"God's love made visible" In late 2023, the National Government of Argentina undertook a complete reorganization, significantly reducing the number of national ministries and almost entirely eliminating social services and community provisions. In December of that year, the national currency was devalued by 54%, leading to increased prices, particularly for food. At the same time, soup kitchens and community food services stopped receiving any kind of products or money, exacerbating hunger. Pensions and salaries were reduced, funds were cut to provinces and municipalities, public offices were closed, and more than 11,000 employees were dismissed from their jobs.
For the families of those incarcerated, these changes intensify their crisis. update from Haiti3/18/2024  As Florida Regional Minister Sandy Messick offers pastoral care for our Haitian Disciples in this time of upheaval and distress in Haiti, Week of Compassion is working with partners, especially with CWS (Church World Service), to address critical care and humanitarian response there in the ways we are able.
Week of Compassion + Be the Neighbor9/26/2023 expanding ministry & partnership At the beginning of the summer, Week of Compassion partnered with Be The Neighbor, a justice-based service-learning trip ministry empowering youth and adults to put faith into action through service and justice in ways that are relational, sustainable, and dignity-affirming. Be the Neighbor missions include direct service, relational ministry, immersion experiences, and education. The key question they ask: What would the world look like if we all took seriously the idea of being a good neighbor?
responding to the Horn and East Africa drought Over the last year, unprecedented ‘consecutive rainfall failure’ and much warmer than usual temperatures in northern Kenya have depleted rangeland and water resources, and increased internal livestock movement in search of pastures and water. With 98 percent of open water sources depleted, watering distances (the distance that households and livestock must travel to reach water) are well above average. Emergency-level food security crises are expected to persist given constrained household income and increased depletion of livelihood assets.
 Let your work be manifest to your servants, and your glorious power to their children.
Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands-- O prosper the work of our hands! ~Psalm 90:16-17 In South Sudan, a major protracted humanitarian crisis is unfolding, with nearly 70% of the population in need of urgent assistance. Tens of thousands of people are living in famine-like conditions and malnutrition is at critical levels, while more than 7 million are food insecure.  CASA, India In India, COVID-19 infection rates are rising exponentially and the health system is collapsing under the burden. Hospitals in urban centers are overcrowded and often turn people away. Supplies, including oxygen, are running low, and various strains of the virus more frequently require that patients be treated with oxygen. Families that already struggled to meet basic needs have become even more vulnerable to hunger and other challenges. Grief, anxiety, and depression are common across the population. With partial lockdown in place in many states and full lockdown in others, migrant guest workers are returning to their native villages. In addition to the economic impact of the loss of work, the influx into the villages may contribute to the spread of COVID-19 in rural areas. Week of Compassion is responding, supporting our partners as they work to meet the urgent needs of this new wave and prevent the further spread of disease; while also looking ahead to long-term needs and planning for the future.
 Eleven years ago, an unhoused person died of exposure on the streets of Hood River, Oregon. Local clergy got together and vowed that they were not going to let it happen again.
Together with other community partners, they created the Hood River Warming Center, which offered nightly refuge to neighbors during the cold winter months. In addition to a warm place to sleep, guests receive a hot meal--provided by a network of local restaurant partners-- and a place of refuge. They find a community and sense of sanctuary that provides warmth in more ways than one. |
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