The post From destruction to hope: 20 years after the Indian Ocean tsunami appeared first on World Vision.

The post Crisis in Sudan: A deeper look appeared first on World Vision.

Nothing could have prepared me for the chaotic scene in Adré, Chad, where hundreds of people crowded under a bridge. It was not a real bridge, only a partially built structure near the Sudan border that provided some shade from the unforgiving sun.

The majority of the people around me were women and children who had fled violence in Sudan, escaping with little more than their lives. They were exhausted, hungry, thirsty, and traumatized. A few told me stories of walking for days to reach Chad, suffering theft and beatings along the way.

I saw one mom cradling a baby who appeared lifeless. I prayed the child was only sleeping.

The sight of a suffering child never fails to break my heart. I know it’s not what God wants. Kids deserve to grow up healthy, full of energy, going to school, playing, and discovering their God-given potential. Instead, forces like war, displacement, and hunger cut them off from fullness of life. The bridge in Adré, connecting nothing, is a fitting symbol — there’s seemingly no way out of their misery.

That’s why God wanted me there in Chad. I believe He invited me to see the suffering He sees — a forgotten crisis. To have my heart be broken with the things that break His, as World Vision’s founder, Bob Pierce, famously prayed. And to pick up the shattered pieces of my heart and do something for these children who are so precious to Him.

At the Farchana refugee camp, I found a more hopeful scene. World Vision operates a school feeding program here — one of our emergency food programs in 69 schools across Chad, altogether feeding 70,000 children.

Refugee women cooked all morning to prepare a hot meal for the students. The kids waited patiently while I helped spoon out and serve the beans and rice. They love this makeshift school — a safe haven where they can fill their bellies, feed their minds, and play until sunset.

One of the students I met, 13-year-old Isra, dreams of becoming a pilot. She watches World Food Programme planes take off and land nearby. To her, being a pilot means bringing hope.

I also met Rachida, 8, a remarkable girl with a horrifying story. In Sudan, her entire immediate family — her parents and three brothers — were killed. Rachida fled to Chad with two of her aunts, one holding her by the hand and the other carrying Rachida’s grandmother on her back. Initially, the women fashioned a rough shelter made of little more than sticks and cloth — poor protection against the elements. But now Rachida and her relatives live in two sturdy shelters that keep them cool and safe. That’s thanks to generous donors like you who gave to provide homes for vulnerable children through World Vision’s Gift Catalog. Rachida hopes to go to school, perhaps to become a doctor.

A plate of food … a sturdy tent … these things may seem small. But they make an enormous impact for children living without the basics — much less the comforts — of home. These kids are no different than my own, full of potential and deserving the chance to unleash it. In their dire circumstances, their dreams must seem far away.

That’s why our heartbreak must turn into action. We start with saving lives — in the Sudan crisis, that’s critical. But by God’s grace, we can do more for kids like Isra and Rachida. In a real way, we can help bridge the distance to their dreams.

The post From the World Vision U.S. president: Bridge the distance appeared first on World Vision.

The post Crisis worldwide: More refugees’ stories appeared first on World Vision.

The post Irresistible: One family’s journey to change appeared first on World Vision.

Before Yessica could even walk, her mother left her and her brother to live with their grandmother, Maria. She went looking for work but never returned. Yessica’s father lived nearby but didn’t help raise the two children. To care for them, Maria cooked and collected firewood.

“That’s the work we’ve had, nothing else,” Maria says.

As a child in Honduras, Yessica was different from the village kids, says her grandmother — not learning bad words, stealing, or getting into trouble. Instead, she was quiet and humble, even while being ridiculed by other children for the darker color of her skin. That painful experience made looking at herself in the mirror difficult.

“I always thought, ‘Oh no, I’m ugly! I’m black! I have ugly hair!’ because that’s what they put in my head,” Yessica shares. “I didn’t see myself anymore,” she continues. “When I saw myself in the mirror, it was like I was looking at a question: ‘Who am I?’”

