» From the President and CEO » Standing Together in 2025 » Mustafa and Dalia’s Story on the cover! » Hope and Healing for Separated Families in SudanWHAT’S INSIDECHANGEMAKERSWINTER 2025
DEAR FRIENDS AND PARTNERS,As I have prayed over this next year at World Relief, I’m reminded of Maryam, who fled her home in Iran after facing persecution, imprisonment and torture for her Christian faith.As one of hundreds of millions in the largest displacement crisis in history, it would be easy for stories like hers to get lost in the statistics. But at World Relief, we choose to see and respond.Thanks to your commitment to taking generous action, Maryam was resettled in the U.S. through World Relief and was welcomed with open arms by the church. Now, Maryam tells others how she found hope in this season of change:“I think it was mostly the love that I was receiving from people, my Christian friends and my faith in Jesus that helped me move forward.”As we look to 2025, the crises we face are immense. Right now, refugees, immigrant families in the U.S. and vulnerable communities around the world are facing a critical gap in support. Yet, our commitment to partnering with the church to tackle the world’s greatest crises remains unwavering — and you have already helped us respond. Over the past several weeks, churches and partners like you raised $5.7 million* for refugee families and vulnerable communities around the globe.*Thank you for continuing to stand in the gap with us as we pursue a God-sized response on behalf of those who are suering. Together with the church, we choose to see and respond — no matter what.Together,FROM THE PRESIDENT & CEOPRAYER REQUESTS• Pray for refugees and immigrants in the U.S. facing an unknown future. Let us be the church answering Christ’s call to welcome the stranger.• Pray for the millions of people in Sudan and Haiti facing starvation and illness. Let us be the church extending aid to those who are suering and dying.• Pray for the nations in conflict: Ukraine, the Middle East & Democratic Congo. Let us be the church creating pathways to peace.Lent is a sacred time of reflection and renewal, a reminder that even in suering, God brings redemption and restores what is broken. For those of us who care deeply about families displaced by war, violence and persecution, the start of 2025 has felt especially heavy. Yet, in the darkest moments, Christ’s light shines.We invite you to join us in preparing our hearts for the hope of his resurrection. Download He Was There: A Lenten Journey, a special devotional created just for you.MYAL GREENE PRESIDENT & CEOHe Was ThereScan to read our free devotional!worldrelief.org/lentLENT DEVOTIONAL* Stand in the Gap total giving as of Feb. 26, 2025.
Throughout history, the church has been resilient in the face of change. At World Relief, we see this truth continue to play out today as we bear witness to the incredible work God is accomplishing through his people, even in the most fragile circumstances.Around the world, we see the devastating eects of violent conflict, climate events and political upheaval. We also recognize new, unprecedented crises that have arisen in recent months as a series of executive orders issued by the current administration brought critical humanitarian aid programs to a halt — impacting our organization and the millions of people we serve worldwide.Amid all this, I want to thank you for your faithfulness. Together, we’ve stood through many seasons of change, trusting in God’s faithfulness and persevering through many trials over the last 80 years.The Work Before UsThis year, we are stepping boldly into our work with the same conviction, even as we pursue our mission and vision with a new administration in Washington. World Relief has always been a nonpartisan organization — our partners and supporters belong to diverse political aliations. But we stand united in our concern for those experiencing vulnerability in the U.S. and around the world.Without a doubt, we have encountered — and continue to encounter — serious obstacles to serving refugees, displaced families and other vulnerable communities worldwide as a result of policy decisions made by the new administration. While we do not anticipate these challenges going away soon, our focus remains the same: to care for those who need us most and to partner with you in creating a path toward flourishing for all people created in God’s image.The Gap We FaceOver the past several years, we have deliberately prepared for administrations that would be unfavorable to refugee resettlement. We strengthened our financial position, diversified STANDING TOGETHER IN 2025 | BY MYAL GREENEFEATURE ARTICLEWith the Evangelical Immigration Table, World Relief co-hosted over 100 pastors, ministry leaders and sta for Advocacy Days in Washington D.C. in November 2024.
