs should come from the people themselves, not imposed by others.
CWS has sought local agencies that share this vision to enable self-help and long-term partnerships have been formed.
Over the years there have been many success stories. One of the first was in Algeria, in North Africa. Over a four-year period, using more than 5 million volunteer days, some 20 million forest and fruit trees were planted to anchor the soil against nature’s constant erosion.
In India, CWS has helped countless villages build reservoirs, dig wells, and set up irrigation systems. The result: “insurance against drought” and improved food production.
The same partnerships that underpin our development efforts have enabled the Standards Committee to maximize our response to disasters.
The story of CROP Hunger Walk dates back to 1969. Teens in Bismarck, North Dakota, and York County, Pennsylvania, decided it was time to do something for families who had to walk miles in search of food and clean water. So they walked… and because they had taken that first step, hunger was forever changed. Today, millions of people have participated in almost every state.
In the 1970s, CWS’s work developed in important ways. Our work on grassroots development has inspired a deeper analysis of the root causes of hunger and poverty. As a result, in 1974, CWS—in collaboration with Lutheran World Relief—established the Office of Development Policy in Washington, D.C. to represent CWS’ concerns about hunger before U.S. government agencies.
The importance of this work was confirmed in 1978 by the findings of the Presidential Commission on World Hunger, which indicated that the main cause of hunger is poverty, that is, man-made. So what is missing to end hunger is the political will to do so. The report also called for concerted efforts to increase education about hunger and its causes. Staff from the CWS Development Policy Office served on this committee.
In 1976, in order to provide greater support to refugees and their sponsors in the United States, the CWS established refugee resettlement offices in various parts of the United States. States in the years after the Vietnam War. While the number of offices ebbs and flows with refugee admissions, they continue to form the basis for CWS’ work on refugee resettlement in the United States.
Also in the 1970s, the CWS began responding to American disasters at the request of member churches.
CWS worked in international emergency response and development during the 1970s and 1980s, focusing on working in partnership with other NGOs and with local groups. This has in some cases led to the creation of new, independent organizations such as the Middle East Council of Churches, the Christian Development Commission in Bangladesh or CEPAD in Nicaragua. Working in partnership remains a hallmark of CWS’s work. These groups remain important partners of CWS.
Most recently, CWS was one of the founding members of a global partnership of faith-based humanitarian agencies, the ACT Alliance, with members in 140 countries. With 130 member organizations, the ACT Alliance provides a dynamic environment for collaboration in response to human needs around the world. By working together, agencies can maximize their impact.
Everyone should be able to live without fear. We should all have a safe place to call home, a way to make a living, food to eat and water to drink.
In many societies in Africa, as in many other places in the world, these goals can be difficult to reach. Conflicts and disasters drive people to leave their homes. Extreme climates can destroy crops and make it difficult to get water.
CWS operates the Africa Resettlement Support Centre, based in Kenya. The RSC team guides all US-bound refugees from sub-Saharan Africa through the resettlement process. We help them prepare for their new life in the United States.
Other CWS programs focus on helping farmers improve their crops. Connecting communities with clean water. Preparing families to rebuild and replant after a disaster. Support entrepreneurs from marginalized communities as they start their businesses. Building a world where everyone can reach their potential.
Contact Us
NEW YORK CORPORATE CENTER
475 Riverside Dr., Suite 700
New York, NY 10115
212-870-2061
Fax: 212-870-3220
ELKHART CORPORATE CENTER
MAILING ADDRESS
PO Box 968
Elkhart, IN 46515
800-297-1516
Fax: 574-262-0966
ELKHART CORPORATE CENTER
PHYSICAL ADDRESS
28606 Phillips St
Elkhart, IN 46514
Donate by mail
Please mail your check, payable to:
Church World Service
P.O. Box 968
Elkhart, IN 46515
U.S. Media Contacts
Connect with our team:
212-870-2188
media@cwsglobal.org
For questions about the Sanctuary movement:
Myrna Orozco, Sanctuary Communications and Organizing Associate
202-599-3585
morozco@cwsglobal.org