Showing posts with label world concern. Show all posts
Showing posts with label world concern. Show all posts

World Concern launches program to distrbute cholera care kits in Haiti

Friday, November 19, 2010

World Concern staff members in Haiti are instructed about cholera prevention during a training in October.

In response to the rapid spread of cholera throughout Haiti, Shoreline-based, Christian humanitarian organization World Concern is launching an aggressive prevention and treatment program, with a goal of reaching more than 300,000 people.

Using churches and community health workers, World Concern is spreading information about how to prevent the spread of cholera and what to do if someone gets sick. Cholera is both preventable and treatable.

World Concern is distributing cholera care kits with soap, oral rehydration solution packets, and water containers for storing purified water.

With more than one million earthquake survivors living in tent communities throughout Port-au-Prince, World Concern health experts fear the worst is yet to come.

“The cholera epidemic continues its spread at a very frightening speed,” said Dr. Jean Monetoile Marseille, health programs coordinator for World Concern Haiti. The Pan American Health Organization estimates up to 200,000 people could be sickened before the outbreak is over.

World Concern is accepting donations to the Haiti cholera response at their website.  Each cholera care kit costs $6 per family.

“We can save lives if we act quickly. Our goal is to reach as many people as possible, as quickly as possible, to give them these life-saving supplies and message about how to stay healthy,” said World Concern President David Eller. “This epidemic is hitting the most vulnerable populations. We have a responsibility to act.”


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World Concern reports a cholera epidemic in Haiti

Friday, October 22, 2010


World Concern, a ministry of Shoreline-based CRISTA Ministries, on Fremont Avenue, has had a major presence in Haiti since the earthquake in January of this year. They now report a cholera epidemic on that ravaged island.
A World Concern spokesperson says that "More than 1,500 people have been hospitalized and 138 have died from an outbreak of cholera in the Artibonite Valley region of Haiti."
World Concern staff have been issued guidelines on how to prevent spread of the bacteria which causes cholera with such precautions as frequent hand-washing and how to recognize the disease so it can be controlled quickly.

Director of International Health Programs Dr. Paul Robinson said that if the outbreak spreads, hospitals will be in need of water purification tablets, oral rehydration salts, Gatorade and Pedialyte-type drinks, soap and blankets.

“We are considering strategy options for a massive campaign in the South and Southeast Departments of Haiti, where we have regional offices, in anticipation of a wider spread of the epidemic,” said R. Robinson.
“The risk to life is huge if this spreads into more populated areas, and could lead to significant loss of life” said World Concern President David Eller. “Controlling the outbreak is critical."

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World Concern efforts in Haiti focus on rehabilitation

Friday, June 25, 2010


from World Concern staff

As the six-month anniversary of the catastrophic earthquake that shook Haiti approaches next month, Shoreline-based World Concern welcomed Haiti Country Director Christon Domond to its headquarters on June 21 and 22. Domond was here to coordinate with staff in planning ongoing disaster response efforts in the Port-au-Prince area where World Concern works.

Photo: ChristonDomond: World Concern Haiti Country Director Christon Domond meets with staff members at the organization’s Seattle headquarters to plan the next steps in helping people in Haiti rebuild their lives.

Domond has served as a leader for World Concern in Haiti for more than 20 years and was working in Port-au-Prince when the earthquake hit on Jan. 12. Staff there was able to provide immediate response to the disaster with medical supplies, food and water that was stored in World Concern’s warehouse. Now, the organization is employing local workers to repair houses so families have permanent shelter and are off the streets. More than 400 homes have been repaired. They’re also providing cash grants to business owners to rebuild their businesses and begin earning income again.

Despite the overwhelming need—Domond estimates 400,000 people are still displaced and without a home—aid in Haiti is making a difference. “We have moved from emergency to recovery to rehabilitation. We are now in this phase,” said Domond. Projects during the first year after the quake will aim to help children return to school and rebuild or relocate churches, since churches serve as “a reference point in a community for services and a place of socialization,” he said. Churches are either being repaired, or if the damage is too severe, given a temporary facility in which to meet. World Concern has repaired 38 churches so far.

