In 1945...

...Lutheran World Relief’s founders did not know what the world or our ministry would look like in 80 years. All they knew was their neighbors in Europe were hurting after World War II, and as followers of Christ they were called to help.

The seed was planted …

And a seed is a powerful thing.

By 2024, their humble relief effort would grow to reach 136 countries, and more than 28 million quilts would make their way around the world.

In this report, you will see some of the fruits of the seeds you planted this year: Help arriving just in time. Lives changed in meaningful ways.

As we prepare for our next 80 years of serving a world in need, we are grateful that you are following your calling, in faith, through Lutheran World Relief.

Until your love reaches every neighbor.

For truly I tell you, if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain,‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you.

Matthew 17:20 NRSV

Nyaduaw Chuol fled her home in South Sudan after war broke out. She traveled alongside her husband and newborn son to a town called Ayod where your love found them.

South Sudan: Planting seeds of hope to end hunger

THE SITUATION: Poverty, civil war and widespread flooding have made the hunger crisis in South Sudan one of the worst in the world. Families who are forced to flee their homes arrive in displacement camps weak from hunger. Many also lack the tools and skills to start over without help.

Nyaduaw Chuol in her new home in Ayod, South Sudan.

YOUR IMPACT: You are a first line of defense against malnutrition. With your support, parents receive seeds and training to grow a variety of nutritious crops, plus cooking lessons to learn how to prepare nourishing meals. You also equip them to generate income through farming, fishing and raising chickens.

A CHAMPION FOR GARDENING: “When there is conflict, there is no food,” says Nyaduaw Chuol. She had just given birth when war reached her village. Within weeks there was nothing to eat. She and her husband decided to flee to a town called Ayod, where they heard there was peace.

For three days they walked, eating nothing and stopping only for Nyaduaw to nurse her son. By the time they reached the displacement camp in Ayod, mother and baby were severely malnourished.

At first, life in Ayod was desperate. The family collected firewood to sell, but they could afford only one small meal a day.

Thankfully, your generosity reaches where few others go. You provided Nyaduaw with seeds for tomatoes, eggplant, watermelon and onion. Now her family is in a much better place, and she volunteers in the community garden where families learn how to grow food.

Nuaduaw working in the demonstration garden.

When I was in the village, I didn’t know how to grow these vegetables … Now I cultivate and teach others how to plant.

- Nyaduaw Chuol

Ukraine: Restoring farms destroyed by war

Valentina Starikova on her farm in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

THE SITUATION: Farming communities near the front lines have been hit hard by the ongoing war. Large areas of farmland have been occupied by enemy troops, destroyed or neglected. With the destruction of their sources of food and income, farming families have found themselves facing hunger and poverty.

YOUR IMPACT: Your compassion has reached deeply into formerly occupied communities to help farmers recover and have enough food to get through the winter. This support included training on updated and adjusted farming techniques, including accounting for the possible presence of landmines. Farmers also received seeds, tools and other assistance to get back on their feet.

STRENGTH AND NOURISHMENT TO CARRY ON: Since retiring, Valentina and Alexander Starikova have farmed their land for food and income. But when Russia attacked in February 2022, their village in the Kharkiv region was among the first to be invaded. The only thing stopping the soldiers from occupying the Starikovas’ land was the fact that Ukrainian forces had blown up a nearby bridge to block the enemy’s advance.

For over seven months, shelling was constant. The Starikovas lived in their basement and avoided going outside, as they could see the troops from their house. By the time the Russians retreated, the Starikovas’ farm was decimated.

Seedlings that the Starikovas have been able to grow since receiving materials and training from Lutheran World Relief.

Your kindness helped them start again. They learned new techniques and received a small grant for tools and repairs. You also provided seeds to grow the ingredients for borscht — a nutritious Ukrainian staple meal that offers comfort and strength to keep going.

It is hard work, but working on the land is not only about obtaining food to eat, but it is also for the soul.

- Valentina Starikova

Valentina and Alexander host their neighbors for a meal with ingredients grown on their newly restored farm.

Democratic Republic of Congo: Reaching the hardest-to-reach

Tents in an internally displaced persons (IDP) camp in Goma.

THE SITUATION: After five years of quiet, the infamous M23 rebels became active again in 2022. Since then, millions of people in the country’s eastern region have had to flee their homes for safety. Many end up in crowded displacement camps, where disease spreads quickly due to a lack of clean water and poor sanitation facilities.

YOUR IMPACT: Displacement camps in Eastern Congo are extremely hard to reach. But last year, you provided clean water and sanitation support to 32,000 people to prevent the spread of cholera. Your generosity educated camp residents on handwashing and hygiene practices. You also ensured water sources were chlorinated to kill bacteria and provided supplies to maintain health and personal dignity.

Water filtration canisters being distributed at a Goma IDP camp.