She wouldn’t know the answer for many years.

A life without luster

Yessica had to overcome significant barriers to continue her education. “One of the most difficult situations for me was to be able to study, to be able to buy my notebooks, and to be able to travel to school,” she says.

Maria wanted to make sure her grandchildren went to school. “That is the best life for the little ones, for them to go to study,” she says. But her economic situation was less than desirable.

So as a 10-year-old, Yessica began sand mining with her dad and her half-brothers on the weekends.

“That’s how I earned my extra money … that’s how I helped myself,” she says.

When she was 15, and the money from sand mining wasn’t enough, she began spending her summers working in other people’s houses: washing floors, taking care of children, cleaning, and doing laundry.

Light breaks through

In 2017 when Yessica was 17 years old, things began to change when World Vision began working in her community.

“They were organizing a group of young people, and I remember I was invited,” she says.

World Vision staff invited the youth into a Bible study, and then taught them about agriculture. Yessica became deeply committed to the program and joined a field school, where community members are trained in new agricultural techniques and best practices by World Vision technicians.

She was in her second year of high school. With the new knowledge she learned at the field school, Yessica dedicated herself to growing coffee and farming the plots that World Vision was forming within the community.

“One of the nicest parts for me when I’m on the plot is to watch the sunsets, to see how water falls on the plants, to see them grow, to see the fruit they bear,” Yessica says. She also loves giving back to others: “The other favorite part for me is helping people with food from the plot, which is something that has been practiced since we started with it.”

She began to see the fruits of her commitment. “It was a change,” she says — a big one — “because I was starting to have more income.”

Today, Yessica earns $4,854 a year, while the average in Honduras is only $2,750. With this income, Yessica has finished building her grandmother’s house and now pays for water, groceries, and her grandmother’s medicine. She even bought a motorcycle.

“I’m very happy,” Maria says, “because she’s prospering and prospering.”

Yessica shines

In 2019, Yessica was invited to take part in Biblical Empowered Worldview training through World Vision. Through the Bible studies and principles offered in that training, Yessica’s self-esteem grew. She began to see her value through God’s eyes rather than the criticisms of others. “When you discover the great truth of Biblical Empowered Worldview, you’re going to feel like a different person,” she says.

Through the trainings, she also discovered she could lead.

“One of the parts that changed me the most was when … they let me be part of the family of volunteers,” she says. After training for a year, Yessica is now a community leader, teaching both women and men — including her uncle — to farm. She even serves on community boards, water boards, and local boards of trustees.

As she’s grown and changed, she’s also come to appreciate how much her grandmother believed in her.

“When I was in school … there wasn’t a parade where she wasn’t out there walking with me and her water bottle,” Yessica says. She says her grandmother may have struggled to provide for her, “but she was there for me.”

She sees that her grandmother left her a legacy of never giving up. She also credits World Vision with encouraging her.

“World Vision came along and believed in me, and it’s something that I can’t forget, and it’s there in my heart,” Yessica says. “World Vision is my second family. It’s my second home. It’s been my school. It’s been my university. And there have been times when I’ve gone to World Vision and said, ‘Do you have this, or can you help me with this?’ And whoever’s there, whichever project is taking place, they have always supported me.”

Yessica believes in her cousin, Marbella, to whom she has been like a mother in the physical absence of Marbella’s own mother. Yessica’s dream for Marbella is “to see her as a professional, but also one of my dreams is that Marbella can be with her mom.”

Today, when Yessica looks in the mirror, she no longer sees a question. She says, “Today I look at myself and think, ‘How beautiful I am!’ And I see myself as a woman with identity, with vision, with her own beliefs.

“I consider myself a unique woman, and every time I look in the mirror, I say to myself, ‘Yessica, tomorrow you’re going to be better than today.’”

Not only is Yessica beautiful — she has built a beautiful life for herself and her family.

The post Yessica’s story in Honduras: A new view when she looks in the mirror appeared first on World Vision.

