Rebuilding Dreams
Meet Medina! She’s 17, has learned four languages, and her dream is to be an English teacher. Her family is from the Afar people group of East Africa, and they were forcibly displaced from Eritrea to Ethiopia when Medina was a little girl. When she arrived in the U.S. in 2018, it was the second time she started learning a new country and new language. “When I went from Eretria to Ethiopia, it was a…
Read MoreH.O.M.E. Program
Through the H.O.M.E. Program, we at World Relief are partnering together with you – the church and community – to come along side asylum seekers by providing housing and community support. The program’s priorities are in the name: Housing, Opportunity, Mutuality, and Empowerment. Join us on Thursday June 3rd to learn more about the program…
Read MoreFrom Mentee to Mentor: Alphonse
When Alphonse stepped off the plane in Memphis nearly five years ago, he thought he would be alone. He had his sister by his side, but his mother was still in the Democratic Republic of Congo along with his other siblings. Yet to his surprise, he was greeted at the airport by his name—one that…
Read MoreThe Other Side of the Storm
At 10-years-old, Alliance already understands the responsibilities that only an adult should. As she gets ready for school, she glances at her three siblings, worrying about what she will prepare for them for lunch that day. As she steps out of the door of their home in the Gihembe refugee camp in Rwanda, she sees the storm clouds rolling in over…
Read MoreNever Expected to Be a Refugee: From Sunset to Sunrise
I never expected to be a refugee. I joined a university when I was 18 years old, enrolling in the English department at Basra (the Port of Iraq). At the end of my time there, I graduated second in my department. After graduation, I stayed two more years as a researcher’s assistant and then five more…
Read MoreWorld Relief Malawi’s New Country Director is a Role Model for Girls
On an early morning in April, World Relief Malawi staff gathered together in Lilongwe for a socially distanced outdoor ceremony. Staff from abroad called in virtually. Prayers were prayed and speeches were given. The purpose? To welcome Matilda Matitha as the new World Relief Malawi Country Director. Matilda is one of three women who have…
Read MoreHERE TO WELCOME SERIES Part 2 – Rebuild of the U.S. Refugee Resettlement Program.
On May 18th, World Relief Chicagoland continued a two-part series, “Here to Welcome”! You can watch the replay above about the rebuild of the U.S. refugee resettlement program. After bearing the cost of being forced to leave their homes, refugees encounter a rigorous and lengthy security process often lasting years. With the previous refugee admission…
Read MoreMy Time as a Remote Intern
Throughout four months of balancing remote work, a pandemic, periods of quarantine and college, I’m now at the end of my internship with World Relief Quad Cities. During the past semester, I worked as a communications intern. Most of my projects were communication-based and included things like writing articles and creating social media posts. I…
Read MoreManito Pres rallies around Palouse Trails community to address food insecurity during COVID-19
A simple act of love – something akin to the generous young child who gave up his loaves and fish for the crowd – brought Manito Presbyterian Church to the residents of Palouse Trails to help combat food insecurity during the pandemic. Food insecurity has long plagued residents throughout Spokane – an estimated 20 percent of…
Read MoreSenior Spotlight: Mary Makuta gives back first
When Mary Makuta came to the U.S. in 2016 with her mother and four siblings, she hadn’t been to school in four years. Five years later, she’s preparing to graduate from Central High School, the first in her family to do so. “My mom didn’t graduate high school. My dad didn’t graduate,” Mary said as a…
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