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STORIES

Photo: Paul Jeffrey/ACT Alliance

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Girls' Education in Pakistan

4/15/2025

supporting partners in shifting circumstances

Dear Disciples, 

We are often asked about our global partners and how their work is impacted by the policies of the U.S. administration. We will continue to share the stories of their transformative work, even as we listen to them and discern the best ways to go about our mission – working with partners to alleviate suffering throughout the world. Thank you for the ways you connect with and invest in the ministry of Week of Compassion. 

​Currently, all our partners are facing significant challenges in humanitarian work, both in development programs and refugee resettlement. 



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Refugee Center Brings Hope

4/8/2025

in Indonesia, a young woman becomes her own hero

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The Republic of Indonesia is made up of 17,000 islands with nearly 280 million residents; it shares land and sea borders with nearly a dozen other nations, and is home to hundreds of ethnic and language groups. 
​
Hanifah is a 23 year old Afghan refugee who arrived to this island nation as a teenager, separated from her family, and today is grateful for the care and support of the ASPIRASI Project run by Yayasan Cita Wadah Swadaya (YCWS) with support from Week of Compassion. ​


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Drought & Flooding : a story of extremes

8/12/2024

climate change affects communities of all kinds

PictureNangarhar province, Afghanistan; photo - Community World Service Asia
Across the United States, and in every region of the world, the impact of climate change presents a dramatic and often dangerous challenge, as natural disasters increase in both frequency and severity. Populations are displaced from regions and even across borders. Health, wellbeing, and livelihoods are pressed to the limit against disruption from drought, flood, and storms. Week of Compassion and our ecumenical partners continue to name climate change as a significant contributor to the severity and frequency of weather-related disasters, human displacement and migration, and sustainable development. Over the spring and summer of 2024 we have been able to trace the growing impact of disasters on communities in the United States and globally. Now more than ever it is important to understand the intersectional nature of climate change, disaster and refugee response, and migration. Week of Compassion works with partners to provide comprehensive support for recovering communities' immediate needs, and for building a sustainable future.


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GIFTS TO LIVE ON :                                                         girls' education in Afghanistan

1/30/2024

a Special Offering 2024 mission moment

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In Afghanistan, young women are now barred from education past the sixth grade. In a region historically familiar with the struggle for equity and liberation following decades of violence, generation after generation of Shia Muslims have been targeted, their basic human rights drastically restricted. ​

Some schools that still meet (remnants of education for young women in Afghanistan) are established and maintained by partners of Week of Compassion.

​Much like at schools anywhere, stepping into a classroom of kindergarteners is an energetic scene: students enthusiastically answering their teachers, embracing the opportunity of education, dreaming about their futures, young and optimistic. 


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The Gift of A Question

10/10/2023

visiting partners at an Afghan girls' school

On Saturday October 7, a 6.3-magnitude earthquake and several aftershocks shook Afghanistan, leaving at least 2400 killed and thousands injured. Week of Compassion is in contact with partners in the region, who are already planning to respond and assist communities in distress, providing winterization kits; food supplies, especially for children and pregnant and nursing mothers; home repair and reconstruction; and community resilience shelters. Our prayers are unending for those killed, injured, and mourning; and for the partners and communities who bring comfort and aid.

​As we pray fervently and look to respond to the recent quake in Afghanistan, we lift up the ongoing work of our partners in the area, including the programs for girls’ education, the focus of a recent visit by Executive Director Rev. Vy Nguyen and three Disciples colleagues. We are grateful for this poignant reflection from Rev. Brandon Johnson, Senior Minister of First Christian Church, Burbank CA. ​


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From Strawberries to Bicycles

6/20/2023

how one community welcomes refugees

​World Refugee Day 2023

A car full of strawberries and a classroom full of clothes. Applause for asking questions and quick-thumbed typing into Google Translate. Well-coordinated schedules and unexpected on-call moments. Local congregations involved in refugee response know all these challenges, rejoice in every success, and have countless stories to tell. For some, that story of welcome, assistance, and compassion for refugees settling in new communities is deeply personal, too. 

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WELCOME

3/14/2023

stories of refugee & immigrant response (part 4)

What a Difference A Year Makes

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WELCOME: stories from Week of Compassion’s Refugee and Immigrant Response
In this four-part series, over the course of a year, we have been in conversation with California Disciples and their ecumenical collaborators as they welcome an Afghan family into their community, offering radical hospitality and welcome to new neighbors. ​We also share notes from other Disciples doing this work in their own communities.
Over the last year, we have shared stories of Disciples involved in refugee resettlement.  
Start at the beginning: How It All Started
Learn how things moved From Idea to Action 
See communities find More Than They Imagined 
​
In this final segment, leaders reflect on the experience and impact
​on the congregations that have been involved in this powerful ministry.
​WHAT A DIFFERENCE A YEAR MAKES
When the church started this response, they had no idea where this journey would take them.  That is what it is like when you answer the call to follow Christ in this world.  You take a step without knowing where the path will lead you, but you step anyway because you have faith in the direction of the Holy Spirit.

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<<Previous

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Week of Compassion 
P.O. Box 1986 
Indianapolis, IN 46206
Week of Compassion is the relief, refugee and development mission fund of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in the United States and Canada.
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  • Home
  • About
    • Mission
    • Staff
    • History
    • Board of Stewards
    • From The Executive Director
  • Action
    • Domestic Disaster Response & Preparedness >
      • How To Prepare For A Disaster
    • International Disaster Response
    • Immigrant and Refugee Response
    • Sustainable Development
  • Stories
  • Resources
    • Special Offering >
      • Special Offering 2025
    • Worship Material
    • Media & Print
    • Logos
    • Special Offering Archive
  • Get Involved
    • Ways to Give >
      • Circle of Compassion
      • Endowments
    • Invite Us to Your Church
    • Volunteer >
      • Virtual Volunteers
      • Trainings
  • Give
  • Contact Us