Five things you can do this summer
Summer is a terrific time to do something out of the ordinary with your church or community to raise awareness about the poverty and justice issues that you are passionate about and invite others to get involved.
Here are a few activities you might consider:
Organize a Night of Nets
Raise awareness about malaria's deadly impact on children by holding a Night of Nets event with your congregation, youth group, or in your community. Take part in an effort to eliminate this threat to children by sleeping under bed nets for a night to raise funds, raise awareness, and call on elected leaders to help.
Creative activism events like Night of Nets make an impression on participants and passers-by through a visual representation of the issue, while creating a space for people to respond. Use our free resources to help plan your event. For more information, visit www.nightofnets.org.
Gather for a poverty and justice prayer vigil
Organize a prayer vigil to reflect on and pray for those threatened by poverty, disease, and exploitation. Find current information about these issues and how you can pray and take action at www.seekjustice.org.
Hold an End Malaria Sunday at your church
Keep members of your congregation informed about the threat that malaria poses to children around the world and invite them to get involved to help eliminate the disease. You can make a presentation before your congregation using resources found at www.endmalaria.org/resources.php.
Start a poverty and justice study group
Lead discussions with your Sunday school classes or home groups about poverty and justice issues and God's heart for the poor and oppressed. For free products that will help guide your conversations, visit www.worldvisionresources.com.
Host a Broken Bread Poverty Meal
The Broken Bread Poverty Meal allows participants to identify with and intercede on behalf of those broken by the cycle of poverty, disease, and hunger. Through a simple porridge meal, true-to-life stories, discussion, prayer, and advocacy, participants engage their faith and respond with their hearts. For more information, visit www.worldvision.org/brokenbread.
Have questions? Contact us at advocate@worldvision.org.
WAY-FM and World Vision team up for new sponsors
WAY-FM personalities Brent Hansen, Nikki from the morning show, and Donna Cruz from the afternoon time slot have been in Senegal with World Vision to see the work that is being accomplished in communities throughout the country through child sponsorship.
Check out Brent's blog posted from Senegal on Friday, July 10.
World Vision dispatches assessment teams to flooding zone in China to gauge potential response
July 10, 2009
In response to the floods in southern China that have affected 39 million people across 12 provinces and regions, World Vision has sent two assessment teams to Guangxi and Jiangxi provinces, where we operate a total of nine development program offices in and near the flood zone. Our staff members have so far confirmed that our Du'an development program in Guangxi has been impacted, and we are most concerned about the flooding's effect on children.
"Seasonal floods often have hidden effects on children. We must not grow accustomed to the fact that floods force children to evacuate their homes, affect school attendance, and erode family income," said Watt Santatiwat, World Vision's regional vice president.
"In southern China, an overwhelming amount of people have seen their homes damaged or destroyed by landslides or floods. Roads have washed away, making it unsafe for children to travel to school. Hundreds of thousands of people have evacuated into temporary shelters and are in need of food and safe drinking water," said Santatiwat.
Early reports from Du'an County, Guangxi, say many townships and villages suffered crop damage in low-lying areas, but schools, homes, roads, and basic infrastructure remain undamaged. World Vision will launch a response according to the scale of needs as determined by the assessment.
World Vision regularly responds to emergencies in China, including the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, floods in eastern and southern China, and the 2008 winter snowstorms that hit 21 provinces. We also help regions across China prepare for disasters, by helping communities identify risks and ways to avoid them, as well as teaching children how to protect themselves in disasters through cartoon books and in-school disaster preparedness training.
Help now
Donate now to World Vision's Disaster Response Fund. Your contribution will help our teams continue to respond quickly and effectively with life-saving support in the wake of disasters around the world, like the recent flooding in southern China.
In Sudan's Darfur region, World Vision vouchers boost food aid
By Dan Teng'o, World Vision Sudan
When displaced people in Darfur's camps receive rations of grain, they often have to barter away portions of that grain to grind or mill it into usable flour or porridge. World Vision plans to increase the take-home amount of the food rations by distributing vouchers to cover the cost of grinding grain.
The vouchers, which will help address the problem of food aid beneficiaries bartering their food rations away for milling services, are expected to benefit more than 73,200 recipients of World Vision's monthly food distributions at two camps in the region.
Saving money through vouchers
The milling voucher project is supported by the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid Office, the World Food Program, and World Vision Germany.
