The Heart of CWS Africa: It’s Staff


Mariana Gama | March 12, 2024

CWS and Africa team members with U.S. based staff on recent program visit trip in Tanzania and Kenya There’s a somewhat magical aspect of remote work that occurs every now and then when you finally get to meet your coworkers in person. A name from an email gets a face, a face from a weekly team call gets a personality. …

Ramadan Kareem!


Abdi Iftin | March 8, 2024

As Ramadan begins, the gentle ping of text messages bearing wishes of Ramadan Kareem signals the imminent arrival of this sacred month. As I write this piece, my phone has nearly fifty messages of Ramadan wishes from friends around the world. A reminder of what Ramadan is to many of us: connections and checking on friends and family. I am …

Common Threads: A Refugee Fashion Show Celebrating Diversity and Creativity


Nora Salitan | February 29, 2024

When I began working at CWS in September of 2021, I never anticipated I would find myself directing for a fashion show two and a half years later. But retracing the trajectory from the beginning of my time at CWS to Common Threads, our February 8th show this year—it all starts to make sense!   I started my career at …

Exploring Black History: Personal Reflections and Advocacy


Halima Adams, Director of CWS Diversity, Equity and Inclusion | February 14, 2024

My people are from Ohio; I am from a long line of people born and raised there, yet have roots in Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, Virginia and possibly elsewhere. Both sides of my family are products of the Great Migration. I was raised in a loving family, rooted in cultural pride, the power of education, self-awareness, self-determination, love and a commitment …

Dental Care Day at Church World Service Harrisburg


February 13, 2024

A few weeks ago, over 125 of our newly arrived neighbors visited Church World Service Harrisburg office to see a team of dentists assembled by one of our community partners, Power Women. After each client saw the dentist, they were provided with a hygiene kit. Our clients were deeply thankful for the opportunity to see a dentist and receive a …

A Lesson In Emergency Response and Relationship Building


Zach Wolgemuth | February 2, 2024

I’m bouncing around in the back of a 1970’s-style Jeep while rocks are falling from the hillside above, and I’m trying not to glance at the sheer cliff below. There are no guardrails, no passing zones, just a one-way path recently cut into the side of the mountain thousands of feet above the valley floor. I’m certain that the freshly-bulldozed …

Education and Transformation in Rural Kenya


Mary Catherine Hinds | January 23, 2024

In December, a group of CWS board members and I visited CWS programs in Kenya. On one day, we embarked on a challenging journey by Jeep, navigating through rugged terrain until we reached a secluded community where a chorus of joyful women welcomed us with dancing and clapping. Amidst this warm reception, we met with Michael, a farmer who had …

A Day in the Life of a Resettlement Supervisor


January 19, 2024

One of my favorite moments of last year, one that provided me with a special experience that brought me back to my “why.” I had the privilege of taking two refugee women from two different families to Salem United Church of Christ’s clothing bank. One woman, a mother of a family of 11 from Syria, and the other, a mother …

The Power of Partnerships: A Christmas Blessing


Rev. Jim Kirk | January 5, 2024

The following was part of the 2023 Christmas greeting from CWS’ Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery Team. “In the EPRR program, this year has reflected one of CWS’ original missions, ‘to do in partnership what none of us could hope to do as well alone.’”  These words speak to the power of partnerships supported by CWS. In the fall of …

Faith, Hope and Charity: A Sponsor Group’s Journey to Resettling Refugees


Madison O'Day | December 18, 2023

After months of hard work, research, and thoughtful preparation, a Private Sponsor Group (PSG) from Millersburg, Ohio eagerly awaits the arrival of new refugee neighbors. “This has been a huge learning experience for us, and we are so excited for the next step,” said the group’s liaison to Church World Service, Annette Lendacki. In January of 2023, the Department of …