When Jade and Clint Phillips first heard World Vision President Emeritus Richard Stearns speak in Chicago, they were immediately convicted by the great need in the world. Stearns, author of The Hole in Our Gospel, challenged Christians to live out Jesus’ call to care for people in need. “I got the concept very quickly and realized there was a hole in our gospel,” Clint says. The couple grew up in South Africa and moved to the United States just four days after getting married for Clint’s career as a professional rugby player. The transition was challenging and finances were tight, but they felt compelled to act. “We started with two kids, that’s all we could afford back then. We were tight on money. We had just moved to the U.S. We were working two jobs. That’s what we could stretch ourselves too,” Jade says. Alongside sponsoring children, they shared Stearns’ book with friends, giving three copies to friends who also began sponsoring children. “Every few months, we added a kid, and every year we added a few more,” Jade explained.

In 2018, after their business became financially successful, Jade and Clint pursued a dream they once thought would only be possible in retirement—sponsoring 1,000 children. “Our goal was to sponsor a thousand kids. We got to that goal, and then things
developed from there,” Jade shares.

Reaching the goal quickly led them to ask a bigger question: what would it look like to invest holistically in an entire community? They reached out to several organizations with their idea. “We don't have any skills around building an infrastructure, so we really needed a partner that could help do that,” Clint says. “World Vision's proposal came back very prepared and very proven to be able to do something like that.”

Faith alignment was also essential. “There's a lot of programs you can write a check that can do something physical,” Clint says. “We really are after the spiritual impact. … Jesus often met physical needs before He met spiritual needs—He fed people before He shared the Gospel with them.”

Impressed by World Vision’s proposal and reputation, the couple decided to partner with the organization by supporting Mbeza, a Zambian community of approximately 13,000 people. The couple was especially touched by a video showing more than 150 children attending school beneath a tree with one teacher and even a cow wandering through the “classroom.” It prompted them to ensure that part of their gift went to building a proper school.

Since the school’s completion, enrollment has doubled, and access to books has increased from one book per 12 students to 12 books per student. Their investment also supported another school, health clinics, home medical nursing programs, pregnancy centers, clean water access, and a dam and reservoir to help farmers.

The Phillips recognized the importance of infrastructure early on but were initially unsure about the impact of economic empowerment and soft skills programs. Over time, they saw the value of World Vision’s Biblical Empowered Worldview initiatives, including training communities to raise dairy cows.

During their first trip to Zambia, they met people who felt hopeless about their future. Returning a year later, they witnessed transformation—not just physically, but emotionally and spiritually. “[It was] just beautiful to see something like that could have just a mindset impact,” Clint says. “Because you can give somebody water, and you can keep them alive, and you can get them some chickens to help get them some eggs, but [it’s] really teaching them why God made them, who they are in God, that they have a purpose.”

The Phillips saw how lasting change happens when communities are empowered to direct their own growth. “It's not our school—it's the community’s school. It's not our clinic—it's the community's clinic,” Clint says. This shared ownership fostered pride among Mbeza’s people, with the Phillips grateful to play a small role in the journey toward lasting transformation.

Through this work, the Phillips have begun to fill in the hole in their gospel, and they invite others to join them as well.

Watch their story

We invite you to explore the stories of 6 Philanthropists who are partnering with World Vision to empower families to overcome poverty.