Jannatul, 5, heads home from the Child-Friendly Space near her shelter in the Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh. This generous gift will help millions of children just like her. (Photo: Jon Warren)
(July 12, 2021) –
At a time when the world's most vulnerable children, families and communities are facing unprecedented challenges, World Vision Canada is honoured to receive a $5 million gift that will, when maximized with the generous donations of partners like the World Food Programme and the Government of Canada, make a difference in the lives of approximately 17 million people. The generous donor has asked to remain anonymous.
In the world's most fragile countries, 14,000 children under five are dying every day from preventable causes such as lack of access to adequate food, clean water, medicine, and prenatal care. The global COVID-19 pandemic is only exacerbating these challenges while threatening to undo decades of progress that could draw millions more children and families into abject poverty.
This generous donation will immediately help many of the vulnerable children and families in these countries as we partner to reach millions more to help create a sustainable future where communities can thrive, and every child can experience hope and well-being.
"We are so grateful for this wonderful gift, especially considering how the global pandemic has exacerbated challenges in very difficult places to be a child," said Michael Messenger, President and CEO, World Vision Canada. "This donor's remarkable generosity will help us meet urgent needs and leverage other resources to help create longer-term opportunities to empower children."
With this substantial gift, World Vision programs will focus on a three-part commitment to help children, their families and their communities move toward fully thriving:
- Respond to urgent needs immediately while combatting the primary and secondary impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.
- Ensure that children under five have a healthy start to life through health and nutrition programming.
- Provide microfinance and business training that helps vulnerable families and entrepreneurs build livelihoods and lay the economic foundations that will enable them to prosper for generations to come.
"We're looking forward to the lasting changes this gift will bring to the lives of children and their communities," said Messenger, "And we're grateful that this anonymous donor has agreed to let us share the news of this gift to inspire others to help us respond to the needs of children. Our teams are on the ground and ready to serve even more children and communities in need."