World Vision International - Report Example

World Vision International: A Vision by One, A Vision for All Our vision for every child, life in all its fullness; Our prayer for every heart, the will to make it so. -World Vision International Vision Statement Introduction. Working on six continents around the globe, World Vision International is one of the largest Christian humanitarian, and relief and development organizations that work for the well being of the poor and vulnerable people, particularly for children. The organisation directs it efforts on children because it believes that they are the best benchmark on the status of social health in their respective communities. World Vision International assists communities through emergency relief, education, health care, economic development, and justice promotion. The organisation traces its origins back in 1950 when it was instituted to care for orphans in Asia. Today, World Vision itself has expanded to meet the broader concerns on community development and advocacy to the poor in its duty to help children and their families shape sustainable futures. Its projects can be classified into two major areas, particularly, (1) long-term sustainable community development concentrating on addressing problems identified by the community itself, like clean water, education, health care, agricultural improvements and public hygiene, and (2) short-term emergency relief, such as providing food, shelter and medical care to victims of natural or man-made disasters. Most of these relief projects are planned to switch smoothly into development activities. History. Deeply moved by the poverty and hunger he witnessed in Asia, an American evangelist by the name of Rev. Bob Pierce founded World Vision in 1950. In 1953, Pierce established a programme of child sponsorship to help out children orphaned by the Korean War. Pierce plead to North Americans to finance the costs of caring for these children through pledging a certain amount each month. Operations were then directed from a head office near Los Angeles. Over the next two decades, World Vision expanded its work throughout Asia, and into Latin America and Africa. Funds obtained through child sponsorship assisted poor children with food, education, health care, and vocational training. During the 1970s, World Vision took up a broader community development model and established an emergency relief division, which is set to address the causes of poverty by focusing on community needs such as water, sanitation, education, health, leadership training, and income-generating projects. At the same time, large-scale relief efforts were initiated on behalf of earthquake victims in Central America, cyclone survivors in India, and refugees at a loose end in the South China Sea. Recognising the international range of both operations and fundraising, World Vision International was established in 1978 as a partnership of interdependent national offices. By 1985, World Vision maintained development projects in 84 nations and was taking to the globe's most terrible humanitarian disasters. A major relief effort was brought to Ethiopia where an extensive famine threatened to claim millions of lives. With the breakdown of communism in the 1990s,World Vision began its operations in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union area. It focused on small loans for poor entrepreneurs and finding homes for disabled and institutionalised children within their own communities. Mission Statement and Core Values. According to World Vision International, the centre of its undertakings is in creating stronger and healthier relationships, as it believes that the lack of such leads to community impoverishment. It believes that when children are loved and taught with the right values, provided with appropriate food, shelter, education, protection, a community flourishes. It attains sustainable development through partnering with underprivileged communities and working to advance lives of dignity, justice and hope. Communities that are in need, through appropriate assistance such as funding and training, are able to enhance education, improve health conditions, cultivate food, and generate employment while at the same time encouraging self-development and children support. It also responds to emergencies as the organisation looks after people at risky situations and provides emergency assistance such as food, shelter, clothing and preparedness for future calamities. World Vision International's mission statement is as follows: "World Vision is an international partnership of Christians whose mission 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." (World Vision) Moreover, the organization is steered by six core values, which are fundamental and guiding principles that determine World Vision's actions, challenge that to be lived and worked to, namely: (1) we are Christian; (2) we are committed to the poor; (3) we value people; (4) we are stewards; (5) we are partners; and (6) we are responsive. World Vision stresses that child-focused operations means improving the lives of children by addressing the causes of their suffering for they are the most vulnerable members of any community. For example, through meeting food insecurity issues in a community with irrigation systems, improved seeds and training to farmers, their children can eat better and more able to meet their dietary requirements, hence, reducing the problem on malnutrition, not just in the immediate present but also in the future. Most importantly, being or becoming a Christian is not a prerequisite for receiving help from World Vision. Organisational Structure. World Vision International operates as a partnership of interdependent national offices, managed by their own boards or advisory councils. The Partnership, as it is called, is bound by a mission statement and shared core values. When a partner signs the Covenant of Partnership, he/she agrees to stand by common policies and standards. Partners hold each other accountable through an ongoing system of peer review. Twenty-four board members, from 19 different nations, consist the Board of World Vision International. The Board then oversees the international President, authorizes strategic plans and budgets, and determines the international policy. The Board also meets twice a year, decides on the Partnership's senior officers, approves strategic plans and budgets, and settle on international policy.Currently, the chairperson of the international board is Denis St. Amour of Canada while Dr. Dean R. Hirsch is the international president and chief executive officer. On the other hand, national boards exercise responsibility for governance in those offices that have attained full membership in the Partnership. As much as possible, operational decisions are made at the local or national level. National directors in turn approve more than 90 percent of all projects within previously approved budgets. Larger projects on the other hand are sent on the counsel of national directors, national boards of directors and