LCANZ ALWS

23 May 2025

Australian Lutheran World Service

 

75 YEARS CARING FOR the MOST VULNERABLE

This year our church celebrates 75 years of caring for the most vulnerable through ALWS.

The service of ALWS began at the Bonegilla Migrant Centre, near Albury NSW, when local Lutheran Pastor Bruno Muetzelfeldt began ministering to newly arrived migrants from war-ravaged

Europe.

With the support of the wider Lutheran church, Ps Bruno led a service of hospitality and practical care, connecting Lutheran refugees with welcoming Lutheran congregations and helping them to find employment and housing.

Today, on your behalf, ALWS provides vital emergency and development support in fourteen countries, providing practical care to more than 400,000 people every year.

To recognise ALWS’ 75^th Anniversary we hosted four major events and set a bold faith target for 2025 to support 75,000 children with the
essentials for a happy, healthy life – food, school and safety.

 ALWS 75^th Anniversary Celebration Events

 

• 22 March – Bonegilla Commemorative Event, Bonegilla Migrant Experience.
• 30 March – Melbourne Walk My Way, Good News Lutheran College, Tarneit
• 3 May – Adelaide Walk My Way, Australian Lutheran College, North Adelaide
• 10 May – Brisbane Walk My Way, QUT Gardens Point Campus, Brisbane City

We give thanks for the hundreds of Lutherans who stepped out at a celebration event and those who have given a 75th gift to help 75,000 children
step up to the life every child deserves. Thank you!

You can support our 2025 campaign by donating a 75^th gift through our anniversary website – www.alws75.org.au.

Your Christian Care in a challenging world

Sadly, your generosity, and the work of ALWS, is needed more today than at any other time in our history.

The devastation caused by conflict (Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, South Sudan, Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo), emergencies such as flooding in Nepal, and the recent earthquake in Myanmar and Thailand, and the on-going hunger crisis in Somalia and Ethiopia, has caused more than 120 million people to become displaced.

At the same time as the needs are growing, the generosity of wealthy western Governments is diminishing. In the last six months, the USA, UK, Germany, France, Belgium and the Netherlands have reduced their aid budgets. This has resulted in the closure of schools, food programs and livelihood support for vulnerable people in the poorest countries in the world. It is also causing operational impacts for the aid sector as agencies adjust their capacity to match funding levels. We anticipate that changes will continue to impact the aid and development sector in the short term.

In the face of these challenges, ALWS remains steadfast to our mission. We continue to act prudently and purposefully to alleviate suffering, empower communities and foster sustainable development.

The generosity of our supporters, and the trust of the Australian Government, has allowed us to provide strong financial contributions to international programs over the last five years.

HOW YOUR DONATIONS HELPED PEOPLE

Through ALWS you share God’s love with vulnerable communities around the world.

Together we work to break the cycle of poverty by equipping individuals so that they can earn a sustainable income. Just as Jesus would, this development work prioritises the rights of the most vulnerable in the community; children, women, the elderly, people living with disabilities and socially marginalised groups.

We also respond quickly when natural disasters or conflict strike. Using our local partners, we provide emergency food, clean drinking water, safe latrines, medical supplies, and shelter. This support is critical to maximise the survival and recovery for the people impacted.

In the last Synodical term, you reached out in love to support vulnerable individuals and families facing difficult emergency situations. In Nepal, you provided emergency shelters, household essentials, dignity kits and disability support to communities impacted by flooding and landslides. In Myanmar, you responded rapidly to provide cash and food supplies to communities devasted by the earthquake. In Burundi, you worked through our local partners LWF to provide food rations, daily living essentials, and hygiene kits to Congolese refugees fleeing violence. Meanwhile, in Israel, you continue to provide vital support through the Augusta Victoria Hospital, East Jerusalem that is owned and operated by ALWS partner, Lutheran World Federation (LWF). Here you provide vital medical treatment to patients from Israel and Gaza.

Through ALWS, our church continues to support Lutheran churches in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and Romania (through LWF) who are meeting the needs of Ukrainian refugees. We are also supporting the construction of underground schools in Ukraine for 3,245 students and 581 school staff so that children can return to face-to-face

learning.

