World Vision announced its plans to raise a half-billion dollars to launch a new international effort to reach 10 million people in poverty.
The organization will begin a $500-million fundraising campaign called “For Every Child,” which will help children and families in poverty-stricken areas gain access to clean water, fight infectious diseases, guard against trafficking, and fund economic development through loans.
The new campaign comes just as “foreign aid continues to be threatened by government cuts and sequestration,” the organization says. World Vision president Richard Stearns says the effort is not merely a fundraising campaign, but “a rescue mission for the children we help.”
“This is the most far-reaching endeavor in World Vision’s history,” Stearns said. “Our goals are ambitious and the impact we hope to make would transform the lives of a generation of children.”
Since its founding in 1950, World Vision has become an international force, one of the largest relief and development charities in the world. The organization was featured along with other humanitarian groups in a CT cover story on the best ways to fight poverty. Child sponsorship was one of those ways. Stearns contributed to CT as part of that package, and also has been interviewed by CT in the past.
In the upcoming June issue, CT will highlight child sponsorship once again, looking at the success of Compassion International’s unique program.
