World Relief

World Relief began at around the same time that the Holocaust was ending in Europe. The year was 1944 and the organization was originally named War Relief Commission of the National Association of Evangelicals, (“What is World Relief?”).  By 1950, the name was changed to World Relief and its services expanded to Korea, Vietnam, Chile, Peru, and Bangladesh. Christians all over the world took notice of the horrors committed and unified to spread the news of Jesus. World Relief has offices in 20 countries on four continents and helps over 7 annually, (World Relief). It has become one of America’s largest faith-based aid groups.

Mission Statement: “We Believe each expression of the worldwide Church has a unique and interdependent role in bringing peace and justice to the world.”

Today, World Relief partners with churches and communities across the globe to help vulnerable people and seek justice. One of the focus points is assisting over 68 million people that have been displaced worldwide and cannot return home. Just in the year 2017, in the United States, 32,000 refugees and immigrants were welcomed, 11,000 were provided with legal services, and 2,500 were assisted with citizenship applications, (World Relief).

With dramatic cuts and anti-immigration stance in Trump’s administration, World Relief has lost offices and and staff. World Relief continues to urge the President to pursue broad-based immigration reform with Congress. In regards to the government shutdown, Scott Arbeiter, the President of World Relief stated, “We’re concerned that by declaring a national emergency, not only has the president opened an avenue for bypassing true solutions, but also shortchanged those stuck in the immigration system and those seeking to come to the U.S. who need true legislative solutions,” (World Relief). While World Relief agrees that border security is important, the U.S. needs to respond in a humanitarian way, and to avoid restricting opportunities for those fleeing persecution, (“World Relief Responds to President Trump’s State of the Union Address, Urges Comprehensive Immigration Reform.”)

Internationally, World Relief seeks to aid refugees as well, but the focus tends to be child development, health, nutrition, agriculture, etc., (World Relief). In Africa, a model called Church Empowerment Zones have been adapted, comprised of local pastors giving the community the opportunity to join together and share resources. World Relief equips leaders in spiritual and technical development, giving them means to assist their fellow community members, (World Relief). In one Rwandan district, households visited by church volunteers were 2x more food secure and saved twice as much in community savings groups, (“Africa”). World Relief also has a strong presence in the Middle East, being that over one third of the world’s displaced people are located here, (“Middle East”). The major areas of assistance provided include humanitarian assistance, trauma counseling, family strengthening, and livelihood recovering.

Some criticism of World Relief stems from the fact that the majority of their funding stems from U.S. government grants. Some feel that by taking federal money, World Relief cannot legally share the gospel with those that they are serving and that “we should stop tearing apart the fabric of our own culture and nation,” (Shepherd). Another criticism is that all employees must be Christian, triggering many who denounce it as religious discrimination. Although it is lawful under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, many claim that it is hypocritical for an organization to discriminate based off of religious preference when many of the people they are serving have fled religious intolerance themselves, (Brachear). This policy just stems back to the idea of the White Savior Industrial Complex. World Relief is first and foremost faith based, so as Teju Cole discussed, we are imposing our beliefs and values to these struggling people through the form of Christianity. While there is aid incorporated as well, there is still no doubt that white privilege plays a role in spreading the Christian faith.

This is a video from the World Relief website interviewing a man about his experience as a refugee.

Brachear, Manya. Help Wanted, but Only Christians Need Apply, 29 Mar. 2010, www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-xpm-2010-03-29-ct-met-world-relief-20100531-story.html.

Cole, Teju. “The White-Savior Industrial Complex.” The Atlantic, 21 Mar. 2012.

Shephard , Josh. “Conflict of Interest? World Relief, Refugee Resettlement and Immigration Debate.” Stream, 21 Feb. 2018, stream.org/conflict-interest-world-relief-refugee-resettlement-immigration-debate/.

World Relief, worldrelief.org/.

World Relief. “What Is World Relief?” World Relief Fort Worth, worldrelieffortworth.org/blog/what-world-relief.

World Relief. “World Relief Responds to President Trump’s State of the Union Address, Urges Comprehensive Immigration Reform.” PR NewsWire, 5 Feb. 2019, www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/world-relief-responds-to-president-trumps-state-of-the-union-address-urges-comprehensive-immigration-reform-300790512.html.