2024 Year in Review2/5/2025 responding with compassion around the world Dear Church,
During the month of February, many congregations across the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) will take up a special offering, joining in the mission and ministry of Week of Compassion. For over 80 years, Week of Compassion has been the Church’s relief, refugee, and sustainable development ministry, working with partners to alleviate suffering throughout the world. As your church participates in this offering, I also invite you to join in prayer for our partners and the people we serve across the globe. Now more than ever, the work of Week of Compassion is urgently needed. "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. The Hidden Cost of An Ongoing War9/23/2024 caring for people with disabilities in regions in crisis When the war reached their front yard in 2022, Liudmila and her son had to flee their home in Bakmut. Liudmila recalled her beloved small town in eastern Ukraine, a place filled with roses, and numerous schools for the town’s children. “The best city on Earth. That’s how the local people often called it,” she said. In May 2023, President Zelenskyy said, “Bakmut is only in our hearts. There is nothing left in this place.”
Luidmila’s adult son, Dmytro (38), is one of 261,000 people with intellectual disabilities living in Ukraine. National health and governmental organizations estimate some 2.7million people there live with at least one, and often multiple, disabilities. Humanitarian organizations and advocates consistently note that it is the sick, elderly, and disabled – those who are already challenged to get information and receive equal and adequate care – who are disproportionately affected by war and natural disaster. Drought & Flooding : a story of extremes8/12/2024 climate change affects communities of all kinds Nangarhar 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.
Response Fund 20232/15/2024 In January, Week of Compassion shared our annual Year in Review, highlighting the ways in 2023 that Disciples responded with compassion around the world, and how the work of disaster relief, refugee response, and sustainable development carries on from one place to the next.
The graphics below give a summary glance of that longer list of responses - by designation (how the gifts were used) and by global region (where the gifts were shared), plus a single combined snapshot. |
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