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World Vision

Man Adopted As A Child Now Gets To Sponsor Another Kid In Need

by Rhoda Gayle February 24, 2022

written by Rhoda Gayle

A man who was once adopted was chosen to be a sponsor for another child in need of another chance in life.

Sponsor for a kid

World Vision, an evangelical Christian humanitarian organization, hosted a child sponsorship through Chosen. It’s the child in need that will get to choose their sponsor. This was meant to let the child experience the joy of choosing.

A child in Kenya named Rosemary lives a difficult life, she was not used to choosing what she wanted at all. She lived with her grandmother and brother and her entire family had barely enough food to eat daily.

They also don’t have a clean source of drinking water. The people in her village have to walk for about an hour to collect dirty water. Despite making them ill, they still drink the unclean water because they don’t have any choice.

Another Chance at Life

But Rosemary now has another chance for a better life through an event in their community where she got to be sponsored by the person she would choose. Children in need were presented with photos of potential sponsors and one by one they pick their choice.

Rosemary has chosen Regis to be her sponsor because she thinks he looks smart. Regis was in tears upon seeing the video of how the little kid chose him. That moment also brought back his memory of how her mother chose him to be her adopted son.

“I think I see a glimpse of my mom,” he said. “Someone in a different country saw me. Looked at me just by a picture and [said], ‘I’ll give that person a chance.’ My mom did the exact same thing … She saw a picture of me and was like, ‘That kid with that bright smile, he’s worthy to have an awesome life, and I’m going to give him a chance.’”

Being chosen as a child and as an adult reminds Regis of the love of Jesus Christ.

“This is a good reminder of Jesus,” Regis said. “He has not forgotten me, He hasn’t forsaken me, He continues to love me.”

The power to choose in a child’s hands: Rosemary and Regis’ story | World Vision USA

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Reference: YouTube | GOD TV

February 24, 2022 0 comments

Articles

Houston Church Partners With World Vision To Help People In Need During Global Pandemic

by Rhoda Gayle August 7, 2020

written by Rhoda Gayle

A Houston church partners with World Vision to help the hungry and the farmers in need during the global pandemic.

Houston Church

Lakewood Church in Houston, Texas has partnered with World Vision and other local churches to distribute thousands of fresh food boxes to those in need. The Fresh Food Box Program started as the state shutdown began due to COVID-19. Hungry people in the community receive fresh fruits, vegetables, meat, and dairy products from local farmers.

As the crisis continues, local farmers were suffering because they could not sell their produce due to the impact of coronavirus. Thus, Lakewood church and World Vision decided to help them as they also help hungry families.

“World Vision was in Houston for two years helping rebuild after Hurricane Harvey,” Reed Slattery, national director of World Vision U.S. programs, said. “We noticed how in need the area was. During the pandemic, we know folks aren’t working and food is one of the biggest needs, so we come alongside them and make sure families here have dinner.”

Fresh Food Box Program

Farmers supply the food to the megachurch twice a week. Then the foods are distributed to smaller churches and non-profit organizations. Since the state lockdown started a few months ago, Fresh Food Box has already distributed over 12,000 boxes.

According to Paul Osteen, Lakewood Church associate pastor, they were just doing what they needed to do to help.

“There are islands of food shortages all over the United States and they’re exacerbated by natural disasters and now the pandemic,” Paul said. “As followers of Jesus, we must have our hearts open for those who are hungry and in need. We’re doing everything we can as individuals and the Body of Christ.”

Extending Help

Pastor Paul also urged other Christians to help those who are in need in their own way.

“There’s 2,300 verses about helping widows, the hungry and the poor,” he said. “If you represent Jesus, you can’t just preach through words; you have to preach with your actions. When World Vision came to us, it fit what we were already doing, and what we’re doing is God-inspired.”

Reference: The Christian Post

August 7, 2020 0 comments

Articles

$350M Campaign By World Vision, To Fight Extreme Poverty Due To Coronavirus Crisis

by Christel Berns June 23, 2020

written by Christel Berns

Christian humanitarian aid organization, World Vision, launches a historic $350 million campaign for 72 million people to fight against extreme poverty. Especially now that the progress of the advocacy for the poor is threatened due to the coronavirus global crisis.

According to World Vision President Edgar Sandoval, this campaign has become the organization’s “largest-ever global response” in their 70-year history. He told The Christian Post in an interview, “We are aiming to reach 72 million people, including 36 million children. To do this, we need to raise $350 million. And that’s what everyone is working hard to do — to raise the funds that we need to serve the most vulnerable.”

World Vision | Laura Reinhardt

Extreme Poverty

In 1990, 1.9 billion people were recorded to be living in extreme poverty, according to the World Bank. But in the recent estimates in 2015, the record dropped to 734 million people. That is to say, 36% of the people in the previous record has come out of extreme poverty.

