Look, go, and help: all over the world, people are stepping up to help others in need. New Apostolic relief agencies are also making a difference—an overview on World Humanitarian Day.
The parable of the good Samaritan leaves little room for misinterpretation: if you see someone in distress, you must not look away. Helping others is an integral part of the gospel and, therefore, of being a Christian. This applies to individuals just as much as it does to the Church as a community.
Help makes no distinctions
The New Apostolic Church is also committed to fulfilling this mission. What matters is a person’s plight—not their gender, age, skin colour, background, nationality, or religion.
Much of the support and help takes place right at the local level: people from the communities volunteer their time, roll up their sleeves, collect donations, or provide very practical assistance. But things do not stop there. The Church has also established its own agencies to provide professional and long-term support for humanitarian and social initiatives.
Aid through a network of organisations
The following New Apostolic charitable organisations are active in this field.
- human aktiv was established in 2018 as a successor to the Missionswerk. It has been in existence since 1993 and operates primarily in the countries served by the New Apostolic Church Southern Germany.
- KUMEA. Spelled out, the acronym reads Kujenga Maisha East Africa. The charity was established in 2010 and serves the District Apostle Area East Africa. “Kujenga Maisha” is Swahili and means “creating life”.
- Masakhe Foundation. “Masakhe” is a Xhosa word meaning “Let us build”. The organisation was established in 2013 and operates mainly in Africa.
- NAC Foreign Extension funds initiatives and projects in eleven countries served by the District Apostle Area Canada.
- NAC SEA Relief Fund was officially registered in 2011 concentrates its work in South-East Asia.
- NACare was established in 2016 at the request of members wishing to provide aid following natural disasters. The charity is primarily active in Fiji, the South Pacific, and Australia.
- NACRO is the charity of the District Apostle Area Zambia, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. It was initially founded in 2002 under the name Henwood Foundation.
- NAK-Diakonia concentrates on Church members in particular and in countries served by the New Apostolic Church Switzerland.
- NAK-Humanitas began as the Missionary Foundation of the New Apostolic Church Switzerland. It was founded in 1988. The charity has a relatively broad international focus, concentrating on the Regional Churches served.
- NAK-karitativ was founded in 2001 as an aid agency of the German Regional Churches. Most recently it has been active in nineteen countries, with a particular focus on East Africa.
- re Charitable Ministry grew out of a disaster relief effort organised by volunteers following Hurricane Katrina in 2005. It is active in the countries within the District Apostle Area of the USA.
- Ser Prójimo, which translates as “Being a neighbour”, has been bringing together young people from the Regional Church of Argentina who want to help others.
- Stichting Corantijn was founded in 1997 by the New Apostolic Church in the Netherlands to provide aid to the people in Suriname.
Whether it is emergency aid following a disaster, support for a social institutions, or a long-term development project, these organisations plan, support, and fund aid programmes around the world.
And they generally do not do this alone. They seek partners who bring something crucial to the table when it comes to providing effective assistance: local organisations have first-hand knowledge of the people, circumstances, and needs on the ground. International organisations, for their part, have the experience, networks, and infrastructure. In this way, different strengths are combined to ensure that aid reaches those who need it.
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