If you spend a few minutes with Melissa Joan Hart, you’ll quickly learn of her passion to serve others. “I love all kinds of community outreach on a local level and on a wider level,” she says. “With World Vision, it’s really both because it is domestic and international outreach. I also am the community outreach committee member for my kid’s football team. I think it’s important to serve our community and to give back because we have been so blessed. It’s important to share those blessings.”

As a World Vision Celebrity Ambassador, Melissa is all-in for ending extreme poverty. “I first came to World Vision because I wanted to find an organization to make a difference with, and to feel a part of. And I love the idea of knowing where money goes, knowing where efforts are going, and seeing the change being made. I have seen the very complex systems that World Vision has put into place that are sustainable and are life-changing.”

From organizing volunteer opportunities to promoting handcrafted gifts in the World Vision Gift Catalog, Melissa enjoys finding creative and meaningful ways to bless others, especially around the holidays. “My favorite thing about Christmas is the Gift Catalog,” she says. “As soon as I get it, I start circling things. What do I want to get and give to people? I love giving teacher gifts from the Gift Catalog.”

World Vision recently connected with Melissa to talk more about what it means to be a change maker and how she encourages others to give back.

Q&A: Melissa Joan Hart, actor and World Vision Celebrity Ambassador

Where does your desire to serve others come from?

I’ve met a lot of different people and learned different ways of life, and it’s all fascinating to me. I feel it’s our job to take care of our neighbors. Everyone deserves clean water. Everyone deserves food. Everyone deserves safety, sanitation, and education. These are things that World Vision is working towards. I love being a part of that, and bringing in as many people as I can to help.

How is your faith and your relationship with World Vision connected?

[My family’s] faith is a big part of what we do and why we want to help. As Christians, we’re called to mission work — to helping our neighbors and our fellow man. Finding an organization you can get excited about, like World Vision, is a big part of that. Where you can see the work they’re doing and you believe in it, and you want to come back and spread the word.

What does lasting change mean to you?

The idea of lasting change is the ultimate prayer for peace and for ending poverty. No child being hungry, no one having to die of terrible diseases because they can’t get clean water. Putting an end to all of that.

How have you experienced world change in your partnership with World Vision?

We have seen families develop. When we first visited Zambia, I met a family who was not part of the sponsorship program yet and you could see the poverty. You could see the malnutrition in the children. You could see them struggling. You could see the lack of hope in their faces. Our sponsored child’s family struggled with poverty too. But now, four years later, they are thriving. They’re healthier. The smiles on their faces told us everything. They were going to school because they had bikes, they had a roof over their heads, they had chickens, and they were getting goats. They had a thriving farm and water nearby. They couldn’t stop thanking us for helping them get on their feet. And it just reconfirmed my love for World Vision because I get to see the changes being made.

What changes have you seen in your sponsored family in Zambia since you started with World Vision?

My family and I have been to Zambia twice, and we’ve just seen such a difference between four years ago and now with the families that have been helped [from] sponsors. The girls that we sponsor are now going to school, they have clean clothes, they have a house, and a bed and clean water really close by so they can go get water when they want to cook or clean.

It’s just amazing. The family’s whole demeanor has changed, and they just are so proud now of what they’ve accomplished. They are farming and taking of goats, and they have a massive garden.

What lessons are you trying to teach your own children about the importance of serving others?

I think this is so important for our boys to see the work that World Vision is doing and to see that there are parts of the world that are struggling. I want them to know we can do so much good — with our time, our energy, our money — to be able to help people in need that live far away. It’s crucial to show our kids good charitable works.

I believe we’re called in to it, and [my husband and I] want them to learn what gifts they have that they can share. As they grow, they can be a shining light to others and that it’s so important.

What is one way you’d encourage others to get involved with World Vision?

