As a network of 124 Christian organizations working in 90 low- and middle-income countries, Christian Connections for International Health (CCIH) is committed to advancing health and wholeness for all. All of our members make sure that the world’s most vulnerable people have timely access to facility- or community-based health services. They literally save lives.
U.S. Foreign Assistance has decades of evidence of its impact on improving health.
We are deeply concerned that the order to abruptly halt work supported by current life-saving programs during the review of U.S. foreign assistance will cost lives and disrupt access to health care for the most vulnerable people in the world.
Our Christian faith motivates us to follow Jesus’ call to feed the hungry, care for the sick, shelter the homeless, and provide hope to the most vulnerable. For decades, U.S.-funded humanitarian assistance has supported the work of organizations, including Christian organizations, living out their calling to serve. These programs help people–including infants and children–who face disease, war and conflict, hunger, natural disasters, and lack of clean water.
Many Christian organizations partner with local churches to carry out their work. Such partnerships build goodwill and foster strong local organizations that can withstand emergencies while saving lives. Global goodwill and positive feelings toward the U.S. also make Americans safer at home and abroad.
While a review of foreign assistance to maximize efficiency seems prudent and even timely, we urge the Administration to reconsider the stop-work order so that the most vulnerable, such as children and families displaced by war or suffering from disease, continue receiving life-saving care.
We are happy to engage in conversations and bring together faith-based voices to support this review.
U.S. foreign assistance demonstrates leadership, and builds security and stability. In the absence of U.S. leadership, other actors will step in and diminish American influence. To Christians, helping those in need is deeply rooted in our faith tradition and demonstrated in scripture.
“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.” Matthew 25:35-36
CCIH calls on policymakers to reverse this decision and protect the programs that save lives and encourage stability.
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Christian Connections for International Health (CCIH) is a global network of Christian organizations and individuals committed to advancing health and wholeness. Inspired by our Christian faith and guided by evidence-based practice, CCIH envisions a world where all have access to quality healthcare and prevention services. CCIH has over 120 organizational members and affiliates operating in more than 90 countries.
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