At a time when support for humanitarian aid is shrinking, building and strengthening partnerships are essential, and nonprofits like Global Refuge—and the families we serve—need allies who are in it for the long haul. We’re fortunate to have partners who are showing up, pitching in, and standing with refugee and immigrant families every step of the way. Water filtration company LifeStraw is one of those partners.
“We were drawn to Global Refuge because of the organization’s commitment to dignity, care, and the long-term well-being of newcomers,” says Vito Castelgrande, LifeStraw’s Social Impact & Sustainability Manager. “Like LifeStraw, Global Refuge both responds to urgent needs and builds long-term solutions.”
That alignment of values runs deep. At the heart of both organizations is the belief that every person deserves the opportunity to build a safe and healthy future.
“At LifeStraw, we believe that respect, dignity, and health must be at the center of humanitarian response,” Castelgrande says. “Global Refuge’s mission to provide a ‘long welcome’ reflects that same respect and care for the whole person.”
Vito Castelgrande speaks with President & CEO Krish O'Mara Vignarajah and Global Refuge staff at our Hope for the Holidays event.
This past holiday season, the team at LifeStraw went above and beyond for our Fresh Change program—buying nearly 90% of the items on our Amazon Wishlist, donating reusable LifeStraw bottles, and showing up in person at our Hope for the Holidays event to help pack care bags for newly arrived families.
Their Giving Tuesday efforts were just as powerful. LifeStraw donated water pitchers and personal reuseable straws to our Camino a Casa clients in Guatemala, gave clothing and school supplies, and launched a fundraising campaign to support our work.
LifeStraw is looking ahead to growing this powerful partnership—supporting and donating to our work in Baltimore, across the U.S., and in Central America and Mexico.
“We’re excited to learn from Global Refuge’s deep community relationships and experience, and to find new ways our resources can support their mission,” Castelgrande adds.
We’ve seen firsthand that working in partnership with private-sector companies allows us to offer more holistic support to those who need it most. Castelgrande agrees.
“We hope to see a world where humanitarian aid goes beyond meeting basic needs to focus more on restoring dignity and building equity. Partnerships like this move us closer to that vision.”
Right now, refugee and immigrant families are facing far tougher challenges and far fewer resources. But with partners like LifeStraw stepping up, Global Refuge will continue to find innovative ways to support our most vulnerable families through every step of their journey towards a safer future.
Krish O'Mara Vignarajah, President and CEO of Global Refuge, joined NPR's "1A" to discuss the erosion of legal humanitarian pathways and the ongoing "de-documentation" of vulnerable populations.
Even with limited funding, our Welcome Centers and field offices in Baltimore, San Antonio, and Fargo are finding new ways to continue the vital work of welcome.
Jenny Hereth is an artist, a retired professor, and the daughter of a Lutheran minister—and she’s spent much of her 40-year career using her art to speak out on social justice issues. Now, she’s turning her creativity into action by pledging 100% of the proceeds from her new art book, My Brush – My Voice, to Global Refuge.
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