One of the programs I love is the sponsorships. I believe sponsorship truly changes lives. We are lucky enough to sponsor three children. I consider them family — they’re our sponsor sisters. I think child sponsorship is the number one way people can help all year because it not only changes life for that child, but also changes their family and their village. So, if you sponsor a child, like we do in Zambia, you can help. Your money might go towards supporting access to clean water or improved education, or chickens so a family can have fresh eggs. If you want to help with the family’s particular needs, like putting a roof on their house for the next rainy season, you can give a Special Gift .You can even send them a birthday present, and that is huge.

Why are you excited to share your handcrafted gift and the Gift Catalog with others this year?

The World Vision Gift Catalog offers all kinds of handcrafted gifts, from bracelets to bowls to scarves, so you can find anything for that person in your life. The money you donate to each gift goes towards World Vision and their projects; it helps in so many ways. You can give something very meaningful. Or if the person doesn’t need anything, I can send gifts to World Vision’s programs in honor of them. I love to give goats, chickens, medical supplies, or school supplies. I know I can always get my friends and family something from World Vision’s Gift Catalog and they’ll know it’s going to help someone else.

What are you looking forward to in the next year?

There are so many things on the horizon that I’m excited about, from work to family. We’re getting to a new phase with our kids. We now have two new drivers in the family. I have a son who graduated high school. My middle child is playing football. I had a new movie come out this year called The Bad Guardian on Lifetime. I’m excited about all of that.

The post Fueled by passion and purpose: Melissa Joan Hart shares her story of being a World Vision Celebrity Ambassador appeared first on World Vision.

The post 2024 life frames: Storytelling from World Vision photographers appeared first on World Vision.

Farmers in Iasi (pronounced Yash), Romania, once saw their crops used as animal fodder. At harvest time, trees in their orchards hung heavy with fresh fruit, and eggplants and peppers grew plentifully in their gardens. But overabundant harvests caused a glut in local markets, which drove prices so low that farmers couldn’t recover their costs. It seemed better to feed the produce to their livestock than to let it go to waste.

From 2008 to 2012, World Vision brought the villagers together in a cooperative where they processed fruits into jams, and peppers and eggplants into an Eastern European spread called zacusca. Families then sold the jams and zacusca in local markets.

Enhancing produce to increase its value helps ensure that families have income year-round instead of only at harvest time. Today, World Vision continues this type of work through its THRIVE (Transforming Household Resilience in Vulnerable Environments) program in Central America, Asia, and Africa by training farmers on ways to diversify their incomes, helping connect them to local markets, and much more.

Through THRIVE, community members in many African countries combine their resources to purchase mills so that in addition to selling their corn, they can also grind and sell cornmeal throughout the year. Whether repurposing eggplant, peppers, or corn, diversifying income streams means that families can thrive even amid unstable weather and market conditions.

For people purchasing the zacusca in Iasi, they just knew that it tasted delicious. And if that also meant financial stability for families, then all the better.

INGREDIENTS

1 medium eggplant

1 16-ounce jar roasted red peppers

½ medium onion

1 cup tomato sauce

¼ cup + 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil, divided

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Wash the eggplant, then use a knife to poke holes in the skin to allow steam to escape.
3. Place the whole eggplant onto a large baking sheet lined with foil or parchment paper.
4. Bake the eggplant for 20 minutes, then flip and bake for another 20 minutes or until the eggplant is very soft.
5. Carefully cut open the eggplant and scoop out the flesh from the skin. Place the flesh in a strainer and allow to drain for about 10 minutes.
6. Drain the jar of roasted red peppers.
7. Add the peppers and eggplant to a food processor. Pulse until they are chopped finely but not so fine that they form a paste.
8. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet. Add the chopped onion and sauté until the onion is translucent.
9. Add the eggplant and red pepper mixture, tomato sauce, oil, and bay leaf to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper.
10. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat. Simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on desired thickness. Remove the bay leaf and adjust seasonings to taste.
11. Serve warm or cold on hearty slices of bread. Will keep in airtight container in the refrigerator for a week.

The post In the kitchen: Zacusca appeared first on World Vision.

The post 8 New Year’s resolutions for 2025 appeared first on World Vision.