Speech #1000001883

The Christian Reformed World Relief Committee was one of the initial forces behind the development of CEPAD. which began in response to the 1972 earthquake in Nicaragua. and in coordinated nationwide Christian developmental ministries in countries such as Honduras. Guatemala. and El Salvador. The Christian Reformed World Relief Committee has also played an important role in facilitating the immigration of Cuban refugees fleeing Cuba in 1962. and Vietnamese refugees fleeing Vietnam in 1978. The resettlement efforts of this agency were so significant that the West Michigan area. where many members of the Christian Reformed community live. has among the largest. on a per capita basis. communities of Cuban and Vietnamese refugees. In the 1970s. the Christian Reformed World Relief Committee also began addressing major domestic social problems. A SpanishAmerican housing project was established in Denver. a drug rehabilitation program in New Jersey. assistance programs in Appalachia and Mississippi.