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Hope is empowering, infectious, even healing. But sometimes our world can make hope hard to find. Here are 5 reasons you can have real hope right now — and how to pray for continued progress.
“‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’” —Jeremiah 29:11
1. Extreme poverty is on the run.
In the last 20 years, the number of children dying around the world from things they shouldn’t — from hunger and poverty and disease — has dropped from more than 30,000 a day to just under 16,000. And the number of people living in extreme poverty, those living on less than $1.90 a day, has dropped by more than 1 billion. World Vision’s long-standing and continuing work to help children and families break free from the cycle of poverty has now been embraced by the world’s nations with an ambitious goal of eliminating extreme poverty by 2030. Together, and by the power of God, it’s possible.
Merciful Provider, we thank You for all You have done to make fullness of life possible for people in need around the world. Support us in our critical endeavor of freeing children from the effects of extreme poverty.
There is a global movement going on right now to end extreme poverty by the year 2030. World Vision and its partners are leading the way in making this audacious goal a reality. Will you come with us?
2. Solving the global water crisis is within reach.
In the last 25 years, 2.6 billion people have gained access to clean water. Although there are still approximately 844 million people who still lack access to clean drinking water, the global effort to solve the crisis is working, and World Vision is leading the way. As the largest nongovernmental provider of clean water in the developing world, World Vision reaches one new person with clean water every 10 seconds. Together, with our donors and partners, we have an ambitious and achievable plan to reach 20 million people by 2020 and 50 million by 2030 - that means access to clean water for everyone, everywhere we work in the next 12 years.
Faithful God, help World Vision to bring clean water to those who desperately need it, and work in hearts to reveal the living water we receive from You.
World Vision’s Water programs have met some significant milestones; this video is a look back on just how far we’ve come. Thanks to key partnerships with individuals and corporations World Vision is now reaching one new person with clean water every 10 seconds. Hear about the new vision for WASH by 2030.
3. Maternal and child mortality rates are going down.
In the last 25 years, maternal and child mortality rates have declined by approximately half, and World Vision’s focus on the first 1,000 days of life - from conception to a child’s second birthday - is helping make this possible. Through the training and equipping of more than 220,000 local community volunteers and thousands of health-focused community groups, we are delivering the right information and care to the right people at the right time. The community health worker home-visiting model has been determined by the World Health Organization to be one of the most comprehensive and effective maternal, infant, and young child health approaches available.
Great Healer, we know that every child is precious to You. We thank You for the work being done to help so many mothers and their children. We lift up community health workers who work hard to meet the needs in their community. Give them deep purpose, sustained energy, wisdom, and sufficient resources to fulfill their daily duties.
Justus's Story - a first-hand account from a volunteer community health worker benefiting from World Vision's Health projects.4. More smallholder farmers are gaining access to vital information, skills, capital, markets, and technology to increase their incomes.
World Vision understands that many of the world’s poor live in rural areas and depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. THRIVE — Transforming Household Resilience in Vulnerable Environments —is a transformational model that is helping farmers break the cycle of poverty. Expanding from the original pilot program in Tanzania to Honduras, Malawi, Rwanda, and Zambia, World Vision has helped more than 1.1 million people like Charles and Regina so far.
Almighty Lord, thank You for life-changing stories like Charles and Regina. Empower more smallholder farmers to become resilient and thrive.
Charles and Regina talk about the improvements in their lives thanks to receiving agricultural training from World Vision.5. World Vision can hope because of people like you.
God works powerfully in the lives of His people. The faithfulness, generosity, and commitment of people like you are what make this work possible.
Our approach is multifaceted, deliberate, and targeted. We are blessed with decades of experience, best-in-class expertise, unmatched infrastructure, and deep-rooted community relationships all over the globe. We believe that God has uniquely prepared World Vision and His people to respond. It is our call. And together we will continue to put the last first, tackling the causes of poverty and injustice for every last one.
Savior, You have prepared this good work for us to do together. Strengthen us for the journey ahead, for it will be harder than before — to reach places rife with violence, corruption, and exploitation. Give us courage to invite others to show the love of Jesus to a hurting world. And let us refuse to be satisfied until we’ve reached every last one.
Members of World Vision's National Leadership Council share why they joined this community of commited partners and supporters of World Vision's work.