funding sources and expanded state and local partnerships so we could continue serving refugees and other non-refugee populations in the U.S., even in times of administration and policy change.However, executive orders pausing or completely stopping support for already arrived refugees and critical humanitarian programs both in the U.S. and abroad have left us and the communities we serve in a challenging position. For decades, World Relief has worked in partnership with the U.S. Government, as well as with private donors such as churches, individuals and foundations, to implement life-saving and resilience-building programs across the globe. The sudden policy shifts have placed this important work in jeopardy, destabilizing communities and causing a humanitarian crisis that requires immediate action.Now, we are looking to the church — and to partners like you — to stand with us. We need you to stand in the gap, protect the vulnerable and lift up those in need.Standing Together in FaithWhether we are responding together in Sudan, Ukraine, Haiti or Chicago, our strategy, programs and advocacy are still grounded in our faith in Jesus and our mission to step boldly into the world’s greatest crises in partnership with the church.We remain resolute in our mission as we move forward. With your faithful Changemaker partnership, we will continue to meet the needs of those impacted by global crises, oering hope and pathways to flourishing — no matter what lies ahead.As millions face urgent needs in 2025, will you stand in the gap with us? Visit worldrelief.org, scan the QR code or use the inserted envelope to give today.STANDING TOGETHER IN 2025 (CONTINUED)World Relief sta in front of the U.S. Capitol Building.
Living in the rural countryside of Syria, Mustafa and Dalia spent years building a life together with their young children. But when war broke out around them in 2011, life as they knew it was completely upended.Facing severe hardship, the family sought refuge in the neighboring country of Lebanon in 2013. Though they were now safe from war, Mustafa and Dalia were unable to secure essential care that they needed — especially medical treatment for their son, who was ill.“Treatment was so dicult to get in Lebanon,” Mustafa said. “If you can’t cover healthcare costs, you just die at the hospital entrance because they won’t let you in.”The family applied for resettlement into the U.S. in 2015, but after the country placed a travel ban on refugees in 2017, their status was placed on hold. Unfortunately, without access to medical care, Mustafa and Dalia’s son’s health deteriorated. He passed away while the family waited in Lebanon.In 2022, seven years after applying, Mustafa and Dalia received approval to resettle in the U.S. as refugees. Still, they faced challenges rebuilding their life together as they encountered a language barrier and lacked reliable transportation.That’s when Mustafa and Dalia found support through World Relief. Soon after their arrival, World Relief sta and Good Neighbor Team (GNT) volunteers welcomed the family with open arms, guiding them through the complexities of resettlement in the U.S.Now, thanks to the eorts of volunteers and the generosity of Changemakers like you, Mustafa and Dalia are rebuilding their lives together. Mustafa and his oldest sons are now working to provide for the family. And, through community support and a World Relief savings program, the family now owns a vehicle to take care of their daily needs.Mustafa and Dalia’s journey is not over — every day, they continue to rebuild. But they know that this is a journey they could not have undertaken alone.“They’ve helped from the beginning to the end,” Mustafa said about GNT volunteers. “We were in need, and they supported us.”SURVIVE, ADAPT, REBUILD: MUSTAFA AND DALIA’S STORYU.S. PROGRAMS UPDATEScan the QR code to watch Mustafa and Dalia’s story.Mustafa and his family now own a vehicle, thanks to your support.VIDEO
In Sudan, war has continued for almost two years.. More than 11 million people have fled their homes, resulting in the world’s largest displacement crisis. World Relief Sudan has continued its steady presence in the region, with over 300 sta plus volunteers and 17 sub-oces serving 29 districts.Since the conflict’s outbreak, our commitment to bringing hope and life-saving aid has been unwavering. World Relief sta and partners in Darfur and eastern Sudan have delivered food, water, medicine and blankets to those in need. In fiscal year 2024, you helped us provide humanitarian aid to over 950,000 people.But meeting the vast physical needs is only part of the journey as many Sudanese also face unthinkable emotional hardship — including family separation. Fatima, a Sudanese mother of two, faced this heartbreaking scenario. In June 2023, Fatima and her neighbors fled fighting in North Darfur. Fatima was separated from her two children, who ended up with other displaced people in Fanga Suk, where World Relief operates a community-based protection network, training volunteers to safeguard vulnerable individuals.In August 2023, the network identified the children