WER Is Needed

WER receives daily requests for commodities and grant support for programs.  Untold millions of people - and the programs helping them - need practical resources to make their lives successful. Starving children need food. The sick need medicine. Farmers need seed. Those who are naked and shivering need clothing.  At-risk communities need fire trucks.  When disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes occur, the victims need emergency relief aid.   Women and children who are sexually abused exploited need freedom and healing.

What We Do

WER's global family works with local organizations to fight poverty and hunger, and provide relief for victims of disaster, conflict and despair.  Since 1991, WER has been a leader in promoting the responsible and ethical use of Gifts-In-Kind (GIK) at our own projects worldwide, as well as projects we share with other outreaches. In addition to providing immediate emergency relief, WER develops programs offering long-term support. Adequate health care, nutrition, education and vocational training assist future generations in breaking destructive cycles and healing their communities.

Our Gifts-In-Kinds (GIK) Process

In real terms, the process is extremely complicated.  After receiving a request, we verify both the community's needs and the cultural appropriateness of the supplies we can procure. We then seek those supplies from corporate donors and other charities. Before shipping, we check that supplies are safe and usable, and we often must obtain import permission from foreign embassies in the US.

We must negotiate for commodities and then arrange for timely shipping from the manufacturers to a U.S. departure port while also minimizing local storage charges. We organize the logistics of shipping of the sealed overseas containers and handling of dock problems upon their arrival at foreign ports. Once the containers are on foreign soil our supplies must clear local customs and then be land-shipped to the designated project, often hundreds of miles away.

Our commodities must then be properly stored and prepared before “Distribution Day,” when WER makes certain our supplies are fairly distributed to people in actual need, with no black market shenanigans.

Finally, our local partners must report back on how our goods were distributed and what specific benefits were observed.

It's a long struggle to get 25,000 pounds of baby food from New Orleans to an orphanage in Africa. But when we hear the grateful “thanks” from people we help, we understand how our efforts answer prayer.  And we also realize we’ve multiplied donor's “charitable punch” over ten-fold. It’s the classic “win-win” situation which blesses everyone.

For more about our GIK process, please view our GIK Frequently Asked Questions page.

Using Your Donations Wisely

Efficiency is one of our goals. WER works alongside established local organizations who intimately know the people's needs and situation, allowing us to focus our resources on programs and supplies. Generous donors provide us with Gifts in Kind (GIK) such as food, clothing, and medical supplies. These factors combined greatly magnify our potential; most years, for every $1 donation we receive, we send about $22 worth of aid!

WER Media Kit

About WER
WER Key People
DOORSTEP® Fact Sheet (PDF 1.2MB)
Puppet Theater Fact Sheet (PDF 1.3MB)

WER Media Articles

USAID

    “Ocean Freight Reimbursement Success Stories: World Emergency Relief (WER) helps

    upgrade hospitals and clinics in Guatemala”
    Download Version (PDF 524KB)