Help support children living with violence, conflict, hunger and disease with World Vision - #CharityTuesday

As you may know, a couple of years ago I visited Ethiopia with World Vision, and ever since I have sponsored a child there – Eyerus. If you can’t commit to child sponsorship, you can support World Vision with one off donations too.

So, what’s the problem?

Poverty, conflict and disaster leave millions of children living in fear. Fear of hunger and disease. Fear of violence, conflict and exploitation. Fear that robs them of a childhood.

How does your organisation set out to solve it? What makes your approach unique?

Our local staff work in thousands of communities across the world to free children from fear. We live and work alongside children and their families to help change the world they live in for good.

Our worldwide presence means we’re quick to respond to emergencies like conflict and natural disasters. We also use our influence and global reach to ensure that children are represented at every level of decision-making.

We can do this because people like you are prepared to sponsor, donate, pray, campaign or simply share the stories of boys and girls who have been given lasting hope for the future.

Can you give us an example of how you’ve made a difference in an individual life?

13 year-old Lee-Ap lives in Cambodia. When she was little her father died suddenly in a fishing accident. Her mum struggled to provide for the family on her own, so she worked far away for months at a time. At the age of 11, Lee-Ap had to drop out of school to become mother to her little sisters. Someone in the village got in touch with World Vision, and we helped Lee-Ap back into school and arranged for her to live with her Aunt. We’re now also funding an agriculture project in the area to help make farming more plentiful and profitable for local families, and so Lee-Ap’s mum can hopefully come back for good. (Lee-Ap’s story was at the centre of this summer’s Floral Friday campaign; you can read more about it here)

What can people do, right now, to help?

The biggest thing someone could do is sponsor a child. Child sponsorship is the most effective and rewarding way to give, making a real and lasting difference. For £22.80 a month, your sponsorship will bring hope to one of the world’s poorest children, and change their life, together with the lives of many more growing up alongside them. Your donations are used to equip them with the basics of life – clean water, nutritious food, healthcare, education and livelihoods – so they can enjoy a childhood free from need and full of promise. Meanwhile, the friendship you share with your sponsored child brings them hope and encouragement, as they flourish towards their full potential in life.

If someone donated £20 today, what would that be able to pay for?

£20 could pay for a week’s nutritious food for a Syrian family living as refugees in Jordan or Lebanon. Or £15 could provide a family in Nepal who’s sleeping in temporary accommodations with blankets to keep them warm. More globally, £18 could provide chickens to a family struggling to feed their children; the eggs can both enrich their diet and supplement their income. There’s a saddening amount of need, and we’re part of a global partnership working in 89 countries around the world, striving to make sure that every child can have a life free from fear.