and began searching for their mother. After one month, World Relief reunited Fatima and her children. In the hardest season of their lives, their family found relief and hope.Fatima shared, “Being a woman...I was an easy target for attacks, and fleeing was dicult. It was even more heartbreaking because my two children were separated from me. “But I am very grateful to organizations like World Relief... my children were safe and are with me after some months of [us]being separated.”As the war continues into 2025, recent policy changes have put funding for this life-saving work at risk. Now more than ever, thousands of people like Fatima need the church and partners like you to stand in the gap. Thank you for standing with us as we address global crises with the hope, love and peace of Christ.HOPE AND HEALING FOR SEPARATED FAMILIES IN SUDANScan the QR code to see more of World Relief’s work at the border of Sudan and Chad.Thanks to your support, Fatima was reunited with her children after months of being separated.SUDAN UPDATEVIDEORESPONDING TO DISPLACEMENT
You Support Communities on the Move We provide ongoing support for newly arrived refugees in the U.S and those impacted by displacement around the world.You Engage Communities in Crisis In the wake of disasters and crises, we work through our global network of churches and local volunteers to deliver emergency aid, including food, water and shelter to families in disaster zones.You Build Communities of Resilience We strengthen and create resilience in fragile communities at risk of displacement through programming in savings, agriculture, water & sanitation, and health.You Create Communities of Welcome We create welcoming communities right here in the U.S. and engage in the associated advocacy and public policy eorts that lead to successful resettlement and a sense of belonging for all those forced to flee their homes.YOU + WORLD RELIEF = REAL CHANGEYou’re part of something big—a compassionate, global community of World Relief partners bringing the love and care of Christ to displaced people around the world in their greatest moments of need.Together, we raised over $6,767,880* in our Stand in the Gap Campaign. Thank you for your generosity!4 Powerful Ways Your Gift Drives ChangeWhere Can Your Gift Make a Dierence?Souzan’s Story of HopeSouzan and her husband risked their lives to host Bible studies at home in Iran, despite laws against converting from Islam to Christianity. After being reported to the authorities, they fled to Indonesia and began a 12-year wait for refugee status through UNHCR. Learn how your support to World Relief created a pathway for Souzan’s family to resettle in Spokane, built a safer future for their children and gave them freedom to worship. Scan the QR code to read the full story!MENTAL HEALTH TRAINING IN UKRAINEESL CLASSES IN CHICAGOJOB TRAINING IN DURHAMMAIZE SEEDS FOR FAMILIES FACING FAMINE* Gifts received as of Feb. 27, 2025. For campaign updates please visit worldrelief.org/stand-in-the-gap.
GENEROSITY IN ACTION AROUND THE WORLDWorld Relief has united with the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) and other Christian leaders to encourage President Trump to sustain the refugee resettlement program. At a time when there are many misconceptions about what Christians believe about refugees and immigration policy, we want to be clear, pointing to key biblically-informed principles that reflect the real views of American Christians in support of secure borders while protecting persecuted Christians and other persecuted minority groups. Scan the QR code to read the statement and be a part of this powerful movement for religious liberty and compassion!Recently, WORLD RELIEF KENYA visited poultry farming groups in Turkana. The use of Black Soldier Fly (BSF) technology has been a game-changer, improving chicken feed with nutritious larvae. This has led to increased egg production, a higher meat supply and a sustainable source of protein for the community. Not only does this boost poultry farming, but it also helps fight malnutrition and creates financial independence for local families.@worldreliefWhat an absolute joy to watch these young players light up Hope Field alongside WORLD RELIEF TEXAS and their amazing partner, More Than A Game! For refugee children starting fraesh in a new place, soccer isn’t just a sport—it’s a place to dream big, build teamwork, celebrate victories and lean on the hope found in Christ. Huge kudos to every single player who poured their heart into this recent tournament—you inspire us all!@worldrelieftexasLast year, WORLD RELIEF MEMPHIS helped 233 refugees learn English through our Connect Language Center! Toyiba, who went from being a beginner to having confidence in her English journey. “I had a wonderful experience, both in the lessons and with my friends. The English classes had a significant impact on me. I started as a complete beginner, but now I feel quite confident. This progress is thanks to your dedication. Thank you, and I’ll cherish the memories of you and my classmates.”@wrmemphisA Christian Statement on Refugee Resettlement