Instead of celebrating adolescence, 19-year-old, mother of two, Malita, recalls days filled with pain and societal seclusion, which resulted in her dropping out of school. Malita remembers that she and her female peers had to endure taunts and stigmas at school where there was no support as they went through adolescence. 

Easy and sustainable access to clean water changes everything. Once World Vision provides a water source in a community, we want to make sure that the water continues to flow.

Through independent evaluations, we have learned a key predictor of long-term sustainability of the water points is to have a water committee that takes ownership of the water point. Critical work of the water committee is to charge a small and affordable fee so that there are funds available for ongoing maintenance and repair. World Vision has an excellent record of long-term sustainability of water points because we are able to walk alongside communities for an average of 15 years to ensure that the water committee is self-sufficient. 

Isaiah is the son of Adele and Kevin LaCombe, members of World Vision's National Leadership Council. This is his story.

I am Isaiah LaCombe.

I'm a fourteen-year-old, which means I'm a part of generation Z, and I live in the great state of Washington. Lots of people say where they live is the best place on earth, but when I say it I mean it. Washington isn't great because of the landmarks, or the culture, or even the amazing views. Sure, those things don't hurt, but what truly makes Washington so great is that life never gets all that tough. That's not to say there aren’t people here who struggle, because there are. But no matter who you are, living here never gets too tough.

Because I live in such a great place I’ve never truly understood what it means to be the poorest of the poor.

Lila and John Trull are members of World Vision's National Leadership Council. This is their story.

In 1999 Lila and John Trull, parents of three daughters, visited a Mexican orphanage with their church to relieve staff members in desperate need of a vacation. There a little boy named Fernando captured Lila’s heart. When they returned to the orphanage in 2002, the couple discovered that although they’d been praying for Fernando to be reunited with his family, he was still living in the orphanage. When the Trulls left Mexico, Lila told John that it would be too difficult to return unless it was to invite Fernando to become a part of their family. That very night, Lila was awakened by God’s voice saying, “Through love all things are possible.” Eight months later Fernando joined the Trull family.

• Partnership has impacted 6.4 million people and provided 2 billion liters of clean water in 37 countries.
• Innovative P&G Purifier of Water packets provide instant relief in natural disasters and “a bridge” to long-term water solutions.
• In just the last year, P&G has provided grants so that World Vision can provide more than 350 million liters of clean water in 10 countries in Asia and Africa including for the drought in East Africa.

The global water crisis and the lack of clean water oppresses people in extreme poverty, especially women and girls, who walk an average of 6 kilometers to get water. Globally, 844 million people live without access to safe water within 30 minutes of their home.

This year on World Water Day, World Vision renews our 5-year commitment to reach 20 million people with clean water between 2016 and 2020, and to reach every person, everywhere we work, by 2030 — a total of 50 million people.

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

Thanksgiving Day 2016 found my wife Janet and me in a prehistoric crater in Tanzania. I’d been hosting several families as we visited World Vision projects earlier in the week. Then on Wednesday evening we traveled to Ngorogoro Crater and checked into a lovely lodge where we would have our team debrief later the next day, after a game drive.

Knowing the next day was a special one for our US-based team, I sought out Vijay, the friendly and gracious manager of the inn. “I recognize that Thanksgiving is only an American holiday, but I wondered if you’ve made any special arrangements for tomorrow that we should factor into our plans?” He apologized profusely, “Oh, if we had known, we would have prepared something, but of course it’s too late now.” I quickly assured him nothing was expected.

In eastern Honduras, 9-year-old Nirvana will soon receive clean water from World Vision.

As parents, it’s much easier to talk than to listen. But listening is what our children need us to do. It’s a hallmark of World Vision’s work to involve everyone in decision making — men, women, and children.

Every year on November 20, Universal Children’s Day reminds us to listen to children around the world, children who see problems from a point of view that we adults have long forgotten.

Forbes magazine and The Bridgespan Group recently ranked Dana and Dave Dornsife’s $40 million grant to World Vision’s water, sanitation, and hygiene programs in Africa as one of the top 5 most promising “big bets” in philanthropy for social change.