
The situation
The United Nations estimates that there are currently 281 million international migrants in the world, or 3.6% of the global population. The number of people being displaced, both within and outside their countries of origin, is increasing because of conflict, violence, political or economic instability, as well as climate change and natural disasters.1
Our response: AMMPARO
In 2016, the ELCA Churchwide Assembly approved AMMPARO, our church’s strategy to “Accompany Migrants with Protection, Advocacy, Representation and Opportunities.” This strategy informs our holistic, whole-church response to migration and those forced to flee their communities.
- In the United States, AMMPARO partners with synods, community groups, churches and social ministry organizations to welcome refugees and asylum-seekers. AMMPARO helps them transition into their new lives through access to housing, education, social services, legal support, health care and other types of cultural adaption and self-sufficiency support.
- Around the world, AMMPARO supports migrants who are in transit or returning to their home countries, through global companion churches such as those in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador. Projects include job training for deported youth to give them alternatives to repeating their dangerous journeys to the United States, as well as psychological counseling to help them heal from the trauma of the migration journey.
- AMMPARO provides ELCA members and congregations with training and resources to advocate for just and humane policies affecting migrants in their own communities.
What you can do:
Pray:
Ask God to help those forced to flee from or return to their home countries, that they might be granted safe haven and resources to rebuild their lives.
Give:
Around the world, millions of people have been driven from their homes by hunger, poverty, conflict and human trafficking. Gifts designated for AMMPARO assist people when they are on the move and as they resettle.
Connect:
To learn more about the situation and the ELCA’s response:
- Explore AMMPARO and how you and your congregation can get involved.
- Find resources to inform your congregation and encourage support.
- Get the latest news about migrant children and families on the AMMPARO Facebook page.
- Sign up to receive Lutheran Disaster Response alerts.
- Stay current with the latest ELCA news.
- Check the Lutheran Disaster Response blog.
- "Like" Lutheran Disaster Response on Facebook, follow @ELCALDR on Twitter and follow @ELCA_LDR on Instagram.
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1 United Nations International Organization for Migration, “World Migration Report 2024.”