The Incredible Story of One Man’s Mission to Rescue Thousands From Poverty

Hence, the President believes the world “could basically turn the clock back 30 years on extreme poverty if nothing is done.”

He pointed out, “This virus has the destructive power to potentially turn the clock back 30 years and all the progress that the world has made on eliminating extreme poverty. It is urgent that we respond and that we respond with this level of scale.”

Edgar Sandoval Sr., World Vision US president, and his daughter Andrea.

The Key Players

Then he said that the pastors’ role is crucial in reaching out to the world’s most vulnerable.

“We know that pastors and other faith leaders can be a real power, force, in stopping COVID-19 because they have the position of trust in their communities and they can,” he said.

Further, he added, “Drawing from previous experience, this is not the first time that World Vision is partnering with pastors and other faith leaders. This is something we have done in every single pandemic that we faced. Whether it is HIV and AIDS, or the Zika or Ebola outbreaks, this is the model that works.”

Working Together

World Vision plans to mobilize its 37,000 staffers worldwide. They will work together with 400,000 pastors and other faith leaders as well, along with some 220,000 community health workers.

The Christian organization will focus on “promoting preventative measures to stop the spread of the virus. Supporting health systems and the workers that operate in those health systems. And addressing all the secondary impacts of the virus on children and communities.”

Edgar revealed, “Just in our first two months of [the pandemic] we’ve already equipped over 36,000 pastors and faith leaders to disseminate the first phase of our response.”

A Threat In Fighting Against Extreme Poverty

Moreover, whilst the global economy is suffering an immense recession during this pandemic, the World Bank predicts that “the poor could suffer.”

Also, the ongoing crisis could “erase almost all the progress made in the last five years,” according to the international monetary agency. For this reason, the agency estimates between 40 million to 60 million people will fall into extreme poverty this year.

“These are very different times and the amount of uncertainty is quite high,” he said. “World Vision has been focused on marching forward with its work through prayer, kindness, and a bias for action. “

Then he continued, “We believe this is our time. This is a time where every act of courage, love, and belief in the name of Jesus does more than just stop the spread of fear, it replaces it with hope.”

Source: The Christian Post

June 23, 2020 0 comments

Articles

Christian Organization Gives $3.7 Million To Chinese Citizens Battling Coronavirus

by Christel Berns February 22, 2020

written by Christel Berns

According to the reports, the death toll in China from the coronavirus outbreak has reached more than 1,600. With this, the crisis has now become a global concern.

The increasing death toll is a great concern in both the public and private sectors worldwide. As a result, the United States government is offering help by sending funds to fighting against the epidemic. On top of that, several humanitarian groups and private individuals are stepping up as well.

World Vision International

And the evangelical Christian humanitarian aid, World Vision, is among those offering help. The non-profit organization is “spending million to bring aid to hundreds of thousands of Chinese citizens,” according to Faithwire. They are supporting more than 55,000 children and employing 300 locales.

Erica Van Deren, the program manager for humanitarian and emergency affairs at World Vision, told The Christian Post that “39,000 out of the 55,000 sponsored children in China live in areas that are in ‘immediate risk’ of the coronavirus.”

“We’re working with our sponsor children and their families to make sure their families have the protective equipment that they need,” she said in a statement. “Then also [they need the] education and understanding of how they need to protect themselves from this and talk to kids about the fear and stress they may be having.”

Helping Poor Chinese Families

World Vision has sent around $3.7 million in efforts to help the crisis in China. And currently, the organization has already distributed 50,000 hospital face masks in four different Chinese provinces.

“These are incredibly poor families,” Erica explained. “World Vision China has a history of addressing the needs of these communities.”

Educating Citizens Regarding Coronavirus

Furthermore, the Christian organization is taking the initiative to help local Chinese partners. World Vision is helping them educate citizens on hygiene techniques to avoid the virus.

“Right now, that is sort of a gap in the response,” Erica said. “World Vision is helping to fill that gap and working with the government to make sure that the people working in those homes have the protective equipment that they need.”

Coronavirus Contained In China

Also, the program manager pointed out that the disease is primarily contained to China.

“We don’t want anybody out there to think there is a big fear of transmission being outside of China,” she said. “Really, the biggest concerns are inside China. But every office is assessing what is the World Vision capacity to respond if this were to come [to their countries] and if the host governments are ready to respond if this were to happen.”

Other Countries’ Concern

She also expressed concern of the countries with “inadequate health systems.”

“Our biggest concern is if this were to go into countries that don’t have strong health systems or don’t have strong governments that are able to control and trace the virus,” Erica stressed.

“What we have right now is the grace of time. Let’s be thinking about what would happen if this were to come to a country in southern Africa. And think about who would lead our response there and who would be our public health leaders.”

She then added, “In a lot of these places we have worked for a long time on infectious diseases like Zika, Ebola and HIV. And we already have strong connections to the ministry of health and local health workers.”

Source: Faithwire

February 22, 2020 0 comments