‘Rescue Mission’ Transforms the Lives of More than 22 Million People

SEATTLE, WA (October 26, 2015) — In 2010, Christian humanitarian organization World Vision embarked on a campaign to impact 20 million people in poverty around the world.

Dubbed as a “rescue mission,” World Vision’s For Every Child campaign was the most far-reaching poverty-alleviation endeavor in the organization’s history. For Every Child focused on critical areas of development like clean water; fighting against diseases like malaria; providing loans so families can get a hand out of poverty; protecting children from trafficking; and partnering with local churches.

The campaign recently ended, having raised more than $505 million and impacting the lives of more than 22 million people worldwide – making life better for the world’s next generation.

“The success of this campaign illustrates that we have the tools, the knowledge, and the scale to defeat extreme global poverty,” said Richard Stearns, president of World Vision US. “With the right investments, we can work alongside the poor and oppressed as they transform into communities full of God’s abundant life. A world without extreme poverty is possible.”

“For Every Child has given much to children and communities all over the world,” said World Vision donor partner Sherree Funk. “But it has also given us the opportunity to share in that good work.”

Funk recently commemorated the end of the campaign by traveling from Chicago to Santa Monica, Calif., on Route 66 and raising money along the way for clean water.

For Every Child has had a transformative effect on how World Vision provides clean water.

Thanks to its many partners, World Vision has increased tenfold the number of new people it reaches annually with clean water in the last five years. Today, World Vision is the largest nongovernmental provider of clean water in the developing world, reaching one new person with clean water every 30 seconds.

World Vision is known for it’s comprehensive and holistic approach to its humanitarian mission, as the factors that keep communities in poverty are challenging and complex.

For this reason, the For Every Child campaign focused on five strategic areas:

Child Protection: More than 1.6 million people were reached through programs that protect children from trafficking and abuse and restore child victims to family and community life.

Health: More than 12 million people were protected from malaria through distributions of mosquito nets, training and access to maternal and child health programs.

Water, Hygiene and Sanitation: More than 5.2 million people received access to clean water, received training in hygiene practices or used new or rehabilitated water points and sanitation facilities.

Economic Development: More than 1.3 million people benefited from access to financial services such as small business loans and savings groups.

Christian Witness and Church Partnerships: World Vision and its church partners nurtured spiritual growth for nearly 2 million people, through programs that engaged faith leaders from diverse communities.

While the campaign has concluded, World Vision will continue partnering with donors, churches, corporations and organizations to meet the needs of the most vulnerable people.

“As much progress as we’ve made, the hardest work remains ahead of us,” Stearns said.  “The future of poverty is entrenched in hard to reach, hard to solve regions, but that’s where we are going next in order to eradicate extreme poverty.”

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About World Vision:
World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization conducting relief, development, and advocacy activities in its work with children, families, and their communities in nearly 100 countries to help them reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. World Vision serves all people regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender. For more information, please visit www.WorldVision.org/media-center/ or on Twitter @WorldVisionUSA.

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