Dear Friends of ISS-USA:

You’ve been a wonderful supporter of International Social Service-USA (ISS-USA) through the years, and we greatly appreciate your ongoing partnership. This year, is no exception!

In 2021, children and families all over the world are separated by more than just borders. They have been separated by the global COVID-19 pandemic as well as by armed conflict, poverty, famine, and natural disasters. These compounding and interrelated challenges mean that the work of ISS-USA, and your financial support of our work, is even more critical.

While the devastating story of 9-year-old Parwana Malik – an Afghan child sold to a 55-year-old stranger so her family could eat – made international headlines, there are countless children and families in Afghanistan and around the world whose stories never make the news – children and families who receive the vital, restorative social services provided by ISS-USA.

In this, ISS-USA’s 95^th year of service, we are writing to ask that you consider making a truly exceptional gift (in one of the amounts below) to help us deliver the gift of home to children and families.

$95 · $190 · $285 · $380 · $475 · $570 · $665 · $760 · $855 · $950

All donations are 100% tax deductible and can be made online (https://www.iss-usa.org/donate/) or via postal mail to the following address:

International Social Service - U.S.A. Branch, Inc. 

1120 N. Charles Street

Suite 300

Baltimore, MD 21201

Home is with family. Together, we can make home a reality. Thank you for your support!

We Are Live!

ISS-USA is excited to introduce the new and improved website! Navigate through Our Services, apply for Careers and learn About Us with ease. Don't stop there... we made things much easier for you. Click the button below to visit the new website.

Tell us what you think here!

Farewell Mark Greenberg

A special thank you to Mark Greenberg for his board service, leadership and dedication to ISS-USA's mission since 2018.

Mark has begun working for the Office of General Counsel at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. 

Interested in serving on our board? Contact us here.

Dr. Sudeep Mohandas joins ISS-USA as a volunteer for the Development and Communications Committee!

Sudeep had a career span of 14 years working for the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in Malaysia and Switzerland. He was responsible for strategic planning, strategizing, planning, operations and management in the area of Human Resource, Fundraising, Financials, and Projects related to sustainability, relevance and resilience. From 2014-2020, he had set up his own global nonprofit consultancy, I First International working on projects in Kyrgyzstan, Tanzania, Indonesia, India , Nepal, England and Netherlands. Some of Sudeep’s notable achievements during his career have been in winning the National HR Award for best HR Employer in 2002, an editor to the book on Careers in Conservation, as well as an author of three books What Influences the Generation Y to join a Nonprofit Organization? & Nonprofit Management: Trials and Tribulations and Nonprofit Management: Connecting the Dots. Sudeep is certified as a Professional Facilitator from the International Association of Facilitators (IAF).

He served as the Treasurer to the World Institute of Action Learning (WIAL), USA for four years. He is presently active with Amnesty International USA, Maryland Chapter. Recently this year he received commendation for his services as a volunteer to CareerVillage.org, USA where he made an impact in helping over 5000 students in 2021 and to Catchafire.org where he has contributed to over $20K in savings to nonprofits across the globe. In 2022 he will be an Adjunct Professor to Towson University teaching conflict management to postgraduate students.

He speaks and writes in English, Malay and Indonesian. His mother tongue is Malayalam. 

He recently joined The Centre for Global Inclusion as their Executive Director!

Interested in volunteering with ISS-USA?

Program staff have conducted several hours of training with the Connecticut Department of Children and Families (DCF) related to available services, referral processes and best practices in cross-border case management. Furthermore, ISS-USA launched a series of social work training and resource sessions with our network of social work contractors. These networking sessions are aimed at current and prospective independent contractors who dedicate professional time to completing fee-for-service casework. If you are a licensed social worker interested in providing occasional assessment services for ISS-USA, please send inquiries and resumes to [email protected]

ISS-USA participated in the 2^nd Annual Kempe Center International Virtual Conference on October 22^nd, spearheading a roundtable discussion with ISS colleagues from Australia, Mexico and Thailand. The session, entitled Connecting Families Across Borders through Inclusive Permanency Planning, centered around gaps, challenges and opportunities related to international permanency planning and the importance of including family, regardless of their country of origin, in child-centered decision making. In particular, the session delved into topics of bias, assumptions, and the consequences of overlooking viable family connections due to perceptions of country profiles. Access to the session is available through the Kempe Center conference website for a fee.

Stay tuned for upcoming trainings! ISS-USA has been accepted to present at the International Society of the Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect (IPSCAN) conference in March 2022 where we will give a workshop on Inclusive Permanency Planning for Children with Overseas Family. We will also present a Kitchen Table Conversation at the Families in Global Transition (FIGT) 2022 virtual conference related to personal and professional challenges providing social services in a virtual world. Please consider registering for these events and follow our coverage.

Current Job Openings:

-Bi-Lingual Intercountry Case Manager

-Repatriation Administrative Assistant

-Repatriation Case Manager

-Licensed Social Workers for Contract Positions (multiple positions available)