Founded | 1945 |
---|---|
Type | Humanitarian aid |
Location | |
Area served
|
Worldwide |
Key people
|
Daniel V. Speckhard, President and C.E.O. Dr. William J. Craft, Chair of the Board |
Revenue
|
US$ 46 million (2015) |
Employees
|
71 (U.S.) |
Slogan | Sustainable Development. Lasting Promise. |
Mission | Affirming God’s love for all people, we work with Lutherans and partners around the world to end poverty, injustice and human suffering. |
Website | http://lwr.org/ |
Lutheran World Relief (LWR) is an international non-governmental organization that focuses on sustainable development projects and disaster relief and recovery. The organization was founded in 1945 to collect and send aid to people living in post-World War II Europe.
According to its website, LWR "works to improve the lives of millions of smallholder farmers and people experiencing poverty in Africa, Asia and Latin America, both in times of emergencies and for the long term. LWR builds and maximizes community assets to develop strong local economies and resilient communities, toward our ultimate vision of an end to poverty, injustice and human suffering" by focusing on three main areas of work:
One of LWR’s flagship programs – started in 1945 and continuing today – is its Quilt and Kit Ministry. Each year Lutherans across the United States assemble and donate LWR Mission Quilts, as well as several kinds of kits to assist people living in poverty in times of emergency or great need.
LWR continues to receive high rankings from organizations such as the Charity Watch, which gave LWR an A rating from 2007 through 2015.
LWR is a member of the ACT Alliance, a global alliance of churches and related agencies working on development that are committed to working together.
Since 1999, LWR has been headquartered at The Lutheran Center, located in Baltimore, Maryland. Prior to 1999, LWR's headquarters were located in New York City.
The organization that would eventually become known as Lutheran World Relief began in the 1940s as Lutherans in the United States were working to help people living in post-World War II Europe. LWR as an organization was officially founded in 1945 when some of its early leaders put into place principles that remain with the organization today.
LWR transitioned from a focus on the needs of people living in Europe to forming methodologies of working in agriculture and with farming cooperatives to increase rural incomes and food security in the developing world.
After changing its articles of incorporation to reflect its work in international development (in addition to disaster relief), LWR began to develop some of the core practices of long-term, sustainable development projects that still guide the organization’s work today. In 1979, LWR opened its first regional office in Peru.