Founded in 1946, Church World Service is the relief, development, and refugee assistance ministry of 35 Protestant, Orthodox, and Anglican denominations in the United States. Working in partnership with indigenous organizations in more than 80 countries, CWS works worldwide to meet human needs and foster self-reliance for all whose way is hard.
Within the United States, Church World Service assists communities in responding to disasters, resettles refugees, promotes fair national and international policies, provides educational resources, and offers opportunities to join a people-to-people network of local and global caring through participation in CROP Hunger Walks, the Tools & Blankets Program, and the CWS Kits Program.
One of Church World Service’s initiatives, supported by the St. Marys United Methodist Church Foundation, is Giving Children Hope. Giving Children Hope, began as a small pilot program of the Rwanda YWCA in 2003. During that first year, 220 child-headed households were organized into small working groups that first sought to provide a nurturing social framework for children who faced similar devastating challenges. Recognizing the effectiveness of the initial program, Church World Service decided in 2004 to expand the program into other areas of East Africa and with the support of a partnership with the St. Marys United Methodist Church Foundation, Giving Children Hope was launched in Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda. The program has further expanded into Kenya and is currently serving over 8,500 child headed households in the four country region.
Giving Children Hope is focused on five critical areas:
- Hunger and poverty alleviation
- Durable solutions for the displaced
- Water for all, Water for life
- Peace building and conflict resolution
- HIV/AIDS
Giving Hope works with faith-based organizations to transform their programs of compassion into strategies that empower children to speak for themselves, plan for their future, and care for themselves and their siblings. Child headed households can plan and execute livelihood implementations, contribute significantly to the social and economic development of their communities, and responsibly manage the welfare of their families.
You can find out more about Church World Service by visiting their website at www.churchworldservice.org.