"Distributing milling vouchers is a new way of improving the lives of the displaced people," said Martin van de Locht, director of international programs at World Vision's Germany office. He added that the beneficiaries can use money saved through the milling voucher to buy other food items and improve their nutritional status.
"They can buy fresh fruits or engage in more economic activity," said van de Locht.
'I am very happy'
The beneficiaries agreed.
"I used to spend up to 30 Sudanese pounds [U.S. $15] on milling my grains," said Saadia Ali, a displaced woman and mother of six who has lived at one of the camps since 2004. "Now I will use that money to buy milk, meat, and other foods for my children. I am very happy."
Milling costs eat into the meager resources of most displaced people, many of whom work menial jobs in Nyala to make ends meet.
World Vision provides monthly food rations to 312,000 displaced and war-affected people in Darfur. Additional funding is urgently needed to continue and expand our efforts to assist hungry children and families who have been devastated by violence in this region.
Help now
Donate now to help World Vision provide desperately needed food and care to children and families displaced by conflict in Sudan.
U.S. economic crisis forcing families deeper into poverty
June 2009
By Nathalie Moberg, World Vision U.S.
As we move into summer, impoverished communities across the nation are continuing to spiral even deeper into need.
"Families are not able to get the necessary things to survive, such as food and clothes," says LaVenia Donaldson of SADCO Christian Church, a World Vision partner in Los Angeles. "We see more families moving in with other families to cut costs on the rent or mortgage."
The faltering economy's heavy toll is falling on children and adults alike. Earlier this spring, CNN reported that one child in 50 now is homeless -- a statistic that is expected to climb as home foreclosures continue to rise.
Rising need, declining resources
Across the nation, many families already struggling in poverty are finding themselves surviving on "weekend food bags" provided by their children's schools and other agencies. As food costs rise, and many non-profit agencies receive fewer donations to serve families in need, meager family budgets must stretch even further.
The result is less food on many tables. World Vision's Appalachia field site director, Reg Trefethen, says the need for basics is growing in already under-resourced West Virginia communities. "Some of the children in our area don't get anything to eat over the weekends. The snacks that they receive in our KidREACH program have to hold them until Monday."
Throughout the United States, including in the nine locations where World Vision works, mounting needs are challenging local community organizations' capacity to respond. World Vision's U.S. Programs team equips these community organizations with the training and resources essential to caring for those in need. Among these partners is Mother's House, a Chicago shelter for women and children.
"Funding is getting really hard out there now," said Alice Jackson, Mother's House executive director. "You would just not believe all of the foundations that are saying that due to the economic situation, we can no longer provide funding to your organization."
Partnering with local groups
In 2008, World Vision's U.S. Programs partnered with more than 3,800 community groups serving those in greatest need, providing them with daily essentials, school and office supplies, medical and health-care items, and building materials -- all aimed at improving the quality of life for families battling the damaging effects of poverty. These new, top-quality goods are provided by generous manufacturers, retailers, and other corporate donors.
La Venia Donaldson of SADCO Christian Church in Los Angeles said her church is grateful for World Vision's ministry to those in greatest need. "The donations we get through World Vision make such a difference," she said.
Among the organizations World Vision serves in New York is East Side House, which provides vital resources to children, families, and individuals in need.
"We have found ourselves in a situation of over-serving and being under-funded," says Annalisa Nuzzo, East Side House program coordinator. "In order to survive and service our members and extended community, [World Vision] has provided great assistance with even more donations...Without such help, I am sure we would not have been able to continue serving our community's needs."
World Vision's work in the United States
For more than 25 years, World Vision has worked in the United States to alleviate the negative impacts of poverty so that children and families are able to experience stability and wholeness. We achieve this by addressing both the short-term and long-term needs of those living in poverty.
Now, addressing short-term needs is critical as families living in distressed communities strain under the combined burdens of low incomes, lost jobs, fewer employment opportunities, scant resources, and even homelessness.
We invite you to join us in caring for the millions of families who struggle during these uncertain times. In 2009, World Vision is committing $11.2 million for programming and $50 million in donated gifts to help the nation's most vulnerable. This will impact the lives of more than 1.5 million children and their families.
We are privileged to work alongside individuals, community organizations, churches, and corporations across the country in preventing these families from falling through the cracks, especially during these critical economic times.
Learn more
Read more about World Vision's work with children, families, and communities right here in the United States.
Two ways you can help
Please pray for families and communities across America struggling with the effects of the current economic crisis. Pray for the efforts of community groups and World Vision's U.S. Programs team as they work to bring assistance to those struggling the most.
Donate now to help support World Vision's work with children, families, and communities in need across the United States.
World Vision Report wins two 2009 Edward R. Murrow Awards
July 2, 2009
The World Vision Report, a weekly radio program heard online and aired on nearly 200 public radio stations nationwide, has been honored with two 2009 Edward R. Murrow Awards for Excellence in Electronic Journalism. The national winners were announced June 29 by The Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA). The awards will be presented at the annual RTNDA Awards Dinner in New York on Oct. 12, 2009.
Awards won by World Vision Report
Reporter Michael Kavanagh won the award in the writing category for three stories he wrote for the World Vision Report:
"Stuck in the Mud" originally aired on the show on Sept. 23, 2007, and will be aired in an encore presentation on July 4, 2009. For Kavanagh, the glamor of being an international reporter very quickly faded in the muck and mire of a rain-soaked road in Chad, when the vehicle he was riding in became stuck for five hours, and he witnessed local women riding by on mules who found a great deal of humor in his plight.
"News From Goma" aired Nov. 8, 2008. Recent fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) had forced more than 100,000 people to flee their homes in the last week alone, and humanitarian aid groups were overwhelmed. Many who needed food and medical assistance could not be reached because of the fighting. As Kavanagh shared in this Reporter's Notebook, the Congolese people have an unfortunate history.
"Hijacker" aired Oct. 18, 2008. One of the worst places in the world to be a woman is the DRC. That's where Kavanagh tells listeners in a Reporter's Notebook about meeting a woman under rather strange circumstances. She jumped in his car out of a desperate desire to escape a life of war, rape, and risk to herself and her baby.
Kavanagh's reporting from the DRC is supported by the Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting.
Reporter Prue Clarke won the award in the feature reporting category for her story, "Liberia's Daily Talk," which originally aired on Sept. 21, 2008, and as an encore presentation on April 4, 2009. In Liberia, where more than 40 percent of the population is illiterate and radio and TV stations were all but destroyed in a long civil war, thousands depend on a very rudimentary news outlet -- a man who writes headlines on a chalkboard and uses symbols to help those who can't read.
About the World Vision Report
The World Vision Report is a weekly radio program that captures the human drama behind global issues and events. Hosted by Peggy Wehmeyer, former ABC World News Tonight correspondent, the World Vision Report has aired on public radio stations such as WBUR (Boston), KPBS (San Diego), KXOT (Seattle), and WBEZ (Chicago).
While World Vision is the major funder for the World Vision Report, the program is editorially independent from any sponsoring organization. Therefore, the views expressed do not necessarily constitute the views of World Vision or other sponsors. The World Vision Report shared prizes in the category of radio network/syndication service with CBS, NPR, and ABC. The show was the only non-network program thus honored.
Learn more
Visit the site for the World Vision Report.
View a list of the 2009 Edward R. Murrow Award winners.
Sponsorship brings birthday parties, education, and childhood enjoyment to children in Bangladesh
June 2009
By Jonathan Gomes, World Vision Bangladesh, and Jessie Lester, World Vision U.S.
At 7 years old, Lamia Akter was recently given the opportunity to celebrate her birthday for the first time. Though the party did not take place on her actual birthday, that didn't matter to Lamia; it was still one of the most special days this young girl has experienced.
"She was so excited on the day of celebration that she thought her birthday was on that day itself," says Parveen Begum, Lamia's mother.
Unable to celebrate
In Bangladesh, where Lamia and her family live, birthday parties are rare. Some children don't know when their birthdays are, and many who do cannot afford to celebrate. For Lamia's family, a party was out of the question. "We could not celebrate her birthday before," says Parveen.
Parveen's husband works as a welder, earning a meager monthly income of $65 U.S. For the past six years, the family has lived in a small one-bedroom apartment, where they share four toilets and two kitchens with 25 other families. Rent is $24 U.S. a month, and with continually increasing food prices, it's a struggle for them just to make ends meet.
No money for school
Before World Vision became active in her community, Lamia missed out on more than just birthday parties. With barely enough money for necessities such as food and health care, her parents could not afford the school supplies necessary to send both Lamia and her older brother, Golam Robbani, to school. In a country where more than a third of children between the ages of 6 and 10 are not enrolled in primary school, it seemed unlikely that this young girl would ever receive an education.
But things began to change in May 2006, when Lamia became a sponsored child. Thanks to the generous support of her sponsor, World Vision is helping with Lamia's educational expenses and supplying her with books, notebooks, pencils, and erasers.
"The educational support to my daughter from World Vision has reduced a portion of my financial load for schooling. And that is enabling me to school both my kids," says Lamia's father.
Educational opportunities
This year, Lamia is in first grade and is working hard to take full advantage of her education. "She is a bright student," says her mother, proud to share that last year, Lamia was awarded the prize for having the best grades in her class.
World Vision is working to improve the educational opportunities for all the children in Lamia's community. This includes implementing a school improvement program and providing basic necessities, including a water filter, fan, bench, and file cabinet for the classrooms.
In addition to educational assistance, World Vision makes sure that Lamia gets annual health checkups, and her family has received simple household items, including buckets, soap, an umbrella, and mosquito nets.
Sponsorship is giving Lamia the confidence to dream big for the future. "I will be a doctor, and I will look after my parents. I will build a house for them," she says.
Enjoying childhood
In addition to her normal classes, Lamia takes dance and singing lessons provided by World Vision. Lamia loves to sing, and these classes give her a chance to enjoy herself and forget the struggles her family faces at home.
Thanks to the support of their sponsors and World Vision, children have the opportunity to simply enjoy childhood, just as Lamia did at the birthday party. "On the day of birthday celebration, I presented flowers to the guests [and] we cut the birthday cake and sang a birthday song. I got a bowl and mug as birthday gift," says Lamia.
For children like Lamia, who have never had the opportunity to celebrate, these simple birthday parties are a big deal. The party that Lamia attended benefited nearly 4,000 children in her region, and this past year, World Vision threw birthday parties in nine other Bangladeshi communities, bringing joy to more than 39,000 children.
Learn more
Read another story about how sponsorship helped to restore the future of children living in Malawi.
Three ways you can help
Pray for families like Lamia's, who are struggling just to make ends meet. Pray that children in Bangladesh would receive the education necessary to create a brighter future, and thank God that many of them have already been given the chance to enjoy being children.
Sponsor a child in Bangladesh. Your love and support will provide basic necessities for a child like Lamia, giving him or her the chance to pursue an education and the opportunity to enjoy being a child.
Give the gift of art and music instruction to a child like Lamia, providing him or her with a therapeutic escape from the struggles at home.
Rwandan Genocide 15 years later: Alice forgives
June 2009
By Didier Habimana, World Vision Rwanda, and Rachael Boyer, World Vision U.S.
(Editor's Note: The following story is Alice's account of how she survived the violent Rwandan Genocide. Due to the graphic content of her story, reader discretion is advised.)
"I was holding my 9-month-old baby girl, when a mob of soldiers and interahamwe militias came and surrounded the swamp where I was hidden," recalls Alice, 40. She is a Tutsi and a survivor of Rwanda's 1994 genocide in which approximately 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were brutally killed by extremist militia groups.
"They were armed with guns, machetes, swords, and clubs. They saw me and approached. One of them took my baby out of my hands and [killed her]," says Alice. Then, a man named Emmanuel cut off Alice's hand and slashed her face. "Others hit me with nail-studded clubs, and I lost consciousness."
Over the course of 100 days, Alice and millions of Rwandans saw their neighbors killing their relatives, their priests and pastors abandoning and betraying them, police and army soldiers shooting at them, nations around the world observing without action, and their leaders plotting against them.
Fifteen years after the genocide, Alice's memories are still fresh; she has a scar on her jaw and is missing a hand. However, there is something extraordinary about this soft-spoken woman: With the help of World Vision reconciliation workshops, she found the strength to forgive Emmanuel and the men who killed her baby. In fact, Alice lost 100 members of her extended family, and yet she forgave.
Alice's story
At the age of 14, Alice was refused access to public education because of her Tutsi background. Her father was killed in 1991, accused of being a political traitor. Then in 1992, two of her brothers were killed on their way to join the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF), an opposition group.
Alice married and gave birth to a daughter. In April 1994, they heard that Tutsis were being hunted and treated as "cockroaches meant to die." They tried to take refuge at a large Catholic church, hoping the killers would not attack a "house of God," but the church was already crammed with people seeking refuge, so Alice's family and thousands of others hid in swamps around the Akagera River.
Four days later, the interahamwe militia and soldiers attacked the church and brutally slaughtered approximately 5,000 men, women, and children, including many members of Alice's extended family.
"[In the swamp,] we were many and were very terrified," says Alice. "Children would go days without eating, and some were sinking deeper in the mud of the swamp and died. Two nieces of mine sank while escaping bullets and grenades of the soldiers."
Militia raided the swamps on April 29. "Killers were fleeing, defeated at the Battle of Liberation. As they were passing by, they decided to slaughter the survivors hidden in the swamp," says Alice. "They killed a lot of people that day, including my baby and my niece," she adds, with tears in her eyes. After they attacked Alice, she was left for dead among the other victims.
When Alice came back to her senses, she saw her husband and a few other survivors.
"The first thing I asked was, 'Where is my baby?'" Alice says. "As all people looked at me with mercy, I remembered what had happened."
A week after the killings, RPF soldiers rescued the survivors and Alice was taken to the hospital, where she spent two months recovering.
Emmanuel repents
Eventually, Alice came face to face with one of her offenders: Emmanuel Ndayisaba. "I'm the one who cut her hand off and slashed her face," Emmanuel confessed even before authorities identified him. He took full responsibility for his crimes. "I participated in the genocide, killing people," he said. "With my own hands, I killed 14 people."
After the genocide, Emmanuel's Christian faith convicted him of his wrongdoing. "Before the 1994 genocide, I was a member of a church choir, yet I was taught from my family to hate Tutsis," he says. "After being involved in the killings, I felt bad in my heart and I said, 'This would not have happened if I was really a good servant of God.' That's why I repented."
The cries and faces of those he killed haunted Emmanuel. He reported himself to the authorities and pleaded guilty. He asked authorities to punish him, and he served six years in prison for his role in the genocide.
Taking the first step
Emmanuel was attending one of World Vision's Healing, Forgiveness, and Reconciliation workshops when he met Alice for the first time since the attack.
"When I confronted Alice to ask forgiveness, she refused," said Emmanuel. "It was very difficult to forgive me. I did everything to repent. I knelt, stood, cried -- everything I could, but she was not forgiving me," recalls Emmanuel.
Alice wrestled with Emmanuel's request, but she wasn't ready to forgive. "From 1994 to 2002, my life was very miserable. I was desperate, disappointed, poor, and traumatized," says Alice.
Forgiveness
"Emmanuel came to see me three times, asking forgiveness," remembers Alice. "At first, I felt scared. I felt like I was losing my mind. I didn't know what to do. I just felt I was not able. Later on, I reviewed what I was taught in healing workshops, discussed the issue with my husband, and he encouraged me. I also realized that Emmanuel was really repenting, and I forgave him."
It's been more than six years since Alice forgave Emmanuel. Now, both preach reconciliation in their community and wherever they're invited.
"We work together, we are part of that association, and we love one another," says Emmanuel.
They are both members of the Ukuri Kuganze Association (meaning, 'truth must prevail'). This association is made of released prisoners, survivors, and people whose relatives or friends are still in jail because of the genocide. World Vision works closely with Ukuri Kuganze, offering training sessions that promote healing, reconciliation, and unity in communities.
At workshops and conferences, both Emmanuel and Alice teach, "Forgiveness and repentance benefit both the offender and the victim."
Alice's life has changed, and her outlook is now hopeful. After forgiving Emmanuel, Alice and her husband were able to conceive again, and they now have five children. On a regular basis, Alice serves as a source of hope, love, and courage in her community, checking in on sponsored children as a volunteer for World Vision.
Learn more
Read more about the Rwandan Genocide of 1994 and World Vision's efforts to bring healing and reconciliation to this country in the years since.
Two ways you can help
Sponsor a child in Rwanda. Your love and support for a child in need will provide him or her with physical, emotional, and spiritual nurture, as well as hope for a brighter future.
Give monthly to help provide relief and support for children affected by war and conflict around the world. Your monthly gift will help provide things like food, clean water, health care, protection, trauma counseling, and more for these vulnerable children.