A Message from Executive Director Ida Kaastra Mutoigo
An update on Covid-19 and World Renew’s continued work around the world
As World Renew prepares to enter our seventh month of COVID-adaptive programming, I am filled with overwhelming gratitude for the ways in which churches and individuals have given of their resources to strengthen hope for the vulnerable.
One of the most inspiring letters that I read this summer came to World Renew from our church partners in Lebanon and Syria, written by a volunteer serving with Syrian refugees. I would like to share some of the words from that letter; may they remind you of why we are all called to the mission of living justice, loving mercy, and serving Christ.
“Our friends, it is no secret to say that the entire world is going through very difficult circumstances, a long-lasting war on Syria and the economic collapse in it, the economic and political unrest in Lebanon, the crisis of [COVID-19].
The Church teaches us that in such circumstances pure love appears, and volunteers have shown their willingness to act despite the risks, of course with precautionary measures taken. It is our hope that your help and giving will continue during these most extreme conditions.
We trust you, and that we will complete the march together, despite the difficult circumstances, for the good and for humanity.”
The march does indeed continue, carried on by communities participating in World Renew’s work across the globe. We have remained active in each of the countries where we were working prior to COVID, and all of our programming has adapted to physical distancing requirements. In addition to our community development programming, World Renew continues to maintain an active presence in responding to disasters during this pandemic.
This work would not be possible without your faithful giving and constant prayers. Amidst huge shifts in our world, we stand in the sacred space of complete gratitude for the resources that you and God have entrusted us with so far. Yet the truth of the matter is that we are also witnessing the unprecedented impact of a global health crisis, pronounced food insecurity, heightened violence against women and children, and a series of devastating disasters all preying upon the most vulnerable populations in our world.
It is not enough to simply maintain our programming; we face a critical need to scale that programming up in order to save lives and sustain hope.
World Renew has the infrastructure and staff in place to respond to the needs we see, but we cannot grow our efforts without you. Your gifts will determine whether we will limit our reach during this critical time or whether we will be able to meet the needs before us so lives and livelihoods have the resilience to recover from this global pandemic for the future.
