| Founder(s) | Walter Stanley Mooneyham, World Vision United States |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-governmental organization |
| Founded | 1977 |
| Location | Monrovia, U.S.A., 800 West Chestnut Avenue, Monrovia, CA 91016-3198 (registered administrative center); London, UK (Partnership Office/Global Centre); Geneva, Switzerland (International Liaison); Nairobi, Kenya (Africa Region); Nicosia, Cyprus (Middle East and Eastern European Region); Bangkok, Thailand (Asia Pacific Region); San José, Costa Rica (Latin America and Caribbean Region) |
| Key people | Kevin Jenkins (International President) Denis St. Armour (Chairperson Int'l Board) |
| Area served | 97 countries |
| Focus | Well being of all people, especially children. |
| Method | Transformational Development through emergency relief, community development and policy and advocacy |
| Revenue | US$2.6 billion (2008) |
| Employees | 40,000 (2010)[1] |
| Motto | Our vision for every child, life in all its fullness; our prayer for every heart, the will to make it so. |
| Website | www.wvi.org |
World Vision International, founded in the USA in 1977, is an evangelical[2] relief and development umbrella organization whose stated goal is "to follow our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of God."[3] World Vision is one of the largest relief and development organizations in the world with a total revenue including grants, product and foreign donations of $2.6 billion (2008).[4]
World Vision began with the vision of one man—the Reverend Bob Pierce.
In 1947 Rev. Pierce met Tena Hoelkedoer, a teacher, while on a trip to China. She introduced him to a battered and abandoned child named White Jade. Unable to care for the child herself, she asked, "What are you going to do about her?" Rev. Pierce gave the woman his last five dollars and agreed to send the same amount each month to help the woman care for the girl.
This encounter was a turning point for Rev. Pierce. He began building an organisation dedicated to helping the world's children, and in 1950 World Vision was born. The first child sponsorship programme began three years later in response to the needs of hundreds of thousands of orphans at the end of the Korean War.
Over the next several decades, World Vision expanded its work throughout Asia, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Resources from child sponsorship assisted poor children with food, education, health care and vocational training.
In the 1970s, World Vision embraced a broader community development model and established an emergency relief division. It attempted to address the causes of poverty by focusing on community needs such as water, sanitation, education, health, leadership training and income generation.
World Vision began the 21st century by strengthening its advocacy efforts, particularly on issues related to child survival and poverty alleviation. It became more active in working with governments, businesses and other organisations in addressing issues such as child labour, children in armed conflict and the sexual exploitation of women and children.
World Vision, together with microfinance subsidiary VisionFund International, has become a leading humanitarian organisation. Some 40,000 staff members (including part time and temporary staff and employees of microfinance institutions) implement programmes of community development, emergency relief and promotion of justice in nearly 100 countries.
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World Vision International is the organizational structure of the World Vision Partnership which operates today as a federation of interdependent national offices with three different levels of central control. The three categories of national offices are[5]:
The Covenant of Partnership is a document that all national members of the World Vision Partnership have to sign. According to this document all national offices have to accept policies and decisions established by the International Board and must not establish a office or program outside their own national borders without the consent of World Vision International and the host country. Furthermore, with the exception of direct project founding, all funds intended for outside their national borders have to be remitted through World Vision International. Also the financial planning and budget principles adopted by the International Board have to be accepted as well as an examination of the financial affairs of the national offices by Partnership representatives.[6]
The president of World Vision International has a seat on all national offices with own national board. Normally he sends a representative.[7] World Vision International is registered in the United States as a charitable organization and described by the Internal Revenue Service as a church and is therefore as a religious charity not obligated to disclose its finances to the tax authorities[8]
The partnership offices – located in Geneva, Bangkok, Nairobi, Cyprus, Los Angeles, and San José, Costa Rica – coordinate operations of the organization and represent World Vision in the international arena. For making large scale decisions, the international organization considers opinions from each national office, whether in the developed or developing world.
