CWS Winchester opened its doors as the first Afghan evacuees were arriving in Virginia. The program began operations quickly without a space or even many staff thanks in large part to a devoted, passionate group of volunteers in Winchester.

The Church World Service Immigration and Refugee Program has resettled refugees since 1988 from Afghanistan, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia, Burma, Colombia, Congo (DRC), Croatia, Cuba, El Salvador, Eritrea, Honduras, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Pakistan, Russia, Rwanda, Serbia, Sierra Leone, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, Tajikistan, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan within a 100 mile radius of our office. Our primary goal is to help the refugee form long lasting relationships in the community which become the basis of self-sufficiency. In order to reach this goal a family must be able to maintain their own basic needs in a sustainable lifestyle. Our program provides a bridge from their former life in their home country to a new set of cultural, linguistic, and practical skills that will enable them to thrive in Winchester.