What does world vision do

While we are motivated by our Christian values and faith, at World Vision we recognise that many people in the world do not share our beliefs. It is not our goal to convert anyone through our work, and we never seek to do so.

The primary focus our work is addressing the immediate and long-term development needs of communities, particularly the most vulnerable. We respond to these needs regardless of the religion or beliefs of a community or of individual community members.

As we do work in partnership with communities, depending on specific circumstances we may partner with local faith-based groups and encourage their participation in the development process. World Vision has fundraising guidelines in place to help groups, individuals and organisations who wish to undertake a fundraising event.

If you're hosting an event to raise funds for World Vision, we ask that you familiarise yourself with our requirements to ensure accountability to donors. Please read the World Vision Fundraising Guidelines. While a single disaster cannot be attributed entirely to climate change, it has been predicted that global warming will increase the severity and frequency of cyclones, flooding and drought.

In fact, it has been reported that the number of extreme natural catastrophes has tripled since These occurrences hurt the world's poorest communities the most, and first.

The impacts of climate change have the potential to reverse the significant gains already made on reducing global poverty. For that reason we will continue to push for domestic and international action on climate change, while working in and with developing countries on adaptation, providing measures which minimise the impacts of climate change, and supporting low-carbon and sustainable practices.

As a financial supporter of World Vision Australia, you will receive an Annual Tax Statement by the end of July each year showing a summary of tax-deductible donations you have made to us in the previous financial year.

Depending on your own tax position, the Annual Tax Statement will help you claim a tax deduction when it is time to prepare your tax return.

World Vision FAQs. The following is a list of the most commonly asked questions about World Vision and the work we do. You may also be interested in our Child Sponsorship FAQs , or if you have questions that are not answered here please feel free to contact us. What is World Vision?

What does World Vision do? More than a billion people around the world live in poverty and struggle every day simply to survive. World Vision works with vulnerable communities at the grassroots level, empowering them with the knowledge, skills and resources to work their way out of poverty.

World Vision brings globally proven approaches together with each community's own strengths to address their specific challenges. Many of World Vision's commercials available on YouTube carry paternalistic themes bordering on objectification. To go deeper, I personally watched a number of World Vision commercials for child sponsorship, and I never once saw a parent.

This speaks to the problem addressed in the film's chapter titled, "Power to the Parents" -- namely, that the circumventing and exclusion of parents undermines family structure and culture. Indeed, the pitch these commercials put forth to prospective donors is, "You can be this child's parent" example.

A few years ago, I spoke at length with an African professor here in the states who worked for several years in World Vision's child sponsorship program. He also comes from a poor village and his sister was a sponsored child. I asked him what he thought of child sponsorship in general. He said flatly, "It's terrible. He went on to describe his first-hand experience in how, despite well-marketed individual success stories, the model can undermine family unity, displace parents, and distort culture.

I personally do not have enough information to make such a concrete statement about child sponsorship, but I take this gentleman's perspective very seriously. We have stayed in touch. He is but one person I have met with this view and my own research has edified by concerns: child sponsorship is not a program model I personally feel comfortable supporting.

Since then, especially traveling all over the country with this film, I have spoken to a number of people who live in areas where there are World Vision projects of various kinds. I am sorry to say, but it is not all good news. One person, a Christian operating a small hydroponics farm in an African country, offered her opinion that World Vision had "completely destroyed" a nearby village.

She mentioned a dysfunctional school, defunct projects, and a cultural of deep seeded dependence. Her spirit was sad, not mean or resentful. I have no way of knowing the veracity of her view and I hope you do not feel attacked by my sharing it with you. I only wish to convey that there are dissenting points of view to consider with regard to some of World Vision's work.

Many people are unaware of how much government money "non-governmental" organizations like World Vision receive. Christians concerned about the influence of government on faith-based organizations find this relevant. This is an informative section of the documentary intended to help viewers get a feel for the money flows in the system and the extent to which non-governmental organizations are in fact financed by the government. The film does not expound on World Vision specifically here, but it very well could have.

This goes to the heart of the problem discussed in the chapter of the film on rice in Haiti. Monetization is the revenue generating practice by which NGO's then sell those food commodities for cash in foreign markets. However, the Government Accountability Office and others have decried the practice of monetization as inefficient at best, harmful at worst. The goal was to allow more goods and services earmarked as aid to be purchased locally and regionally instead of purchasing them in the U.

I understand World Vision's rationale to be as follows: selling food at below-market prices combats hunger by helping people who can't afford market prices. This rationale does not take into account purchasing power. If, in the macroeconomic picture, the market is undermined by the net influx of subsidized goods sold at below the cost of production and numerous studies and testimonies including former president Clinton's demonstrate this to be the case , then the resulting rise in unemployment means a decrease in purchasing power.

Use your voice for justice. Together, let's challenge practices and attitudes that threaten human rights and lie at the heart of inequality. This includes working with governments to shape fairer policies in Australia and around the world. Your voice counts as we campaign on the hard issues and call for change. Through community-based projects, children and families also learn about their rights and gain a genuine say in the decisions that affect them. Children are protected and empowered to become the next generation of leaders.

How will you use your voice for change? Help saves lives in emergencies. As emergencies happen around the world, they devastate communities. Lasting change through long-term partnerships World Vision partners with groups of communities in defined geographic regions, which we refer to as Area Development Programs, or ADPs.

Social Transformation In partnership with adults and children, local leaders, and community groups, we help change harmful beliefs and practices. Physical Transformation The steps toward physical transformation typically begin with clean water or food security and build on a strong foundation of cooperation.

Spiritual Transformation Many communities living in physical poverty are spiritually rich. How a community is transformed Build Trust. Social transformation starts with the building and nurturing of relationships among all partners.

This includes World Vision staff and community members; members of different religious and ethnic groups; and local leadership and the community—including women and children, who are often left out of decisions that affect their lives. Come together. Community participation encourages a sense of ownership. Local leaders, groups, and families join each other in development activities that benefit everyone.