Meet Our Sponsors: World Vision

This week, we feature our sponsor World Vision. A vibrant “global relief, development and advocacy organization,” World Vision meets the needs of countless vulnerable people all over the world.

World Vision has three primary foci:

1. Transformational Community Development – World Vision works to identify the most vulnerable populations in the global community, identifying geographical regions where groups of 20,000 or more are struggling with endemic poverty. A sense of consensus is noted amongst the leadership over a 2 year period about their dreams and aspirations for the well being of their children and the development of their community.  Children who are identified as being the most vulnerable to child labour, trafficking etc. are then paired by World Vision with Canadians who are willing to sponsor them. Over the next 10-12 years the goal is to help that community become fully self-supporting and self-sufficent.
2. Humanitarian Relief – Over the last year there have been nearly twenty different humanitarian crises across the world. Equipped with supplies and crisis management professionals, World Vision goes into conflict zones and brings emergency relief to those areas that are suffering. With employees in over 100 countries around the globe, World Vision is often able to reach a crisis zone faster than the media. Bringing supplies like water and blankets and creating safe zones for children are just some of the humanitarian relief activities currently being undertaken by World Vision in high conflict regions such as Syria.
3. Advocacy – World Vision is committed to actively standing up for the rights of children around the world. Through proposals to our government and presentations to international bodies such as the United Nations, World Vision tirelessly works to advocate for vulnerable minors within the global community.

Through this empowering three-tiered focus, World Vision seeks to alleviate poverty and suffering of the world’s most vulnerable populations. World Vision currently has 234 transformational community development projects in 46 different countries around the world. Each of these projects seeks to bring aid to approximately 20,000 to 25,000 people in a given geographic area. Thanks to the generosity of Canadians, this means that upwards of 5 million people around the globe are receiving assistance  through partnership with World Vision.  

As Canada’s sesquicentennial anniversary continues to be celebrated across Canada, World Vision marks its 60^th anniversary as well. Notes Rev Dr. Don Moore, World Vision’s National Church Ambassador, “What is amazing is that half a million people actually invest in and support the work that World Vision undertakes. Being humanitarian is integral to who Canadians really are. This work is part of our identity. It is astounding that Canadians have been so generous in reaching out to the world.”

As Canadians begin to envision the next 150 years of history and living alongside one another, Moore encourages Canadians to commit to supporting organizations that are equipped to tackle the complex challenge of poverty that is facing our way today. He notes, “Compassion is meeting a momentary need. Justice is solving the problem long term.”

Reflecting on the work of World Vision and the generosity of Canadians, he observes, “In light of the generosity of Canadians and our identity as humanitarians, Canada’s 150^th anniversary serves as an opportunity for us to work through agencies such as World Vision with the expertise to get to roots of poverty rather than simply meeting the superficial need.”

To learn more about the work of World Vision, visit: http://www.worldvision.ca/