A SOURCE OF HOPE & CLEAN WATER: Idi Seth, a cobbler, awoke to gunfire at 2 a.m. Overnight, his neighborhood had become the front lines of war. Idi and his wife Mariam grabbed their children and ran. By morning they knew it was unsafe to go home.

Idi is disabled and uses crutches. Mariam has a chronic illness. Yet they had no choice but to rush toward safety. After a painful 17-mile journey on foot, they arrived at a displacement camp. It was so crowded they had to set up shelter on the outskirts.

Idi Seth and Mariam Saidati with their children in an IDP camp.

Clean water was scarce. There were no toilets and nowhere to wash their hands. That’s how Idi got sick with cholera — a highly infectious disease that kills about half of its victims. Fortunately, Idi made it to a health center in time to receive lifesaving treatment.

But there was nothing stopping him, his wife or the children from getting sick again ... until you provided sanitary latrines and supplies to keep disease from spreading.

I am very happy and I'm so grateful because of the latrines.

-Mariam Saidati

2025 Update: In January, the M23 captured the city of Goma and the nearby camps. This tragedy continues to unfold, but love prevails. For 25 years, LWR has shined Christ’s light in Eastern Congo by providing health care and other essential support. We will keep you updated as our continued response takes shape.

Nepal: Rebuilding homes and hearts after disaster

THE SITUATION: The 6.4 magnitude earthquake that rocked Nepal last year barely made the news. But for the families living in the mountainous Jajarkot district, it was the tragedy of a lifetime. Due to the high levels of poverty and low standards of construction, the damage to infrastructure was severe.

Nepal is the 11th most earthquake-prone nation in the world.

YOUR IMPACT - IMMEDIATE RESPONSE: Because of you, Lutheran World Relief can maintain a stock of emergency supplies in the most earthquakeprone areas. In the immediate aftermath, you ensured families who lost their homes had blankets, water jars, mattresses, and tarps and bamboo poles to build temporary shelters.

YOUR IMPACT - LONG-TERM RESPONSE: Then you helped with longer-term recovery. Using locally-sourced wood and corrugated metal sheets, you helped to build new, safer homes that can withstand future quakes. You also ensured families who lost loved ones had access to counseling to process their grief and find hope for the future.

STRENGTH TO REBUILD AND RECOVER: Sabitra BK lost everything when her stone and mud house collapsed, killing her 4-year-old daughter.

“I used to work in agriculture, and she was always with me in the field,” Sabitra recalled. “We would eat together, talk and laugh. Now, she remains in my memory only.”

A home in Jajarkot, Nepal, that was damaged in the earthquake.

As a farm laborer, Sabitra was barely making ends meet before the quake. Suddenly, she had no home and no money to rebuild. And with temperatures dropping to near-freezing levels at night, it was no time to be without safe shelter.

“I am staying under a thin tarp,” she said. “The cold and a fear of wild animals is always there.”

The makeshift tarp and bamboo tent Sabitra used as a shelter

Amid her grief, your kindness provided counseling to help her heal. You also provided materials and construction support to build a sturdy home for her to begin again.

Thank you to Lutheran World Relief for providing us with the [new] shelter where I can stay safely.

-Sabitra BK

A nearly finished home, built safely and with love

Sierra Leone: Brighter futures through education

THE SITUATION: Education is the best path out of poverty. For every year a girl can stay in school, her earning potential as an adult soars by 20%. Yet poverty is the number one reason hundreds of millions of children globally do not attend school. In Sierra Leone, nearly 70% of women have no education at all — greatly limiting their earning potential and their ability to make informed decisions.

Both of 13-year-old Salamatu Conteh’s parents are ill and can no longer care for her. This has put Salamatu at a higher risk of dropping out of school.

Luckily, her aunt and uncle were able to take her in and have made her education a priority, despite having four of their own children and limited resources.

Salamatu Conteh in her classroom in Kambia, Sierra Leone

YOUR IMPACT: With your incredible support, this year we launched a new pilot program to keep children — and especially girls — in school. We use an innovative technology to monitor school attendance, identify out-of-school girls, and provide monthly cash transfers so children can afford an education. Then we address non-financial barriers by connecting girls and their families with health care, disability services, counseling and other support so they can better care for themselves.

BREAKING THE CYCLE TOGETHER: Kadiatu Ibrahim Kamara, 12, began receiving cash transfers this year after she was identified as having several risk factors for dropping out of school. One of these risk factors is that her mother Aminata M. Kamara is only 22 years old.

The good news is Aminata believes in education — and she is setting a good example for her daughter. Aminata, who is pictured wearing her own school uniform, is enrolled in secondary school so that she can better provide for herself and Kadiatu.

Aminata and Kadiatu have walked a difficult road, and many challenges are ahead. Fortunately, you are walking alongside them through your philanthropy. And there are hundreds of other children and families whose lives are being changed with each month you invest in them — and each month their knowledge grows.