An international board of directors oversees the World Vision partnership. The full board meets twice a year to appoint senior officers, approve strategic plans and budgets, and determine international policy. The current chairperson of the international board is Denis St. Armour of Canada. The international president is Kevin J. Jenkins.[9][10]
In A Declaration of Internationalization (1978) World Vision declares a Statement of Faith[11] that corresponds to the Statement of Faith[12] put forward by the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) as standard for their evangelical convictions as the theological frame in which the organization as a whole has to operate.[13][14] World Vision aims to incorporate this Christian belief into their development work as well as their organization. Vice President of Advocacy and Government Relations at World Vision Canada Linda Tripp wrote, "In Christ, we have a role model who healed the sick, fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and comforted the outcast, and whose message was about restoring relationships and reconciliation." This directly relates to World Visions mission to provide emergency relief, development, promote justice, and spread awareness to countries in need. World Vision staff is not affiliated with one specific church; their staff makes up all branches of Protestantism and Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. Staff participates in daily and weekly services. They stress that you can be a Christian in any culture. However, World Vision also respects other religions that they encounter stating that "to promote a secular approach to life would be an insult to them." [15] Richard Stearns, president of World Vision US, stated that World Vision has a strict policy against proselytizing which he describes as "... - using any kind of coercion or inducement to listen to a religious message before helping someone.".[16] The World Vision Partnership and all its national members are committed to the concept of transformational development,[17] which is cast in a biblical framework and in which evangelization is an inseparable integral part of development work.[18]
"The very nature of poverty demands a spiritual response" states Jayakumar Christian, a member of World Vision India. In her report Linda Tripp remembers the 1970s when a high number of babies in Haiti were dying of tetanus after birth. After investigating, World Vision discovered that midwives were applying mud to the babies' umbilical cords to keep away evil spirits. World Vision explained to the midwives that there was a loving God who was more powerful than evil spirits that would protect the children. Many midwives decided to stop the practice after hearing a more positive view of God.[15]
Many organizations acknowledge that faith can be vital in development. For example, the Canadian International Development Agency stated that, "faith-based organizations and institutions are an integral and legitimate part of a healthy and resilient civil society." [15]
According to World Vision's 2006 Consolidated Financial Statements, around 40% of their revenue comes from private sources, including individuals, World Vision clubs in schools, corporations and foundations. 27% comes from governments and multilateral aid agencies such as USAID and the Department for International Development (DFID) in the UK. 30% comes from other World Vision programs and nonprofit organizations as Gift in Kind. Aside from cash contributions, World Vision accepts gifts in kind, typically food commodities, medicine, and clothing donated through corporations and government agencies.[9]
Approximately half of World Vision's programs are funded through child sponsorship. Individuals, families, churches, schools, and other groups sponsor specific children or specific community projects in their own country or abroad. Sponsors send funds each month to provide support for the sponsored children or projects.
World Vision Famine events like the 30-Hour Famine and 40-Hour Famine also help to raise money for impoverished countries. Typically, a group signs up to organize such an event, and then spends the next 30 or 40 hours abstaining from food, technology or other things that are taken for granted, and increasing awareness about world hunger.[19] Many schools and individuals are annually successful with this fundraising activity. In the beginning there was only the No Food Famine,[20] but as an example of the flexibility of the program, some do a Techno Famine, without technology (i.e. cellphones, computers, TV or digital audio players). In 2009 nearly 500,000 children across the US participated in the 30 Hour Famine. According to World Vision spokeswoman Myrna Gutierrez the money raised went towards buying food for countries in need such as Uganda and Haiti. World Vision's relief work in Haiti consisted of distribution of medical supplies and care to injured children and families. Even though the 30 Hour Famine is a critical fundraiser it also "aims to give young people a sense of what it is like to be poor and hungry." [21] Another one is the 24 hour wake, an event that involves a group signing up for lack of any form of rest or energy drink supplements to show the overworked conditions the third world has to deal with.
According to World Vision's annual report, in 2008, 87% of its funding was spent on programs, 8% on fundraising and 5% on management and general overhead.[9][22]
| 1950 | Reverend Robert Pierce forms World Vision. |
|---|---|
| 1953 | Pierce begins the World Vision sponsorship program with photographs of needy children. |
| 1967 | Pierce resigns from World Vision. |
| 1970s | World Vision's international structure is established. |
| 1979 | World Vision operates offices in 40 countries. |
| 1989 | World Vision operates offices in 55 countries. |
| 1996 | Dean Hirsch is appointed president. |
| 1998 | Richard Stearns is appointed US group president. |
| 2004 | After tripling during the previous eight years, World Vision's budget reaches $1.5 billion. |
| 2007 | World Vision ends its 57th year with 26,000 employees and a budget of $2.6 billion. |
| 2009 | Kevin Jenkins is appointed president. |
The focus of the World Vision (WV) organization is divided into five major areas: emergency relief, education, health care, economic development, and promotion of justice. World Vision activities include transformational development, emergency relief, strategic initiatives, public awareness campaigns and promoting Christianity. Though World Vision has consultative status with UNESCO and partnerships with UN agencies like UNICEF, WHO, UNHCR and ILO, its financial records reveal that it has funded evangelical activities all over the world.[23]
World Vision's approach to aid is to first help people and their communities recognize the resources that lie within them. With support from World Vision, it claims communities transform themselves by carrying out their own development projects in health care, agriculture production, water projects, education, micro-enterprise development, advocacy and other community programs.