 

We are also supporting victims of wars that the world too easily forgets… Rohingya people who have fled Myanmar as refugees to Bangladesh or seeking support in Displaced Persons Camps in Rakhine State in Myanmar, victims fleeing conflict in Ethiopia and Sudan, as well as our on-going work supporting refugees in the Kakuma and Dadaab camps in Kenya.

In addition to emergency support, you have also delivered sustainable development in South Sudan, Burundi, Nepal and Indonesia. Your work here focuses on equipping farmers in modern

farming techniques, supporting small business development, and schooling for children.

In Ethiopia you completed a 635-metre canal system to provide year-round reliable water to 223 farm families. This legacy project is transforming the livelihoods of

families.

In Papua New Guinea you work through a church partnership program with the Evangelical Lutheran Church of PNG to improve family wellbeing and grow community capacity through disability-inclusion support groups, training health workers and leadership development workshops.

You can discover more about our church’s vital work through ALWS on the ALWS website – www.alws.org.au.

Community education

Your support for ALWS also enables important community education work; growing awareness and understanding of our vital overseas support.

Through our advocacy partner, Micah Australia, ALWS has been an active participant in the Safer World for All campaign, that seeks to raise public awareness and support to increase the Australian Government’s contribution to international aid to 1% of the federal budget. Unfortunately, this appeal is necessary because the Australian Government’s contribution to

international aid per capita has decreased over the last 20 years.

 

ALWS also produces resources for schools and churches to grow understanding and compassion for the most vulnerable, and to provide practical ways for communities to take action. For

example:

• Our ‘What’s my Business’ curriculum unit (upper primary) teaches students about poverty and the importance of international development, as they also learn about small business and how micro loans can lift families out of poverty.
• Local Walk My Way events facilitated by congregations and schools demonstrate faith in action to Australian and New Zealand communities.

Community-based Refugee settlement TRIAL

ALWS is participating in the Australian Government’s Community Refugee Integration and Settlement Pilot (CRISP), which will become a permanent program from mid-2026.

The CRISP program invites local community groups to provide wrap-around support to approved refugees during their first 12 months in Australia. This is a ministry of hospitality and practical care that mirrors the faithful actions of our church when ALWS began 75 years ago.

In 2025, ALWS will support two Lutheran congregations to welcome a refugee family. We hope that this experience will

inspire more Lutheran churches to consider this important ministry. We’d welcome the opportunity to speak to congregations or church members interested in exploring this practical expression of faith. Contact Emma Hanson, ALWS Resettlement Officer (emmah@alws.org.au) to find out more.

 

STEWARDSHIP OF RESOURCES

ALWS is accredited with the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) which allows us to receive Australian Government Grants and contribute to Australia’s international aid program. In 2024, ALWS received Government Grants totalling $2,883,491. These funds added to our Lutheran Church’s humanitarian aid work through ALWS.

To maintain accreditation, ALWS’ systems, policies and processes are regularly reviewed by the Australian Government. This rigorous process gives donors confidence that their support is distributed efficiently and effectively. ALWS average ‘overheads’ for the last five years (fundraising and administration costs defined by the ACFID Code of Conduct), remains at 16%, which is low for the sector and testament to the efficacy of ALWS.

NEW Living Water Legacy Fund

ALWS has launched a new legacy fund to support the most vulnerable in perpetuity. The Living Water Legacy Fund invests donations in ethical funds, preserving the principal and using the interest gained to bless the world’s forgotten people now, and ALWayS! The fund is suitable for large donations from individuals, organisations or congregations. Contact Michael Stolz, ALWS Executive Director (michaels@alws.org.au) to find out more.

THANK YOU

We are grateful for the trust that churches, schools, fellowship groups and individuals place in ALWS to express their faith and care for the most vulnerable. Thank you for your generous partnership in prayer and finances as together we seek to live out:

Don’t forget those who are suffering, but imagine you are there with them.

Hebrews 13:3b (CEV)

Michael Stolz
ALWS Executive Director