February 4, 2010
This morning I was trying to help a friend rework a fundraising letter. I asked her to model it on the World Vision advertisements you see on television. You know the ones:
This is Tong Tong, he is the youngest sibling of 17,000 children. His mother makes mud pies to sell at the market, only bringing in 1/2 a penny a year. Your donation, that only costs the same amount as a cup of coffee, can make a difference in this child's life.
Basically, I told her to tug on the heart strings of potential donors. But after writing my mock philanthropic plea, I thought about the kids that I saw on the documentary 'Which Way Home' and I decided, that since I haven't been drinking coffee, I would sponsor a child through World Vision. I chose the cheekiest-looking, six year-old Guatemalan boy that I could find and will be donating $35 per month. Today's question is: what is the history of World Vision?
A: World Vision was founded by Dr. Robert Peirce in 1950. The idea was born out of his missionary work in China during 1947, where he met an orphaned girl and her foster parent who was unable to care for the child. Peirce gave the foster parent five dollars to supplement the child’s needs and promised to send five dollars each month.
In 1953, in response to the numerous children orphaned in the Korean War, Peirce built an organization dedicated to helping the world’s children. As time went on, the sponsored children of Korea flourished; this led to the expansion of the program to other Asian countries, Latin American, Africa, Eastern Europe and the Middle East.
In the 1970s World Vision realized the growing need to work with families and entire communities to break the cycle of poverty. The organization also began funding agricultural ventures and vocational training as part of its sponsorship efforts. These programs have helped to build sustainable solutions and self-reliance.
During the 1980s, World Vision played an important humanitarian role in the famine of Ethiopia by providing millions of dollars worth of food and medical care. The organization also began drilling wells for communities with high infant mortality rates due to lack of clean water. Once a well had been installed, World Vision staff taught a community representative to educate the village and surrounding community the importance of using clean water for better health.
Recognizing the magnitude of the AIDS pandemic, World Vision expanded its AIDS programming to help the children who had been orphaned by parents who had died of the disease. This program continues with the development of the Hope Initiative; World Vision is helping turn the tide against HIV and AIDS worldwide by caring for orphans and vulnerable children, preventing the spread of HIV with education, and advocating for effective programs that transform communities and save lives.
Sources:
World Vision International
No comments:
Post a Comment