World Vision wants a high quality of life for every child. But that quality of life can be drastically lowered by unjust social structures. Speaking out for the poor and oppressed—particularly children—is central to World Vision's mission.

Our Four Areas of Focus
How Advocacy Works
The Advocacy Team

The Need for an Advocate
The four areas in which we work

In Africa, children as young as seven or eight care for parents dying of AIDS. This means watching a loved one waste away in agony. When the mother or father dies, the child may inherit the responsibility of providing all the necessities of life—often for many younger siblings. If any of the children were born with HIV, the necessary medicines are unavailable.
About our HIV and AIDS work

In Uganda, children were abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army, to be used as soldiers or sex slaves. Many were made to kill members of their own family or village. Girls were raped repeatedly, some becoming mothers in the bush. The children who survive these ordeals suffer massive psychological trauma. Many are rejected by their communities and have nowhere to go.
About our Peace and Conflict work

In Asia, children are stalked by killer diseases such as tuberculosis. Too weak to learn math or even kick a ball, their weight plummets and they endure constant chest pain. Trips to health clinics are often fruitless. Because governments are unprepared to deal with issues such as health care, frustrated doctors must turn their small patients away without medication.
About our Economic Justice work

In Cambodia, young girls serving as prostitutes are forced to have sex with as many as 10 men each day. Desperately poor, many of the girls were lured to the city with promises of respectable work. They were then sold to brothel owners, to live in padlocked rooms. The money they earn goes back to the brothel owners.
About our Child Rights work