As World Concern begins work in new neighborhoods, they meet with community leaders to determine the greatest needs, then employs local engineers in each community to oversee the repair work. They are currently repairing approximately 80 homes per week. Families are selected to have their homes fixed based on need he explained. “When we arrive in a community, the only thing we decide is to serve the poorest—whatever religion or culture—only the poorest,” he said.

Restoring livelihoods for Haitians is also a priority for World Concern, as getting people back to work will allow them to feed and provide for their families. Domond said many families have been helped through the 450 grants that have been given out so far to replace business equipment damaged in the quake.

Port-au-Prince remains in crisis as tens of thousands of people are still living in camps around the capital city. “We are now in the rainy season and some of these camps are a mess. Some are trying to find a relative’s house where they can live,” he said. “Now it’s time for them to go to a relative’s house.” Many would rather remain in the camps because they receive food and medical care—things that could be scarce or non-existent outside the city.

Domond and his staff are grateful for the financial support they’ve received through donations, but he urged those here in the U.S. to “continue to pray … Haiti will be in crisis for the next 20 to 25 years,” he said. “There is a lot to do.”
Nevertheless, Domond is not overwhelmed by the amount of work that’s ahead in Haiti. “This is the reality. Now there is a challenge,” he said in his strong Creole accent.

The World Concern staff in Haiti works many long hours—understandable, considering the situation before them. But Domond says he doesn’t keep track or pay much attention to that. “I like what I’m doing, providing services to those in need,” he said. “I’m very happy to work with them and serve them.” He will, however, be able to take a much-needed week-long vacation while in the U.S.

For more information on World Concern’s work in Haiti and around the world, visit the website

Photos:  Haitians employed by World Concern help repair houses so families can get off the streets and back into permanent shelter. The work enables laborers to earn money to support their own families.

World Concern, part of CRISTA Ministries, is a Christian humanitarian organization that helps lift people out of poverty through activities including microfinance, agriculture, disaster response and small business development. World Concern works with the poor in 24 countries, with the goal of transforming the lives of those we touch, leading them on a path to self-sustainability. Worldwide, World Concern offers life, opportunity and hope to more than six million people.


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CRISTA's World Concern sends baby blankets to Uganda

Tuesday, June 22, 2010


 World Concern is a division of CRISTA Ministries whose corporate offices are at 19303 Fremont Avenue N in Shoreline. CRISTA's motto is Loving God by Serving People.

Donations from Northwest companies bring comfort and meet vital needs in Uganda
by Derek Sciba,World Concern Marketing Manager

A shipping container filled with soft organic flannel baby blankets and new clothing is being unpacked in Uganda now, having made the voyage half way around the world from Seattle. The donated items will bring comfort to moms and babies in rural maternity clinics and meet the needs of refugees in displacement camps.

The infant receiving blankets, along with additional bolts of fabric, were donated by Swaddle Designs, a Seattle company that makes high quality baby blankets coveted by moms and celebrities alike.


"Newborns need to be protected," said Susan Talbot with World Concern. "These blankets will make them feel secure and loved."

The blankets and fabric will be distributed by World Concern through its partner organization, Pilgrim Africa, and will soon be wrapped around newborns in remote bush areas during outreach visits.

The shipment also contained 10,000 articles of new clothing from Tukwila-based ExOfficio, worth a quarter million dollars, which will be given to Ugandan refugees with the greatest need—many of whom have nothing. Included among those receiving clothing are former child soldiers who face years of emotional healing and are struggling to rebuild their lives after being forced into war.

World Concern strives to support, not disturb, local economies. Those assisted by these donations are identified as people who would not otherwise be able to purchase goods in the open marketplace.

World Concern is grateful to companies like Swaddle Designs and ExOfficio for their generous gifts that will have far reaching effects and meet such practical needs of suffering people.

For more information on donating to World Concern, please visit the website.