Partnership senior management. Special task forces on various issues of concern are formed as necessary for particular coursework. A World Vision International Council, comprised of international board members and national board delegates representing World Vision national offices, converge every three years to talk about the matters involving Partnership. The Council reviews overall objectives, sanctions international board members, and exercises authority over the bylaws and general membership functions. How People Participate in World Vision Projects. World Vision usually works across a geographic area in an Area Development Program (ADP), which is characterized by particular social, natural or political boundary, usually 40-60 square kilometres in area. World Vision assumes this process so that communities, which have similar needs, can be connected to each other, learn from each other and make best use of resources available. An ordinary ADP may contain 20-50 villages with a population of 40,000 to 100,000 and the organization commits to work in an area for 10-15 years. World Vision's success measures include the achievement of project goals, training of community members in their ability to continue or take an active role for the on-going development projects and community leadership committed to complete project activities. There are two ways how World Vision gets informed and involved in a community. An individual in the community, a group, or church, or local authorities may ask the organisation's facilitators for help. This is done either through letter or in person. This then provides World Vision in need of help and that they have identified the organisation's work. It could be also the other way around when World Vision approaches the community which can take form of an extension of their emergency relief work in the area, as part of their work in a cluster of villages, or to specially start a new project as part of the organisation's strategy in that country. World Vision then starts building relationships in that community by visiting the area, identifying the abilities of the locals, and meting immediate needs. The organisation starts the information gathering process in the community in order to evaluate the factors that hinder development and how these might be overcome. This is also done to determine how the community and World Vision can work together and which resources must be contributed e.g. labour, materials, and money. Such information may involve data on birth rates, agricultural production levels, yearly weather patterns, work distribution, roles men and women assume, as well as incidence of diseases. A community committee is then formed to work together with World Vision project staff, draft implementation plans, establish ways progress will be measured and how the project track can be made better. They are also to make a project proposal, which is to be submitted to the World Vision Office in their country for funding. About 80 percent of the organisation's funds can be traced from private sources, which includes individuals, corporations and foundations. The rest comes from governments and other agencies. Food commodities, medicine, and clothing commodities are received from corporations or government agencies. The organization reports that about half of their programmes are financed through child sponsorships. To quote: "Individuals, families, churches and groups are linked with specific children or specific community projects in their own country or abroad. Sponsors pledge a certain amount each month to the support of these children or projects. Child sponsorship seeks to address the root causes of poverty and suffering so a child can enjoy as full a life as possible." (World Vision) Latest News. In response to the latest 6.3 magnitude quake that struck Indonesia last 27 May 2006, World Vision began distributing relief aid to survivors, particularly in the Yogyakarta area in the central part of Java Island. The quake, which was reported to be the worst in Indonesia after the tsunami incident in Aceh province at the end of 2004 killed some 3,500 people and injured thousands others while many people were still asleep. Inhabitants of the Jetis village in Bantul district, the area worst affected by the tremor, were the first to receive the first batch of relief goods, consisting of 380 tarpaulins and several hundred blankets and sarongs, and 39 units of velt beds, all distributed by the Indonesian arm of World Vision. In Sudan, World Vision distributed supplementary food to over 12,000 new Internally Displaced Persons in three camps across South Darfur. These new IDPs, who have been streaming into the camps from various villages for the past three weeks, received 10-day rations of cereals, corn soya blend, vegetable oil, salt and sugar, all provided by the World Food Programme (WFP). As militia attacks led IDPs to flee their homes, they have stayed down under trees, in schools, clinics and just about any empty space in the camps. For most of them, humanitarian assistance has been slow in coming. In East Timor, World Vision appealed for security protection to continue their delivery of urgently needed humanitarian aid to those who have fled their homes amid the violence. The organisation has been supporting three major camps in Dili, housing some 50,000 people. To note, World Vision staff have evacuated from their offices and compound due to the violence.The organization also delivered two truckloads of food items to two camps in East Timor. Analysis. On the issue that non-governmental organizations simply promote the goals of special interest groups, it must be noted that World Vision's target people are children. For one, it is the general objective of all parents across nations to provide better opportunities for their children particularly in the area of health, education and food security. On the accusation that some NGOs create e-mail "swarms" or grandstanding in some unproductive ways, World Vision only accepts help from those who belong to the Partnership and the international and national boards see to it that funds are used in their most cost-effective use as they are also the ones that approve the project proposals made by formed community committees. Most importantly, the organization is not "paternalistic" in nature as part of the community committee that drafts the programmes in particular ADPs are members of the community concerned. It is not also appropriate to judge that World Vision, since it is Christian in nature, is driven by a religious belief system that weakens the cultural groups that they are trying to assist. For one, being Christian is not a prerequisite in receiving help from World Vision staff. Works Cited "Who We Are." World Vision International. May 2002. 30 May 2006. "Latest News." World Vision International. May 2002. 28 May 2006. http://www.wvi.org/wvi/news/latest_news.htm "Participatory Development: Power to the People." World Vision of Australia. May 2003 26 May 2006. World Vision. May 2006. World Vision International. 27 May 2006. Read More