Community Sponsorship

Community sponsorship, or co-sponsorship, allows North Carolina neighbors to be on the frontlines of welcoming refugees home. Co-sponsors provide both mentorship and financial assistance to help newcomers reach personalized goals--whether self-sufficiency for those who've just stepped off the plan at PTI Airport, or getting re-credentialed in their former career fields for more established refugees already living in our community.

CWS Greensboro asks for a 4-6 month time commitment for each of our co-sponsorship opportunities (Afghan Sponsorship, Match Teams, and CARE Groups).

Refugees have to learn so much when they first arrive. One of the gifts of sponsorship is providing stable relationships to newcomers over several months.

We ask Afghan sponsors provide at least 4 months rent and utilities assistance, usually around $5000.

CARE Groups commit to providing financial stipends while refugee partners are completing credentialing, licensing, and vocational education trainings, usually around $5,000.

CWS will help both Afghan refugee partners and cosponsor groups develop personalized action plans with individualized goals to help each family become independent and able to provide for their family's needs. Key responsibilities include

• securing and furnishing housing
• overcoming transportation barriers (teaching families to navigate public transportation and/or helping them get their driver's license and a donated car)
• finding employment

But you may also help practice English, tutor children in school, drive family members to a doctor's appointment, connect them with local resources like Out of the Garden Project and Wheels for Hope, and show newcomers free, family fun!

Afghan families are arriving through the U.S. Humanitarian Parole Program, which officially began September 1. So, families could arrive this week or it could still be a couple weeks.

We have been told to expect a week's notice before families arrive in North Carolina in need of support.

All Afghan parolees are receiving the COVID-19 vaccination while on U.S. military bases before they arrive in North Carolina for resettlement.

Throughout the pandemic, we have remained committed to maintaining a culture of effective and pragmatic risk management that meets our duty of care responsibilities to all staff and those we work alongside. We pride ourselves on being a workplace that puts the health and safety of our workers first. We are also committed to doing all we can to mitigate risk to our clients and communities from the virus. CWS is implementing the following COVID-19 vaccination policy for our workplace:

"Effective September 1, 2021, CWS’s global vaccination policy is to require vaccination for all staff and volunteers, to the extent that it is legally permitted to do so within each country in which CWS operates. This requirement is based on our commitment as a faith-based humanitarian agency to “do no harm,” and as an employer to provide a safe working environment for our employees. It is also rooted in current scientific evidence, which demonstrates that available COVID-19 vaccinations are both safe and effective."

All Afghans ages 12 years old and up are receiving the COVID-19 vaccine on U.S. military bases before they arrive in North Carolina for resettlement.

Yes! Financial donations can allow groups with fewer financial resources to be involved in co-sponsorship. We have different donation levels which will allow you to provide for specific needs in resettlement: 

• Tier 1- covers groceries for 1 month- $800 
• Tier 2- covers housing and utilities for 1 month- $1000 
• Tier 3- covers living expenses for 1 month- $2000 
• Tier 4- covers living expenses for 2 months- $4000
• Tier 5 - covers living expenses for 3 months- $6000

No!  In fact, we are actively looking for sponsor groups outside of Greensboro so that we can utilize a larger pool of affordable housing options.

CWS will provide a 2-hour training, personalized action plans, and regular check-ins throughout your co-sponsorship journey to support you all along the way!

Interested groups and individuals can email Anne Louise Pass at apass@cwsglobal.org.