World Vision provides emergency relief to people whose lives are endangered by disasters or conflict and who need immediate assistance. It attempts to respond to all major emergencies around the world themselves or in cooperation with their partner agencies. For example, World Vision responded to famine[24] in Ethiopia and North Korea, hurricanes in Central America, the tsunami in the Indian Ocean nations earthquakes in El Salvador, India, Taiwan, Turkey and the Sichuan earthquake in China, Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar and war refugees in Kosovo, Chechnya, Sierra Leone, Angola, and East Timor.
World Vision also addresses factors that perpetuate poverty by what it describes as promoting justice. It supports community awareness of the collective ability to address unjust practices and begin working for change. It claims to speak out on issues such as child labor, debt relief for poor nations,[25] and the use of children as combatants in armed conflict. World Vision International has endorsed the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. It claims to foster opportunities to help reduce conflict levels and to contribute to the peaceful resolution of hostilities and reconciliation of disputes.[26]
World Vision encourages public awareness about the needs of others, the causes of poverty, and the nature of compassionate response.[27] These efforts include collaboration with media and community participation in fundraising.[28] In areas of the world that are considered too dangerous for news organizations to send their crews, World Vision’s own videographers supply newscasters with broadcast-quality footage of events from these areas.[29]
In all its communications, World Vision claims it upholds the dignity of children and families in presenting explanations of the causes and consequences of poverty, war, neglect, and abuse.[30]
World Vision spends a considerable amount of time advocating to the U.S. government. In 2010, director of advocacy and government relations Robert Zachritz gave a testimony on global hunger to the human rights caucus. In his speech Zachritz states that in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights it lays the foundation for food as a right by saying in article 25 that "everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food..." He went on to state specific statistics on the issue such as 1 and 6 people currently suffer from hunger. Zachritz even proposes that out of the major global challenges addressing malnutrition and hunger would offer the most cost effective solutions. "The January 2007 Lancet series reviewing the literature on child development showed that beyond the short-term consequences of increased mortality, morbidity and disability, childhood malnutrition has debilitating long-term consequences of stunted physical and cognitive development, lower economic productivity, and greater susceptibility to disease." Currently 1/3 of children are stunted. Zachritz stressed the importance of a proper diet for children, especially under the age of two, to avoid stunting.[31]
As a Christian organization, World Vision participates in what it labels strategic initiatives with people it identifies as Christian leaders and lay people of all denominations through conferences, consultations, training programs and various educational opportunities. World Vision claims to be an ecumenical organization willing to partner with all Christian churches while claiming to be respectful of other faiths.
World Vision believes missionary work is a fundamental part of its relief work. The organization believes in the Christian God, claiming the "person of Jesus offers hope of renewal, restoration, and reconciliation." It says it seeks to express this message through "life, deed, word, and sign". It claims its programs and services are provided without regard to race, ethnic origin, gender, or religion.
The organization was one of the founding members of global IT nonprofit NetHope.[32] With more than 50 years of experience in India, World Vision India works in 24 states across the country through development that is community based, sustainable and transformational emergency response and disaster mitigation, advocacy initiatives that are grassroots based. World Vision India is a national NGO in partnership with a network of over 100 other entities within World Vision International. World Vision India is registered as a society under the Tamil Nadu Societies Act with its National Office based in Chennai. Governed by an autonomous Board of Directors, World Vision's programmes are facilitated by close to 1700 staff.
