Edgar poses with Sofia, 5, center, and her mother and baby sister after hearing their story of leaving Venezuela and struggling to find stable housing in Colombia. ©2019 World Vision/photo by Chris Huber

"Growing up there (Venezuela) for most of my childhood, I lived in a country that was united and prosperous and safe. That doesn’t exist anymore.” Edgar Sandoval Sr., president of World Vision U.S..

Venezuela is in crisis. About 4 million Venezuelans — 5,000 per day in 2018 — have left the country seeking food, work, and a better life.

Latin America’s largest migration in recent years is driven by hyperinflation, violence, and food and medicine shortages stemming from recent years of political turmoil. Once-eradicated diseases like cholera and malaria have returned, and children increasingly are dying of causes related to hunger and malnutrition.

Meet Bilkis, a 38-year-old mom in Bangladesh and her teenage daughter Sadia. Those smiles were rare three years ago when they were both working in a shrimp factory just trying to survive. Before World Vision started working in their community, they had no hope.  But today, they can see a brighter future. 

More than 250 men, women, and young people from around the globe came together for World Vision’s 14th Annual Strong Women Strong World Event in New York on November 30. They learned more about the plight of women and girls in the developing world, and what World Vision is doing about it.

In her keynote speech, First Lady of Rwanda, Jeannette Kagame said, “Women and girls are capable of bringing about significant change to their environment, despite obstacles that stand in the way of their advancement. If the existing impediments to women's advancement were removed from their paths, the impact of change could be more powerful."

Martha became a member of her local Safe Motherhood Action Group after giving birth to eight children without any of the knowledge she now shares with her pregnant neighbors. Her lack of knowledge nearly cost Martha her life during one of her deliveries.

At 34, Martha Nvula has had eight children, the youngest just shy of a year old. She and her husband live nearly 22 miles from a facility that handles baby deliveries, which meant she took great risks each time she got pregnant.

Martha didn’t understand the importance of prenatal care and planning for deliveries, and three times she gave birth along the route to the health facility—once nearly losing her life because of complications.

Martha jumped at the opportunity to join a Safe Motherhood Action Group in her village. She learned about timed and targeted counseling (ttC), which is the developing world’s version of the iconic pregnancy book, “What to Expect When You’re Expecting."

“Trial and error,” “no clear direction,” “no teaching, no nothing”—these are the words that teachers at Kaboson Primary School in Kenya used to describe how they taught the weekly Christian Religious Education class.

Although the class is required by the Kenyan government, there are no lesson plans provided. Most teachers resorted to simply singing songs, as they didn’t know how to teach Bible stories or use them to explain values by which children should live.

Bullying and other examples of poor discipline were frequent in the school, especially between the boys and girls. 

Jimmy Recodia (pictured right) knew he was leading a double life.

On Sundays, he was the obedient son of a well-respected village pastor in the Philippines and was attending college to become a teacher.

But during the week, he let his addiction to Internet gaming rule him. Invited by a friend to try out a multiplayer battle simulation game, computer gaming rapidly became his life’s focus. 

Spending all his time and money in computer shops, he was failing his classes. He argued constantly with his aunt, with whom he was living while in college. His parents’ admonishments went unheeded.

Diego’s life revolved around his gang member friends, who gave him a sense of belonging that he didn’t find with his family. Despite living on the streets and being constantly high on drugs, somehow he managed to continue in school— which is where he met Pastor Alberto, who was using the training he’d received from World Vision to teach youth in schools about values.

Something about Pastor Alberto drew him in. Although Diego (pictured right) knew that the life he was living did not reflect any of the values the pastor was teaching, he volunteered to assist with the classes. And he felt something change in his heart. 

The sun beats down on the iron sheet metal that covers Potter’s Restoration Fellowship Church in Changamwe, Kenya, creating oven-like temperatures inside.

But 12-year-old Vanessa (pictured right) leads the children’s Bible club, undeterred by the heat as she explains Bible stories, encourages the children to sing praise songs, and organizes a skit that illustrates the lesson they are learning. It might seem doubtful that many children would choose to be inside on such a hot day, but Mary Kombe, the adult leader of the Bible club, says attendance has soared to 70 children from none.

The evidence is indisputable.  When girls and women have better access and opportunity, progress is accelerated.  Children are better cared for, families are stronger, and communities are more prosperous.  World Vision has been deeply engaged in gender equality work for decades.  It’s integrated into everything we do—  at every stage of a girl’s life.  

A humanitarian’s painstaking work to transform desert-like landscapes into thriving forests and farmland has been hailed a game-changer for combating famine and deforestation.

World Vision’s Tony Rinaudo has won the Right Livelihood Award, also known as the ‘Alternative Nobel Prize’, after more than 35 years working across Asia and Africa.