Where does World Vision Canada work, and why?

World Vision is guided by a single goal: The sustained well-being of children, especially the most vulnerable.

To reach this goal, we must first meet children (and their families) where they are—and understand their needs—before we can work with them toward immediate and long-term solutions.

Does the word “vulnerable” sound ambiguous to you? World Vision identifies “vulnerable” girls and boys as those under 18 who experience two or more of the following realities*:

• Children in abusive, violent or exploitative relationships
• Children living in extreme poverty and deprivation
• Children who face discrimination that prevents them from accessing services and opportunities
• Children who are most susceptible to the negative effects of emergencies and protracted crises
• Children with disabilities or life-threatening health conditions
• Children who live without care and protection

We are deeply saddened by the fact that children encounter such complex threats and challenges across the globe. Our founder, Bob Pierce, once prayed, “May my heart be broken by the things that break the heart of God.” We continue to offer that prayer, as we know that children in need break God’s heart.

We find at-risk girls and boys in every setting where we work—from high-developing countries like Thailand and Peru to the most fragile regions of Iraq and South Sudan.

We prioritize locations where girls and boys are in harm’s way, exposed to violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect.

Over the past several years, World Vision Canada has focused increasingly on fragile contexts —areas fraught with extreme poverty, chronic instability, conflict and violence. In 2024, 61 per cent of our investment was used to support the most fragile countries and pockets of fragility (up from 34 per cent in 2020). Why? These are the most difficult environments for vulnerable girls and boys.

In fragile contexts, political and social stresses put children in harm’s way, exposing them to the worst kinds of violence, exploitation, abuse and neglect. These settings provide less protection against factors that accelerate extreme child vulnerability, including gender inequality, social exclusion and the impacts of climate change.

In some places, governments are unable or unwilling to uphold basic rights and ensure the well-being of their citizens, or lack the capacity to manage conflict without violence. In extreme cases, the state may be non-existent, or actively involved in perpetrating violence against its people. According to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), fragile contexts are home to a quarter of the world’s population, but account for three-quarters of people living in extreme poverty worldwide.

If we are committed to reaching the world’s most marginalized children, we need to be where they are.

World Vision compiles and maintains a yearly fragility ranking of the countries where we work.* This helps us to plan our work where the needs are greatest.

In 2024, World Vision Canada worked in the following countries within the levels of fragility outlined below:

MOST FRAGILE: Afghanistan, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Haiti, Iraq, Jerusalem, West Bank and Gaza, Lebanon, Mali, Myanmar, Niger, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, Venezuela and Zimbabwe

VERY LOW DEVELOPING: Angola, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritania, Mozambique, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Uganda, Yemen and Zambia

LOW DEVELOPING: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Ghana, Guatemala, Honduras, India, Laos, Nepal, Nicaragua, Philippines, Rwanda, Senegal and Sri Lanka

MEDIUM DEVELOPING: Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador and Indonesia

HIGH DEVELOPING: Armenia, Brazil, Chile, China, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Mexico, Moldova, Peru and Thailand

Inclusion in these categories is never static—situations change rapidly and although we track trends, our data does not predict the future. Instability can be felt across entire countries, reach beyond national borders, or be contained in smaller areas—even neighbourhoods of cities—called “pockets of fragility.”

World Vision has developed a Fragile Contexts Programming Approach (FCPA) tailored to our work in fragile contexts and built on the need to be agile in these rapidly evolving environments. This approach to fragile and humanitarian programming spans the Humanitarian-Development-Peacebuilding Nexus (HDPN).

It outlines a pathway for change that enables us to work with or through partners, to fund and implement effective action across the HDPN, (which protects lives). It addresses the root causes of fragility and deepens the sustainable impact of our work in these contexts. Our approach ensures families have the tools to survive, addresses the underlying issues that threaten their stability, and ultimately seeks a future where they can thrive.

We see long-lasting change through long-term commitments.

Creating a reality where the most vulnerable children can experience full and flourishing lives requires systemic change, with stable and well-functioning institutions that support their well-being.

This calls for community-led advocacy that holds governments accountable to their commitments, country-level efforts to improve policies and international initiatives to change the way we approach issues that affect children. This work—and sustainable change—takes time. World Vision typically partners with a community for at least 12 years, with most of the staff being local, to create sustainable change.

Consider World Vision’s 11-year effort pushing for legislation to eliminate child labour from the supply chains of Canadian companies: The Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act is now in force as of January 1, 2024. Canadian companies must now report on whether there is any sign of child labour in their supply chains and provide accountability about how they will address it.

More recently, the World Vision Partnership launched ENOUGH, a three-year global advocacy campaign to end child hunger and malnutrition. In Canada, our focus is on urging the Government of Canada to fix broken and unjust food systems.

The gap between rich and poor continues to widen. Global conflicts, climate change and the rising cost of living are leading to a “polycrisis” that is deepening inequality and pushing more families to the edge of survival. We believe it is not enough to help them merely survive. By investing in recovery, followed by long-term stability and growth, we are working toward a future where their children can flourish and succeed.

This information originally appeared in our Annual Results Report. Read the full report to learn more about how we work, and the progress communities made, in 2024.

* These factors may shift according to the environment.