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We get it: The news can be hard to read. With so many urgent issues happening all over the world, it’s hard to wrap our heads around everything that’s going on. It often feels like we’re experiencing crisis upon crisis.
Looking away may feel like the easy option. And yet, there are some things that we just can’t ignore. Across the world, and even in our neighborhoods, there are children, women and men that are hurting. In the U.S., the loss of food benefits and other federal support is leaving refugees and other immigrants in a place of crisis. In places like the Caribbean, an unprecedented natural disaster has left countless lives devastated. Violence in Sudan is forcing thousands to flee. All around us, people are losing homes, families and friends — the people and places they love.
In moments like this, it’s up to all of us to make a difference. And you can make a difference in the lives of many. Any gift you can give, and any way you can support, can make an immeasurable impact as families seek safety and stability. To one child, one refugee, one family — you matter.
But before any of us can respond with boldness and compassion, we need to be aware of what is going on around us, both in our communities and around the world.With that, here are four urgent crises happening right now that you need to know:
1. SNAP Benefits for Refugees and other Vulnerable Immigrants Have Ended
After attempts to pass a federal budget for the upcoming year failed, the U.S. federal government began a shutdown on Oct. 1, disrupting the livelihood of families across the country. As a result of the shutdown, SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) benefits — a food assistance program granted to nearly 42 million individuals experiencing low income —were delayed, leading to a greater risk of food insecurity in the U.S.’s most vulnerable households.
While the federal government’s reopening will help bring back a sense of normalcy to many American families, for the most vulnerable refugee and immigrant families here in the U.S., benefits are not being reinstated. The recently passed “Big Beautiful Bill” will cut SNAP eligibility for all lawfully present immigrants and refugees who have not yet obtained lawful permanent resident (green card) status. Refugees typically become eligible for a green card one year after arrival, with around one year of processing time — meaning most will lose benefits for an extended period before achieving eligibility.
Without communities walking alongside their refugee and immigrant neighbors, it’s possible that many may go hungry in the weeks and months to come. But now is our chance to show the love of Immanuel to those in need. At World Relief, we are partnering with churches and community members across the country to ensure refugees and other immigrants have the food they need. Together, we are running food drives and distributing groceries, gift cards and other food funds to impacted refugee and immigrant households in our communities.
Your generosity is critical in moments of crisis.
2. Violence in Darfur, Sudan
Since war erupted in April 2023 in Sudan, civilians have borne the brunt of relentless violence, mass displacement and human suffering. Sudan now faces the largest humanitarian crisis in the world today.
Darfur remains the epicenter of this suffering. Decades of marginalization, recurring conflict, and fragile governance have left its people extraordinarily vulnerable. Today, the city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, has become a symbol of the crisis.
For nearly 18 months, the crisis in El Fasher has worsened. But on Oct. 24, 2025, the crisis reached a tipping point: El Fasher was invaded and seized. Media reports describe devastating scenes — entire neighborhoods destroyed, hospitals looted, and mass killings of civilians. Thousands have fled toward nearby towns. After passing through hostile forces, they often travel days on foot through dangerous terrain. Those who make it arrive exhausted, malnourished, and traumatized.
But even amid this horrific crisis, we are ready to respond with compassion. In Sudan, we have been one of the largest humanitarian actors in the Darfur region since 2003 — and our work will not stop now. Even amid the conflict and violence, we are providing life saving food assistance, health care, clean water and protection across the region.
3. Disaster in the Carribean
After making landfall on Oct. 28, Hurricane Melissa swept through the Caribbean, bringing catastrophic winds and torrential rains to Jamaica, Haiti and surrounding islands. The tropical storm conditions and hurricane-force winds brought flash floods and widespread power outages to Jamaica, with thousands forced to flee their homes. Though the full extent of the disaster is still being determined, more than 60 people have been reported dead as a result of the storm.
In Haiti, where unrest and fragility have already left millions vulnerable, the storm’s impact – especially in the southern and southeastern regions – has been especially devastating. Reports have pointed to widespread flooding, destroyed homes and crops, and families cut off from help as roads wash away and communities become isolated.
In response, World Relief is working with our on-the-ground staff in Haiti — in partnership with trusted church networks and other local leaders — to reach families with life saving aid. As we continue to respond to urgent needs in Haiti, we are actively seeking to identify and engage with Evangelical partners on the ground in Jamaica and other affected islands, ensuring a unified response to one of the largest natural disasters facing the Caribbean in recent history.
4. Suffering in Gaza
On October 7, 2023, the world was shaken by news of the deadly attack on Israel by Palestinian armed groups in Gaza. For over two years, the crisis deepened. More than 67,000 Palestinians were killed in Gaza and thousands were injured. Famine was officially declared in Gaza City and the surrounding territory, with nearly half a million people facing starvation, acute malnutrition and even death. Humanitarian aid was often blocked from reaching those most in need.
Then, after two years of conflict and crisis, a peace deal was secured between the two parties on Oct. 8. Though the Gaza peace plan continues to unfold and humanitarian aid corridors are beginning to reopen, the situation remains fragile. Families in Gaza — and the countless other families who have been displaced by the war — still face uncertainty, trauma and fear as they try to start the long journey of rebuilding, and mourning, everything that has been lost.
Together with you and alongside partners, we have responded with compassion and urgency across Gaza, the West Bank, Egypt and Lebanon since 2023. We’ve reached more than 199,000 individuals with life-saving support. Now, in Gaza, we are working with trusted local partners to support families with emergency food, psychosocial support, childhood education and more.
Help families across the U.S. and around the world
Together, We Respond — With Urgency and Hope
Our hearts ache as we witness the scale of suffering across our world. When crisis follows after crisis, we know that the challenges can feel insurmountable.
And yet — we hold onto hope.
Together, alongside trusted partners all across the world, World Relief is uniquely poised to respond “here and there” to crises happening worldwide. With our staff at the ready in places like Sudan, Haiti and across the U.S. — and with community partners working in Gaza and worldwide — we have hope that God can bring the seeds of redemption and healing, even in the midst of heartbreak.
Together with you, World Relief is boldly responding to these crises, inspired by the audacious belief that human flourishing is possible — even in the midst of devastation..
But this is not a journey that we can take alone. We need your help. In moments like these, when crisis follows after crisis, your generosity ensures that we can respond swiftly to needs around the world and offer hope to millions who are suffering.
Will you join us in sending aid to families facing crisis?
Samuel Heard serves as a content specialist at World Relief. His writing has appeared in a variety of outlets, including Baptist Press, Mere Orthodoxy, the Center for Faith and Culture and elsewhere. He lives in Upstate South Carolina with his wife and three children.
