Covenant World Relief and Development

Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves;
ensure justice for those being crushed.
Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless,
and see that they get justice.
Proverbs 31:8-9

In 2007, Rev. Deborah C. Blue became executive minister of the Covenant’s newly formed department of Compassion, Mercy, and Justice (CMJ)—and the first African American executive minister in the Covenant’s history.

Under her leadership, compassion, mercy, and biblical justice became more deeply connected within the denomination’s , including Covenant World Relief (now CWRD). Her guidance strengthened CWRD’s ability to respond to needs and walk alongside partners around the world.

Pictured here: Debbie Blue visiting our partner Zimele Wethu in Pietermaritzburg, South Africa, in 2019.

This story is part of For Neighbor’s Good, a book celebrating the history of Covenant World Relief & Development and the people who helped shape its ministry. Purchase your copy through the link in our bio.

“I am sure to get a livelihood.”

Before conflict disrupted life in Alatening, Cameroon, Chi Leonard supported his family by growing potatoes, carrots, and leeks. As violence and lockdowns made his farmland increasingly inaccessible, Leonard eventually relocated in search of work.

Years later, after a serious accident left him unable to work, Leonard returned home. As he recovered, he learned about a CWRD-supported livelihood project through our partner SIRDEP.

Leonard chose to return to farming—this time, raising pigs. 🐖 With support from the project and help from his neighbors, he renovated his old pig shelter and received piglets and animal feed to get started.

Today, his pig has already given birth to five piglets. Leonard hopes to grow the farm into a larger piggery and provide for his three children.

He describes the support as a source of “renewed hope, solidarity and love.”

Your support helps people like Leonard rebuild livelihoods in communities affected by conflict. Learn more through the link in our bio.

“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”

The expert in the law replied,
“The one who had mercy on him.”

Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”

Luke 10:36-37

Disasters don’t wait for fundraising efforts.

When floods, fires, earthquakes, conflict, or disease outbreaks occur, communities need help immediately. That’s why Covenant World Relief & Development invests in trusted local partners before disaster strikes.

Monthly gifts to our International Disaster Response Fund help ensure resources are ready when they’re needed most. Because our partners already know and serve their communities, they can respond quickly with food, clean water, emergency supplies, shelter, public health support, and resources for long-term recovery.

We’ve shared just a few of the disasters your generosity has helped address. Many more communities receive support through this fund each year.

Will you consider becoming a monthly partner?

Together, we can help make sure that when the next disaster comes, hope is already on the way. Start your monthly gift today through the link in our bio.

When Nyakeach Bidit Jock arrived at Kakuma refugee camp in Kenya in 2014, she was 12 years old, fleeing civil war in South Sudan, and suffering from a chronic hereditary illness that had affected her for most of her life. Her future was uncertain in every direction. What changed it was the church showing up. Through the VOC-Project, supported by Covenant World Relief and Development, Nyakeach received medical care and school sponsorship that carried her through nearly a decade of hardship.

In 2019, when a health crisis left her in critical need of a blood transfusion and the hospital blood bank was empty, Rev. James Tang stepped forward and donated his own blood to save her life.

Nyakeach recovered. She excelled in school, led her church youth group for eight years, and after graduating volunteered as a counselor for vulnerable children in the same program that had once supported her. Her commitment to giving back caught the attention of church leadership, and she was ultimately awarded an Organization Capacity Building Grant scholarship through Covenant World Relief and Development to pursue her dream of becoming a nurse. Her story is a picture of what faithful, long-term investment in a person can do.

"Nations are in uproar, kingdoms fall;
he lifts his voice, the earth melts."
Psalm 46:6 NIV

Have you considered including CWRD in your will or trust?

Including Covenant World Relief & Development in your estate plans is a meaningful way to leave a legacy that reflects your faith and values while supporting future generations.

To learn more about legacy giving, email [email protected].

Severe flooding along the Nepal-China border has caused devastating loss, displacement, and damage to communities.

Covenant World Relief & Development is responding through our long-standing partners, Nepal Christian Relief Services and Shanti Nepal—trusted organizations with deep roots in Nepal and years of experience in relief, recovery, and community development.

Give today to support disaster response and recovery in Nepal through the link in our bio.

In 2011 at 17 years old, Keyla Castro Amaro wrote a reflection titled “Sparks, Flames and Torches,” describing a vision that began in her childhood in Monterrey’s Cerro de la Campana neighborhood. Surrounded by both the strength of her church community and the realities of poverty, violence, and family instability, Keyla sensed an early calling to make a difference. What she described then as a “spark of faith” was a simple but profound conviction that changing the life of one child could transform an entire future.

Over the years, has grown into a sustained and deeply rooted commitment to her community. Through her leadership with FUNDEFAM and her long-running Kids’ Club, Keyla has created spaces where children are nurtured, supported, and reminded of their worth. What began as small gatherings has grown into a consistent, relational presence in the lives of many.

Today, Keyla brings both lived experience and professional training in psychotherapy to her work, equipping her to respond with care, skill, and compassion. As a community leader, she continues to build programs, form partnerships, and strengthen initiatives that serve vulnerable families. The vision she named as a teenager remains the same, but it now burns with greater clarity and impact, lighting the way for others.