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World Concern is a
Christian Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
global relief and development organization operating in Africa, Southeast Asia and Haiti, with its headquarters located in Seattle, Washington. 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. 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.


History

Dr. Wilbert Saunders and pharmacist Jim McCoy founded an organization called Medicine for Missions in 1955 in Seattle, Washington. 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, health services, education and vocational training, food security and water, child protection and
microcredit :''This article is specific to small loans, often provided in a pooled manner. For direct payments to individuals for specific projects, see Micropatronage. For financial services to the poor, see Microfinance. For small payments, see Micropayme ...
. 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. Each office is staffed by a country director and mostly nationals, with a few
expatriates An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...
. 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 The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...
, 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 Jan. 12, 2010 earthquake in Haiti. 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. The organization is also distributing
cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...
prevention and treatment information and supplies since a
outbreak
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 The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 bi ...
and
OFDA 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 ...
. Donations from individuals for the Haiti earthquake response totaled more than $2 million. Through its parent organization, CRISTA Ministries, World Concern received a rating of four stars by Charity Navigator, with 94% of donations going toward programs.


References


Further reading


5k run raises $80,000 to fight human trafficking


External links


World Concern PageHaiti One-Year anniversary page
{{Authority control International charities Charities based in Washington (state) Christian charities based in the United States Development charities based in the United States