CLWR News & Events

It was the mid 1980’s and there was famine in Mozambique. CLWR sponsored and advertised an appeal where one cow became four. At that time there was a young teenager at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Owen Sound, ON, who was captivated by this idea of one becoming 4. Brilliant! I was that teenager. It […]

In Logone Birni, Cameroon, the land has always sustained life—but in recent decades, it has also become a source of conflict. As weather patterns shift, rain becomes unpredictable, and floods and droughts grow more common, the natural resources that people rely on—land, water, grazing areas—have grown scarcer. This has led to rising tensions between farmers […]

Amina, a single mother of six, lives in the 9th district of Chad, where life has not been easy. Years ago, her husband left the family, and Amina has carried the full responsibility of raising her children ever since. In 2022, things got even harder when a devastating flood destroyed her home, forcing her to […]

In the rural town of Logone Birni, Cameroon, Ashi is both a farmer and a leader. As president of her agricultural group and a member of the local Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA), she’s helping her community grow—not just crops, but opportunity. Ashi’s farming group—made up mostly of women, along with a few men—is […]

In the village of Mandalia, Chad, farmer Yamadji Nanadoum Nuba is adapting to a changing climate—one tomato at a time. Nuba grows onions, tomatoes, and other vegetables on land that had become difficult to farm after many years of intense use. Like many others in the Lake Chad Basin, he used to rely on purchased fertilizers. But […]

Since 2016, the Deo Lutheran Church in Salmon Arm, BC, together with other churches, community groups, and individuals, have sponsored many Syrian refugees to Canada. “We knew we couldn’t sponsor refugees on our own,” said Erik Bjorgan, pastor of Deo Lutheran, which had a pre-pandemic attendance of 50-60 people. So they decided to call a […]

Bekelech Cheru, 40, knows loss like few others. In the violence that ravaged her community in the Ephrata Gideim Woreda of Ethiopia’s Amhara region, she lost her son, husband, and brother. With nothing left but her children—Daniel, Kidist, and Habtamu—and her elderly mother, Emeyu Zerga, Bekelech faced a harsh reality. The conflict not only stripped […]

The conflict in Ukraine has shattered the lives of millions, forcing many to leave their homes and seek safety in other parts of Ukraine or in neighbouring countries. While adults can understand what’s happening, the trauma is even worse for children, whose lives have been turned upside down in a matter of hours. Barbara Körozsi, […]

Alanyo Jennifer’s hands moved with steady precision, weaving a neat braid into the young woman’s hair. Around her, a circle of women and girls watched intently, their eyes fixed on her movements. Their murmurs filled the Palabek Gem Women Safe Space created by CLWR partner LWF Uganda, a place where they could breathe, find safety, […]

The Board of Canadian Lutheran World Relief announces the departure of our CEO, Karin Achtelstetter. We wish her well in her future endeavours. We are also happy to announce the hiring of Rev. Dr. Michael Pryse, who will be joining the organization as the Interim Executive Director. In October 2024, Michael retired after serving 26 […]

With your generous support, CLWR is bringing hope and relief to vulnerable communities around the world facing crises.

We’ve designed an initiative called Nature-Based Solutions which will be carried out alongside thousands of local farmers as we restore land, reforest, push adoption of sustainable farming and water management practices, and include voices that have been left out. 

With your support, our partners in South Sudan provided cash assistance and fishing kits to those whose land was flooded in order to help them adapt to the drastically altered landscape. 

Cassandra Hay learned about the devastating earthquakes in Turkey and northern Syria, she decided to make images honouring Turkey and Syria that could be purchased for use as Zoom backgrounds and donate half of the proceeds to CLWR to help provide emergency supplies and shelter, and support repair and rehabilitation efforts.

The overall picture in South Sudan is one of severe humanitarian needs being magnified by various disasters. As Jason visited communities, it was clear to him that these are very vulnerable people in need of life-saving food assistance.

With the support of the Humanitarian Coalition and the Government of Canada, CLWR partners are providing emergency assistance to Sudanese refugees who have fled in to Chad to escape the ongoing conflict.

Across 23 communities in Nicaragua, children are receiving financial help to stay in school, extra learning supports and hot meals at school. 

Three congregations in Ontario formed a refugee sponsorship partnership with a church in Nova Scotia.

Thanks to your quick response, our local partners were able to respond immediately, delivering emergency supplies and providing life-saving shelter to those who were displaced from their homes.

Thanks to your support, our local partners are providing both immediate food assistance and longer-term livelihood support to vulnerable families.

In Burundi, with the support of Canadian Foodgrains Bank, through our partners, CLWR is implementing a multi-year project that aims to bridge the gap between emergency support and addressing longer-term barriers that families like Violette’s face in restarting their lives.

With your support, we are accomplishing big things in Myanmar. Women and girls are receiving critical supplies for menstrual health management, reducing an inequitable barrier and giving them the chance to pursue their education and careers. 

CLWR partners have provided food packages, emergency supplies and medical equipment, and have established Refugee Support Points, Child Friendly Spaces and Transitional Shelters to families fleeing the crisis in Ukraine. 

CLWR has been working in partnership with Lutheran World Federation – Uganda to provide emergency protection and livelihood assistance to refugees and their host communities in Uganda.