--- title: "World Vision Economic Empowerment Executive Briefing: April 2022" --- Here are the latest updates from the World Vision Economic Empowerment team. | View in browser View past editions of this newsletter here. April 2022 From Chris' Desk On April 22nd, the United States marks Earth Day. It is a day when people throughout the USA pay special attention to the opportunities and challenges of what World Vision describes in our core values as “Stewarding God’s Creation”.   For the roughly 500 million people living in extreme poverty who are also smallholder farmers, caring for creation is primarily about food and water. Farmers need water to grow crops and animals and need water themselves. To help manage their farms whether it rains too little or too much, World Vision’s THRIVE program emphasizes on-farm and off-farm natural resource management.   Central to the ability of farmers’ and farming communities’ ability to manage the water they need is one of God’s greatest gifts to farmers – trees! Trees are essential to managing water, as trees slow rain down so that it can soak into the ground and replenish streams and aquifers. Trees provide habitat for birds which eat insect pests, a home for bees which are needed for crop pollination (and provide honey!), and shade for crops and animals. In some parts of the world like the Sahel region of Africa, agriculture takes place in fields that have trees.   When an ecosystem has been denuded of trees, many of us think that the only solution is to plant new trees. In many parts of the world, when a tree is cut down, its roots remain alive. To rehabilitate that tree, farmers just need to learn how to manage the growth coming from the roots, which usually looks more like a bush than a tree. We call that Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration – a bit of a mouthful, but also self-explanatory.   So, to celebrate Earth Day 2022, we invite you to click on this link to hear from my good friend and colleague, Tony Rinaudo, the world’s pre-eminent expert on Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration. Christopher Shore, Chief Development Officer, Economic Empowerment   Hope Restores as Forests Regrow   Earth Day, first commemorated in 1970 in the U.S., is a chance to recommit to caring for the beautiful resources God has gifted our planet with — and to recognize the inspiring work that’s happening all around the world to do just that.   A long-time champion of these resources is Tony Rinaudo, founder of farmer managed natural regeneration (FMNR), pioneered in Niger. FMNR is a low-cost, sustainable land restoration technique used to combat poverty and hunger among subsistence farmers in developing countries — currently about 27 — by increasing food and timber production and creating resilience to climate extremes. It involves the systematic regeneration and management of trees and shrubs from tree stumps, roots, and seeds, helping restore water tables, biodiversity, and livelihoods. In short, it’s difficult for families to have resilient livelihoods without care for their environment.   To read the full article, please click here.   Interested in Supporting Reforestation Through THRIVE? A critical component of World Vision’s THRIVE program is Natural Resource Management. To date, 258 communities are rehabilitating and protecting watersheds, and the THRIVE programs have planted or regenerated over 18.3 million trees.   To support THRIVE, please speak with your World Vision representative, or click here.   Upcoming Events July 21 – Ending Extreme Poverty In Our Lifetime 2.0 - SAVE THE DATE! With many lessons learned from our THRIVE and Recovery Lending for Resilience programs, join us for the launch of our new Economic Empowerment Business Plan. This will be a virtual event.   Interested in Hosting a "Fork to Farm" Barbeque This Summer? Summer is coming, and a backyard barbeque can be a great way to introduce World Vision’s Economic Empowerment work to friends, family, neighbors, and colleagues. With a special focus on our evidence of impact plus our new Economic Empowerment Business Plan, our Chief Development Officer is ready to travel, be your “subject matter expert”, and help to spread the news about our life changing work.   To learn more about hosting a summer event, please contact your World Vision representative, or contact Christopher Shore at cshore@worldvision.org.   Newsflash After three rainy seasons in a row have failed to materialize, continued drought in the Horn of Africa (Somalia, Kenya, Ethiopia, Djibouti) is threatening the lives and livelihoods of 20 million people in East Africa.   On the other side of the continent, 27 million people in West Africa are in a state of hunger, according to a group of 11 non-governmental organizations including World Vision.   From World Vision West Africa: West Africa faces its worst food crisis in ten years, with over 27 million people already suffering from hunger \| Hunger Crisis \| World Vision International (wvi.org)   From World Vision East Africa: Feeling the pulse of my children for signs of life - the heartbreaking reality of East Africa’s hunger crisis \| Hunger Crisis \| World Vision International (wvi.org)   From National Geographic: Historic drought looms for 20 million living in Horn of Africa (nationalgeographic.com)    Praises and Prayer Requests   PRAISE Praise for our First Annual Palm Springs Economic Empowerment Evening, held on March 31. (We are already planning for 2023. Plan to join us!) PRAYER Pray for wisdom for the team creating the new World Vision Economic Empowerment Business Plan Pray for greatly needed rain in the Horn of Africa  View previous versions of this newsletter here. www.worldvisionphilanthropy.org/economic-empowerment © 2022 World Vision, Inc. All rights reserved. World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families, and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. In 2021, 90% of World Vision's total operating expenses were used for programs that benefit children, families, and communities in need. Learn More.  World Vision, P.O. Box 9716, Federal Way, WA 98063 Unsubscribe Manage preferences | | --- |