World Concern

Last updated
World Concern
Founded1955
FounderDr. Wilbert Saunders & pedro
Type Non-governmental organization
Location
  • Seattle, Washington, USA
Area served
17 countries
Key people
Jacinta Tegman (President)
Website www.worldconcern.org

World Concern is a Christian global relief and development organization operating in Africa, Southeast Asia, and Haiti, with its headquarters located in Seattle, Washington, United States. World Concern serves approximately 6 million people worldwide and has a staff of 877, with 846 of those being international and 31 based at headquarters.

Contents

World Concern is part of CRISTA Ministries, a Christian non-profit organization that oversees seven ministries, and a charter member of the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA).

World Concern is also a founding member of the ONE Campaign. [1]

History

Dr. Wilbert Saunders and pharmacist Jim McCoy founded an organization called Medicine for Missions in 1955 in Seattle, Washington. [2] The two shared a concern that surplus medications being thrown away could be used to save lives in underdeveloped countries. They founded Medicines for Missions and began supplying medicines to clinics and hospitals overseas.

The organization was renamed World Concern in 1976 after expanding work to include emergency relief in response to famines, hurricanes and earthquakes. Art Beals, a former missionary and pastor, became World Concern's executive director in 1975, and remained in the position until 1984. He was an important figure in driving the early growth of World Concern. David Eller, the agency's past president, oversaw World Concern since 2007. Jacinta Tegman is the current president, appointed in October 2013.

Activities

World Concern's programs focus on community development in some of the poorest countries in the world. Programs include disaster response, [3] health services, education and vocational training, food security and water, child protection and microcredit.

World Concern has regional offices in Asia (Bangkok, Thailand) and Africa (Nairobi, Kenya), as well as field offices in each operational country, which include Haiti, Bangladesh, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Vietnam, Chad, Kenya, Somalia, and South Sudan. [4] Each office is staffed by a country director and mostly nationals, with a few expatriates.

Projects are developed based on the specific needs of a country's poorest populations located in underdeveloped areas. In Chad, for example, World Concern works in camps for refugees from the Darfur region of Sudan and internally displaced Chadians. In partnership with organizations such as USAID, World Concern implements a "Cash for Work" program that employs people living in the camp to perform labor, such as building rock bunds to reduce erosion. Workers receive vouchers, which they can convert to cash to purchase food, clothing and other necessities.

World Concern has also responded to major disasters, including the 2010 Haiti earthquake. [5]

Initially providing emergency supplies of food, water, tarps and medical supplies, the agency's work during the first year after the earthquake included employing Haitians to clear rubble, repairing damaged homes, building steel-framed transitional shelters, repairing churches, and giving out business grants. [6] The organization distributed cholera prevention and treatment information and supplies after an outbreak [7] of the disease hit the country in October, 2010.

World Concern's programs seek to implement sustainable ways to lift people out of poverty, with a goal of enabling members of the communities in which they work to support themselves. Examples of this include supporting rural schools and teachers, providing job skills for caregivers of AIDS orphans, establishing financial service associations or village banks, providing small business training and support, improved agricultural techniques, and water and sanitation projects.

Funding

World Concern's work is funded by donations from individuals, foundations and by government grants. Government grants include funding from USAID and OFDA. Donations from individuals [8] for the Haiti earthquake response totaled more than $2 million. [9] Through its parent organization, CRISTA Ministries, World Concern received a rating of four stars by Charity Navigator, with 94% of donations going toward programs. [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Relief Services</span> Humanitarian agency from the USA

Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is the international humanitarian agency of the Catholic community in the United States. Founded in 1943 by the Bishops of the United States, the agency provides assistance to 130 million people in more than 110 countries and territories in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe.

Haiti—an island country 600 miles off the coast of the U.S. state of Florida—shares the Caribbean island of Hispaniola with the Dominican Republic. Haiti has received billions in foreign assistance, yet persists as one of the poorest countries and has the lowest human development index in the Americas. There have been more than 15 natural disasters since 2001 including tropical storms, flooding, earthquakes and hurricanes. The international donor community classifies Haiti as a fragile state. Haiti is also considered a post-conflict state—one emerging from a recent coup d'état and civil war.

Food For The Poor, Inc. (FFP) is an ecumenical Christian nonprofit organization based in Coconut Creek, Florida, United States that provides food, medicine, and shelter, among other services, to the poor in Latin America and the Caribbean.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Medair</span> Natural disaster aid organization

Medair is an international non-governmental organisation (INGO) whose purpose is to relieve human suffering in some of the world's most remote and devastated places. Medair aims to assist people affected by natural disasters and conflict to recover with dignity through the delivery of quality humanitarian aid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humanity First</span> International non-governmental organization

Humanity First is an international charity that provides disaster relief and long term development assistance to vulnerable communities in 52 countries across 6 continents. The organisation is run by volunteers with diverse skillsets across the world and has access to thousands of extra volunteers worldwide. Volunteer staff in all areas often pay their own expenses to support the international projects.

Food for the Hungry is a Christian international relief, development, and advocacy organization. Food for the Hungry was founded in 1971 by Larry Ward. Food for the Hungry's stated mission for long-term development is to graduate communities of extreme poverty within 10–15 years. The organization also works in disaster relief and humanitarian response, including working with the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh and Syrian refugees in Lebanon.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Haitian Health Foundation</span>

The Haitian Health Foundation is a U.S. 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that provides relief services to residents of rural southwest Haiti. It has four major areas of focus: health care, development, relief, and education. The official website is: www.HaitianHealthFoundation.org

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crista Ministries</span>

CRISTA is a family of ministries headquartered since 1948 in the Richmond Highlands neighborhood of Shoreline, Washington, just north of Seattle. Its campus is the former Firland Sanatorium campus. The company focuses in the areas of education, global relief & development, youth camps, senior care, and media.

