World Vision Australia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 |
This article may require cleanup to meet Wikipedia's quality standards. Please discuss this issue on the talk page or replace this tag with a more specific message. This article has been tagged since March 2007. |
World Vision Australia, a part of World Vision, is an international aid and development organisation in Australia. The company encourages Australians to support programs in poorer countries around the world. A brief overview of some of the many ways by which money is raised is detailed below:
Child sponsorship - www.worldvision.com.au/childsponsorship/search/child_search.asp The well-being of children has always been World Vision’s main focus, and so child sponsorship has always been our main avenue for fundraising. Sponsorship links donors to specific children overseas and the sponsor makes a long term commitment to contribute to community programs that benefit that child, the child’s family and the community. The sponsorship link also helps Australians understand what life is like for struggling families.
Education, health and nutrition are the immediate priorities of many sponsorship projects. Agriculture, adult literacy and income generation are other ways we work to help families become more self-reliant. In addition to sponsored children and their families, the whole community benefits.
40 Hour Famine – www.40hourfamine.com This is a way for Australians, especially young Australians, to find out what it’s like to go without food for 40 hours and, in the process, raise money for people for whom hunger is a common life experience. Schools and churches are strong supporters of the Famine. Those who participate ask others to sponsor them. Money raised in the 40 Hour Famine in 2002 helped many people in countries such as India, Cambodia and Afghanistan.
Emergency relief appeals In 2002, severe drought spread across the southern part of Africa putting 14 million people at risk and 2.4 million children in serious danger. World Vision provided 19,000 tonnes of food per month to 1.2 million people. World Vision Australia responded, raising over $2.2 million from the generous Australian public.
Government and multilateral funding The Australian government’s Agency for International Development (AusAID) channels some of its money through NGOs. In 2001, World Vision received $14.7 million from AusAID, about two-thirds for community development programs and one-third for emergency relief. World Vision also receives considerable support from United Nations agencies such as the World Food Programme, UNICEF and UNHCR (responsible for children and refugees).
Advocacy and Education Many World Vision supporters want to learn more about issues affecting people in the developing world, and what can be done in response beyond giving financial aid. World Vision provides a range of resources on its website, including general topic sheets and classroom materials for primary and secondary levels.
World Vision also encourages supporters to lobby the Australian government on issues and policies that affect the poor. For example, World Vision has been involved in campaigns against landmines, child labour, child soldiers and debt which can cripple developing countries.
Partnerships World Vision is a full member of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID), and is a signatory to ACFID’s Code of Conduct, which defines the minimum standards of governance, management and accountability for development NGOs. Our voluntary adherence to the Code of Conduct demonstrates our commitment to ethical practice and accountability.
World Vision Australia works in cooperation with other government and non-government agencies both in Australia and overseas. As well as receiving some AusAID funding, World Vision makes submissions regarding government policies relating to aid and development. Staff consult regularly with other Australian agencies, and cooperate in education and advocacy.
Overseas, we work in many countries which have different political systems. We make it clear that our interest is in serving the poor.
As a Christian organisation, we also work in partnership with churches here and overseas, supporting their work in social justice and ministry to the poor.
World Vision works effectively with United Nations agencies such as the World Health Organisation and the UNHCR.
Australian Indigenous Programs - www.worldvision.com.au/getinvolved/indigenouspartnerships/ In 1979 Aboriginal church leaders approached World Vision to assist with leadership development in their communities. World Vision is now also working with Indigenous communities in primary health care, education and business development. One resulting project is the Birrung Gallery, an initiative by which artworks are purchased for a fair price from Aboriginal artists and then sold at exhibitions, providing training in marketing for indigenous people, and funds for community programs.