Photos courtesy World Concern

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World Concern Bangkok Staff Safe Amidst Violence

Wednesday, May 19, 2010


 World Concern is a ministry of CRISTA, located in Shoreline
From Derek T. Sciba

World Concern’s Asia office in Bangkok will remain closed for the rest of the week, barring an improvement in security within the city. Large political riots forced the office to close late last week, but World Concern’s staff in Thailand is safe. Key staff members are able to work from home. The Bangkok office is the base of operations in Asia, supporting World Concern’s work in seven countries.

The political unrest has caused us to delay a child trafficking prevention training seminar, but all other activities are continuing.

“World Concern’s work will go on regardless of how this plays out,” said Merry Fitzpatrick, senior director of technical support. “Our staff are trained to handle this kind of situation. We’re focused on serving the poor throughout Asia.”

If the violence in Bangkok continues, it is possible to temporarily shift some essential functions to another country in which World Concern works. Staff members both in the Bangkok office and at the Seattle headquarters are watching how the situation develops and are adjusting plans accordingly.

Every year, World Concern helps lift people out of poverty through activities including microfinance, agriculture, disaster response and small business development. World Concern works with the poor in 24 countries, with the goal of transforming the lives of those we touch, leading them on a path to self-sustainability.
Across the globe, World Concern offers life, opportunity and hope to more than six million people.


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1000 runners take a stand against human trafficking

Saturday, May 1, 2010

By Derek Sciba | World Concern Marketing Manager

Women and children who are sold into slavery struggle to be noticed or heard. But about 1,000 Seattle runners listened on Saturday. They took a stand by participating in World Concern's "Free Them" 5k run and walk, held at the CRISTA campus in Shoreline.

The 5k run raised about $80,000 to protect children in high-risk situations. More than 1 million people are trafficked every year.

"People are trafficked at the intersection of poverty and greed," said World Concern donor relations director Jacinta Tegman. "The runners out here today are making a statement and they are making a difference."


Christian humanitarian organization World Concern works to protect vulnerable women and children from being trafficked in SE Asia. Its programs include safety training within villages, job development, and care for those who have been victimized.

Police officer Rickie Anders ran in the 5k and knows that prosecution for trafficking is rare, especially in the developing world.

"It's just a crime and people need to be talking about it," says Anders. "People have always put a price tag on other people, and it just has to stop."

Women and children who are trafficked are treated as property, sold for a price, and used as laborers or sex workers. Often the victims of trafficking are children who are seeking a better life in another country. Traffickers will promise women and children that good jobs await, but in the end, the victims find that the promises were all lies.

Every year, World Concern helps lift people out of poverty through activities including microfinance, agriculture, disaster response and small business development. World Concern works with the poor in 24 countries, with the goal of transforming the lives of those we touch, leading them on a path to self-sustainability.

Worldwide, World Concern offers life, opportunity and hope to more than six million people. World Concern is part of the CRISTA family of ministries.

Learn more at the website.
Photos by Derek Sciba

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Shoreline runners help end human trafficking this Saturday, May 1

Thursday, April 29, 2010

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"Free Them" 5K Fun Run to help end human trafficking

Wednesday, April 14, 2010

World Concern is holding a "Free Them" 5k Fun Run and Walk to benefit their anti-human trafficking programs on Saturday, May 1 at the CRISTA Ministries Campus, 19303 Fremont Ave N, Shoreline 98133. The starting time is 9:30 am and the expected end time is around 11:00 am.

More than 1 million vulnerable people are trafficked every year, forced into unfair work environments, to become servants or sex slaves.

Anti-trafficking experts will be available to speak about their experiences and about the value of intervention into the lives of vulnerable people.

By many estimates, more than one million vulnerable women and children are trafficked every year. They are treated as property, sold for a price, and used as laborers or sex workers. Often the victims of trafficking are children who are seeking a better life in another country. Traffickers will promise women and children that good jobs await, but in the end, the victims find that the promises were all lies.

World Concern works to prevent trafficking through community awareness, education and strengthening the ability for families to support themselves.

Free Them 5k Fun Run

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