IsraAID is an Israel-based non-governmental organization that responds to emergencies all over the world with targeted humanitarian help. This includes disaster relief, from search and rescue to rebuilding communities and schools, to providing aid packages, medical assistance, and post-psychotrauma care. IsraAID has also been involved in an increasing number of international development projects with focuses on agriculture, medicine, and mental health.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2010 Haiti earthquake</span> Magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake

The 2010 Haiti earthquake was a catastrophic magnitude 7.0 Mw earthquake that struck Haiti at 16:53 local time on Tuesday, 12 January 2010. The epicenter was near the town of Léogâne, Ouest department, approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) west of Port-au-Prince, Haiti's capital.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humanitarian response by national governments to the 2010 Haiti earthquake</span>

The humanitarian response by national governments to the 2010 Haiti earthquake included numerous national governments from around the world pledging to send humanitarian aid to the Haitian people. The United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and ReliefWeb are coordinating and tracking this aid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Humanitarian response by non-governmental organizations to the 2010 Haiti earthquake</span>

The humanitarian responses by non-governmental organizations to the 2010 Haiti earthquake included many organisations, such as international, religious, and regionally based NGOs, which immediately pledged support in the aftermath of the 2010 Haiti earthquake. Besides a large multi-contingency contribution by national governments, NGOs contributed significantly to both on-the-ground rescue efforts and external solicitation of aid for the rescue efforts.

Community Organized Relief Effort, also known as CORE Response and formerly as J/P Haitian Relief Organization is a non-profit organization founded by actor Sean Penn and Ann Lee in response to the January 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti. The organization was founded in 2010 and changed its name in 2019 to receive contracts and donations to work globally. In March 2020, CORE began administering free COVID-19 tests in the U.S. amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Emmanuel International Canada is a non-governmental, non-profit, evangelical, interdenominational Christian relief organization. The EIC's goal is to strengthen and assist local churches in developing countries.

Matthew 25: Ministries is an international humanitarian aid and disaster relief organization headquartered in Blue Ash, Ohio, US. Matthew 25: Ministries provides humanitarian aid and disaster relief to the poor throughout the US and around the world. Matthew 25 collects excess products from corporations and manufacturers as well as the general public and ships these donations to those in need.

IMA World Health is an international, nonprofit health care service organization. IMA's stated purpose is to "provide health care…without bias, to vulnerable and marginalized people in the developing world." It is a member of the Corus International family of faith-based international development organizations, which include Lutheran World Relief, CGA Technologies, Ground Up Investing and Farmers Market Brands LLC.

The Office of U.S. Foreign Disaster Assistance (OFDA) was an organizational unit within the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) charged by the President of the United States with directing and coordinating international United States government disaster assistance. USAID merged the former offices of OFDA and Food for Peace (FFP) in 2020 to form the Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance (BHA).

Convoy of Hope is an American faith-based nonprofit humanitarian and disaster relief organization that provides food, supplies, and humanitarian services to impoverished or otherwise needy populations throughout the world. The organization also engages in disaster relief work. It was founded in 1994 by Hal, Steve, and Dave Donaldson in Sacramento, California, later moved its headquartered to its current place in Springfield, Missouri, and is associated with the Assemblies of God and its Chi Alpha campus ministries and fellowships.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Catholic Medical Mission Board</span>

The Catholic Medical Mission Board (CMMB) is an international, faith-based NGO, providing long-term, co-operative medical and development aid to communities affected by poverty and healthcare issues. It was established in 1912 and officially registered in 1928. CMMB is headquartered in New York City, USA, and currently has country offices in Haiti, Kenya, Peru, South Sudan, and Zambia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Food security in Chad</span>

Chad currently suffers from widespread food insecurity. A majority of the population of Chad now suffers some form of malnutrition. 87% of its population lives below the poverty line. Because the country is arid, landlocked, and prone to droughts, many Chadians struggle to meet their daily nutritional needs. While international aid into the country has brought some relief, the situation in Chad remains severe due to broader famine in the Sahel region. The World Food Programme has declared a state of emergency in the region since early 2018, stating that, “...adding to the poverty, food insecurity and malnutrition which already affects [the nations of the Sahel] to varying degrees, drought, failed harvests and the high prices of staple foods have hastened the arrival of this year’s ‘lean season’ – the worst since 2014.” Malnutrition is high, especially among women and children, with a significant majority of all children in Chad suffering from some form of stunted growth or adverse health effects as a result. As such, health in Chad is greatly affected by lack of food. Food insecurity is a symptom of broader instability in Chad, which suffers from political, ethnic, and religious instability. These issues have contributed to long-term food insecurity in Chad.

References

  1. ONE Campaign#History
  2. "Our history | World Concern". www.worldconcern.org. Archived from the original on 2009-01-26.
  3. World Concern (2008-05-14), Myanmar Cyclone Nargis, archived from the original on 2021-12-21, retrieved 2019-06-12
  4. "Where we work | World Concern". www.worldconcern.org. Archived from the original on 2009-11-20.
  5. "Northwest relief agencies helping Haiti survivors". Archived from the original on 2010-01-16. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  6. "Haiti's slow recovery adds to risks, aid officials in Northwest say". Archived from the original on 2010-07-15. Retrieved 2023-09-24.
  7. outbreak
  8. Villaneda, Rebecca. "Concert is muse behind $10,000 raised for Haiti". Palos Verdes Peninsula News. Retrieved 2019-06-12.
  9. A.C, Kimberly (2010-04-19). "Pacific Northwest residents donate millions to help Haiti". oregonlive.com. Retrieved 2019-06-12.
  10. "Financial accountability | World Concern". www.worldconcern.org. Archived from the original on 2009-11-20.

Further reading