World Vision International is a Christian relief and development organisation working for the well being of all people, especially children. Through emergency relief, education, health care, economic development and promotion of justice, World Vision helps communities help themselves.

Established in 1950 to care for orphans in Asia, World Vision has grown to embrace the larger issues of community development and advocacy for the poor in its mission to help children and their families build sustainable futures. Working on six continents, World Vision is one of the largest Christian relief and development organisations in the world. World Vision functions as a partnership of interdependent national offices, overseen by their own boards or advisory councils. A common mission statement and shared core values bind the Partnership.

The heart of World Vision's work is in helping communities build stronger and healthier relationships. The absence of such relationships impoverishes communities. World Vision focuses on children because they are the best indicator of a community's social health. Changing a child's life for the better is at the heart of the process of transformational development. This process first helps people and their communities recognise the resources that lie within themselves to make change possible. As a result, health care, agriculture production, water projects, education, micro-enterprise development, advocacy and other programmes are carried out by the community with the support of World Vision. When children are fed, sheltered, schooled, protected, valued and loved, a community thrives.

Child sponsorship is a way of raising long term support for children whilst providing a rich and rewarding experience to donors. Child sponsorship establishes a relationship between a donor and a single child in a way that personalises the challenges of community development while allowing donors to see how their money is making a difference to the life of an individual child, family and their community.

For further information visit one of World Vision's sites around the world.

WV Switzerland: www.worldvision.ch
WV Germany: www.worldvision.de
WV France: www.worldvision.fr
WV International: www.wvi.org