World Vision Economic Empowerment Executive Briefing: April 2020

Greetings!

World Vision is delighted to send you our Executive Briefing for Economic Empowerment. You are an integral part of our work to end extreme poverty by 2030, so we want to keep you updated on our progress! If you are new to our work, please take a moment to learn about our THRIVE model and how it's impacting lives for good!

As the whole world battles the effects of COVID-19, what we are seeing is not only a health emergency, but quickly forming economic and financial emergencies. We are painfully aware of the quickly rising rates of unemployment in our country and in other developed countries. We tend to be less aware of what is happening in the developing world with the people World Vision serves, and especially through our Economic Empowerment work. We will be addressing that on an ongoing basis.

This newsletter will try to paint an initial picture of what is happening around the world. We will provide links to stories and sources of information so you can go as deeply as you would like. We are also going to be increasing the frequency of donor calls with staff from the field. We will be hearing more regularly about what is happening around the world.

World Vision has been responding to COVID-19 since January when we rolled into action in China, and we have declared our first ever GLOBAL health emergency. We are calling for help to address both domestic US needs, as well as the health needs in developing countries.

At the same time, the work we have been doing through Economic Empowerment is perfectly tuned for the economic impacts of COVID-19 on the people we serve. So, now is the time to “double down” on our current approaches. As Queen Esther was told, “Who knows? Perhaps you have come to royal dignity for just such a time as this.” THIS is our time! Join us in our ongoing Economic Empowerment work here.

Economic Empowerment COVID-19 Situation Report

What is Happening Around the World?

In countries around the world, to limit the spread of COVID-19, governments are closing schools, non-essential businesses, forcing people to stay home, and seeking to enforce social distancing. In the USA, this appears to be “flattening the curve” of the spread of the virus. It has also resulted in 17 million people unemployed with more to come. However, the US government is responding with massive spending, relief, and benefits.

In developing countries, governments are undertaking similar approaches. However, poor countries do not have rich and powerful governments standing by to help. Most of the people World Vision serves are running their own small farm or business. When they cannot work, they do not have income, do not have money for food and essentials, and no one is standing by to help them. We are seeing a developed world solution applied to developing world situations, with very bad impact on the poor. LEARN MORE

Suggested Links to Learn More

Want to learn more? GET THE FACTS HERE

A Special Note from Christopher Shore

Dear Friends,

Many of you know that I have been out for the last 6 months or so battling cancer. I am very pleased to report that - after lots of chemotherapy and then chemotherapy + radiation – the cancer mass has responded to the treatment and my team at City of Hope have been unable to detect the cancer in my body. In short, I am healed! READ MORE HERE.

A Useful Way to Think About Disaster Risk

Thanks to COVID-19, most of the world is getting an up-front-close and personal course in disaster management. One of the keys to good disaster management is understanding risk. World Vision does a lot of work in communities that have to manage risks that come from various sources - hurricanes, earthquakes, famines, floods – or even from a pandemic. LEARN MORE

NEWSFLASH: "Finishing the Foundations" is Becoming "Recovery Lending for Resilience"

Given the critical need to get recovery loans to people running their own small farms and businesses, World Vision is replacing our “Finishing the Foundations” Fund. We are putting the final touches on “Recovery Lending for Resilience”, which will provide critically needed lending capital, IT capital, and funds to massively scale our Biblical Empowered Worldview training. LEARN MORE

Upcoming Calendar Events

Join us for this months EE Donor Update Call at 10:00am PT/1:00pm ET on April 22. You can join directly by clicking the button below or email Kimberly Barta to be added to the ongoing invite list!

Do you have specific questions about our THRIVE programming? Submit your questions by clicking the button below.

Vision Trips are currently on hold at this time. We hope they will resume before the end of the year and we will keep you posted. Please note, the Fullness of Life: Global Women's Economic Empowerment Summit scheduled for August 2020 has been rescheduled to April 2021. More information to come later this year.

Praises & Prayer Requests

PRAISE

Praise that Chris is healed of cancer!
Praise that so many World Vision staff are connecting with the people we serve by phone, Skype, Zoom and the like. Technology is working!

REQUESTS

Pray for for wisdom for government leaders in the developing world whose actions are deeply affecting the businesses and economic well-being of the poor.
Pray for wisdom for WV and VisionFund leaders who are responding to the Covid-19 crisis and its side-effects.
Pray for creativity for donors, staff, and the poor in how to manage through this unprecedented time in a way that helps the poor and makes us even more united.