Alexandria, Va. – Islamic Relief USA, a nonprofit humanitarian and advocacy organization, is partnering with Church World Service to launch a new program to welcome more Afghan evacuees by co-sponsoring families as they rebuild their lives across the United States.
This first-of-its-kind Institutional Co-Sponsor Partner program creates a new pathway for organizations that are not part of the U.S. refugee resettlement program to respond to the urgent need to resettle the more than 30,000 Afghans currently waiting on U.S. Military bases.
“We are grateful for the opportunity to work with Church World Service to address the critical needs of refugees from Afghanistan. Being forced to leave your homeland and adapting to a new country is undeniably challenging. Through this collaboration, our respective organizations can share best practices and guidance that will help the refugees transition to their new surroundings in a dignified manner. Our shared goals include making refugees feel welcome and helping them reach a stage where they obtain essential skills to contribute to the local economies, as well as build strong and vibrant communities that align with our common values and faith traditions. I am optimistic that we will be successful and the refugee community will prosper,” said Islamic Relief USA CEO Sharif Aly.
“For more than 75 years, CWS has partnered with local communities and congregations to welcome refugee families into our communities and give them a great start. With tens of thousands of Afghans in need of urgent resettlement to restart their lives in the U.S. it is time to think creatively about expanding our capacity for welcome,” said CWS CWO Rick Santos.
“Since Afghan evacuees began arriving on American soil, people from all faith backgrounds and walks of life have offered support to these families. The new Institutional Co-Sponsor Partner program will provide relief and service organizations with robust tools and resources to mobilize and train their networks to welcome Afghan families and help them begin their new lives in safety.”
Initial national co-sponsorship partners include Islamic Relief USA and Samaritan’s Purse. Through this partnership with CWS, Islamic Relief USA will recruit, vet and train co-sponsor groups within their networks who will commit to providing key services and financial support to newly arriving Afghans in their communities for at least the first 90 days after they are resettled.
CWS will allocate cases of Afghan arrivals to local co-sponsor groups that will be overseen by the IRUSA with support from CWS. CWS will provide support to each partner through its extensive training and certification program for all co-sponsor groups, as well as several tools and resources. CWS will transfer per-capita funds for each case to IRUSA, who will then ensure funds are transferred to the local co-sponsor group and are spent on support and services such as securing permanent housing and/or to be disbursed directly to the Afghan arrival.
MEDIA CONTACT
Syed M. Hassan
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Islamic Relief USA, based in Alexandria, Va., is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) humanitarian organization. Its mission is to provide relief and development in a dignified manner regardless of gender, race, or religion, and works to empower individuals in their communities and give them a voice in the world. Its programs benefit millions of people each year in more than 40 countries around the world, including in the United States.
Islamic Relief USA meets all of the Standards for Charity Accountability of the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, a national charity monitoring group affiliated with the Better Business Bureau system. Islamic Relief USA is on the U.S. government’s Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) charity list, and it is also a signatory to the code of conduct of the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies.