Hope shines a light in the darkness. It’s infectious, even healing. But what is there to be hopeful for? Let’s look at the year ahead with 19 reasons to have hope in 2019 — and how to pray them into reality.
News & Stories
Afghanistan
From the Field
Child marriage: Facts, FAQs, and how to help end it
Child marriage is a violation of human rights. Marrying as a child compromises a girl’s development and severely limits her opportunities in life. Get the child marriage facts and learn how you can help end it.
From the Field
Forced to flee: Top countries refugees are coming from
More than two-thirds of the world’s 25.4 million refugees come from just five countries. Overall, more than 68.5 million people worldwide have been forcibly displaced. Why did they flee, where are they going, and what can be done to address the plight of refugees, especially children?
Prayers
Hope in hard places: Pray for Afghanistan
Pray for Afghanistan, where children struggle to attend school, child marriage is commonplace, and mothers and their babies are at risk.
Prayers
Peace on Earth: How to pray for conflict hot spots
Our world is full of hurting families and nations torn apart by war and violence, and it can be difficult to know how to help those in need. Through prayer, we can “seek peace and pursue it” (Psalm 34:14). Pray with us for conflict zones around the world.
From the Field
Life frames: Amid harsh circumstances, a moment of joy
A father and his baby, part of a family making their way to Germany from Afghanistan, share a tender moment.
From the Field
Combating preventable diseases in Uganda, Afghanistan
In Uganda and Afghanistan, volunteers are the front line of health services, helping pregnant women and treating common but potentially fatal diseases.
Voices
Dirty water: More deadly than war
More than 16 times as many children die from diarrhea caused by dirty water in Afghanistan as the total number of civilians killed in war. Read how World Vision is helping to bring clean water to villages in Afghanistan.
From the Field
Breastfeeding: The key to a child’s healthy start in life
This mother followed the breastfeeding customs of her village in Afghanistan — throw out your first milk; it is harmful to your baby. But then World Vision trained her community about the importance of exclusive breastfeeding, nutrition, and handwashing, which put her daughter on the path to improved health.
Voices
Afghanistan: Worst place to be a mother
Western Afghanistan is a region with one of the highest under-5 mortality rates and where maternal death in childbirth is a serious concern. The 10×10 film “Girl Rising” shows how these issues affect women in Afghanistan and how education can help them.