World Vision India provided relief supplies to people affected by earth quake that jolted north,northeast and east India.[3]
Helping create lasting positive change in the lives of children, families and communities living in poverty, World Vision serves everyone irrespective of religion, caste, race, ethnicity or gender. The humanitarian organisation has a sponsorship programme that helps needy children, their families and communities. Focussed chiefly on Child Sponsorship, World Vision’s child sponsorship programmes helps needy children get access to clean drinking water, sanitation, education, skills for future livelihood, nutrition, health care and participate in an age-appropriate in development processes. By changing the lives of children, the child sponsorship programmes also facilitate overall growth and development in the community, as it helps communities to build a better future through empowerment, education, income generation, and self-sufficiency. Child Sponsorship programmes seek equitable, just, peaceful, productive and inclusive relationships within households and communities, responsible relationship with the environment, a culture of participation with families and whole communities empowered to influence and shape their situation through coalitions and networks addressing systemic issues towards ensuring access to basic needs in a sustainable manner. Sponsorship amount per month is Rs. 600/-.(in India) It is different than donation and anybody interested to be part of this sponsorship process can be involved.
In a report on famine in Ethiopia, reporter Andrew Geoghegan, from Australian TV programme Foreign Correspondent, visited his 14 year old sponsor child. The girl has "been part of a World Vision program all her life" yet says (in translated subtitle) "Until recently, I didn't know I had a sponsor." and when asked about her knowledge of World Vision sponsorship says "Last time they gave me this jacket and a pen." Geoghegan was disconcerted to find that despite being "told by World Vision that [the girl] was learning English at school, and was improving...she speaks no English at all."[33]
In their response, World Vision states "World Vision unapologetically takes a community-based approach to development – a fact we publicly promote at every opportunity. Providing money directly to the families of sponsored children simply does not work, no matter how dire the circumstances. A ‘direct benefit' approach creates jealousy among community members that do not have sponsored children and fosters an ethos of dependency. So while sponsored children may receive some direct benefits – like school materials or a jacket for warmth – this in no way represents the entirety of our work in a community, and it was disingenuous for the Foreign Correspondent story to imply this."
It is clearly stated on the World Vision website: "When you make a gift, your contributions are pooled with that of other sponsors of children in the community where your child lives. Your child receives health care, education, nutritious food, and the entire community benefits from access to clean water, agricultural assistance, medical care, and more."
The journalist and producer were offered the chance to view the full breadth of work World Vision is undertaking in the community, in health, education and food security, but this offer was not accepted."[34]
Foreign Correspondent replied to World Vision concerning child sponsorship. In part, that response reads: "Foreign Correspondent sought answers from World Vision representatives on why the organisation's literature creates the impression that donated money goes directly to the sponsor child. The World Vision representative failed to adequately respond to the questions and instead outlined the community projects where sponsor money is spent. Foreign Correspondent does not dispute the integrity of World Vision projects but questions the way sponsorship is promoted to the public. In its response, World Vision has ignored the reporter's surprise at finding his sponsor child speaks no English, yet he has been receiving regular reports from the organisation that she's learning English at school and has a good command of the language..., Andrew Geoghegan has sponsored Tsehaynesh Delago for a decade and yet she claims she was unaware, until recently, that she had a sponsor and says the only benefit she has ever received directly from World Vision is a pen and the denim jacket she wore on the day of filming."[35]
In 1999 the academic journal, Development in Practice published an overview of World Vision's history focusing on the evolution of its global architecture. `Pursuing Partnership: World Vision and the Ideology of Development' was notable for being written by then World Vision staff person Alan Whaites, who went on to become a respected development political scientist. Whaites offered a picture of an organization that was often spurred to innovate and change as a result of internal reflection on external criticism.[36]
In 2007, British animal rights group Animal Aid criticized World Vision, Oxfam, and other aid groups for sending farm animals to families in developing countries. Animal Aid argued that farm animals drink water and eat the food that could otherwise be used to feed families more efficiently.[37]
"In February 2007...World Vision received an anonymous tip that lower level World Vision Liberia employees in key positions...were diverting food deliveries and building supplies for personal gain. World Vision immediately launched an investigation into the allegations, sending auditors to [their] field sites. Through this extensive internal audit, World Vision uncovered the nature and extent of the alleged violations and furnished detailed documentation that assisted the U.S. Government’s subsequent investigation."[38]
Its partner in India, World Vision India,[39] is accused of the violence and attack to eliminate a Hindu monk Swami Lakshmanananda;[40] of pumping money into India for religious conversion and also during 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami, that is hidden from public discourse and that World Vision India was one of the top recipient of funds for Christian missionary activity in India;[41] and allegedly hatching plot to kill Swami Lakshmanananda.[42] WV India denies the allegations[43].