Moments of change that made 2025 unforgettable

World Vision is committed to transformational development—this defines how we respond to poverty and vulnerability, and how we work with communities and partners to achieve our mission: life in all its fullness for every child.

The process of transformational development prioritizes shared learning and holistic change to address the deep structural, spiritual and social root causes affecting children’s needs in their communities. Throughout the journey, vulnerable children work alongside their communities, economic systems and governments to explore challenges, confront injustices and identify opportunities for sustained child well-being.

With a transformational development mindset, World Vision upholds the following in our ministry to children, the poor and the marginalized:

1. Listen. We listen to God and the people we serve. We ensure that women, men, girls and boys are involved in decisions that affect their lives. In fragile contexts, we address people’s survival needs while tackling the violence, fragility and vulnerability challenges they identify.
2. Include. We focus on reaching the most marginalized and vulnerable children and families, regardless of ethnicity, faith, gender or any other factors. We do this because God calls us to protect and empower the underserved, ensuring they have a voice in decision-making and benefit from our work.
3. Empower. We aim to support the people we serve in leading their own recovery and shaping their own futures. We encourage the full participation of women and men, girls and boys, and create opportunities for vulnerable populations to shape program decisions.
4. Connect. We collaborate with local actors, including civil society organizations, faith-based organizations, churches, local and national governments, and the private sector. Through partnering, we aim to strengthen their capacity for transformational development. We build relationships grounded in equity, transparency and mutual benefit, both with and among these organizations.
5. Challenge. We seek to strengthen systems and institutions that help children, rebuilding accountability between service providers and the communities they serve. In fragile contexts, we collect local and national-level data to support peacebuilding and influence the behaviours and policies of duty-bearers and service-providers for the benefit of children.
6. Adapt. We work across the humanitarian-development-peacebuilding nexus, supporting vulnerable communities’ and families’ ability to survive, build peace and strengthen their resilience to shocks and stresses. We focus on areas where the greatest risks to children—conflict, fragility, climate threats, extreme gender inequality and social exclusion—intersect, especially in urban and fragile contexts.

Your support continues to be the catalyst that brings these pieces together. From interdependence to resilience, these next stories shine as proof that change is possible against all odds.

Hope flows in Amarech's village

Amarech,13, has faced significant challenges in her young life. After the loss of her father several years ago, she now lives with her mother, three brothers and four sisters. Her mother works tirelessly to support the family through subsistence farming and small-scale trading. “My family often struggles to meet basic needs, including access to clean drinking water,” Amarech says.

Amarech’s community in Ethiopia faced a chronic water shortage, with coverage at just 30 per cent, far below average, requiring urgent action. This scarcity severely impacted education. Many students dropped out as children were travelling long distances to fetch water, often missing school as a result. The lack of safe drinking water also triggered serious health risks from waterborne diseases like cholera. To address these challenges, World Vision partnered with the community to build a new water supply through our area programme, using the WASH in Schools model.

“Since the installation of water points in my village and school, my health has significantly improved, and so has my academic performance,” Amarech shares. Having water closer to home has given her the gift of time: “It allows me to focus more on my studies.”

The water supply project has benefited 2,101 people, including 1,263 children. One student shares, “We are no longer afraid of cholera and other fatal waterborne diseases, thanks to World Vision.”

Stories like these are part of a much bigger picture. Because of your support, every hour, 38 people get access to clean drinking water. Through World Vision’s water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) projects, children and families can stay healthy, grow food, raise livestock and protect the environment—laying the foundation for lasting well-being and sustainable futures.

The voice that refused to fade

To many, Sheyla is known as the young woman who famously travelled to Switzerland to address the United Nations on food security. She is studying Communication Sciences at a university located on Peru’s northern coast, a region that faces significant challenges in security, education and health. But to her friends, Sheyla is the girl who, at meetings, is first to raise her hand and ask what others think. She speaks with confidence that feels innate, as if shyness has never touched her. But it has.

Sheyla may be a confident speaker today, but she first joined a World Vision program as a timid three-year-old, clinging to her mother. Over the years, she discovered something profound: the power of her voice. Sheyla learned that she could name what was happening in her community: the lack of opportunities, the violence affecting families, the precariousness that felt normalized. More importantly, she discovered there were people willing to listen to her. First, in the school municipality. Later, in the participation network, where children and adolescents from the community organized to speak with authorities. It was there that Sheyla learned: words carry more weight when we share them.

Over the years, Sheyla had more opportunities to use her voice, culminating in a trip to Geneva, where she spoke to UN representatives about the needs in her community—school feeding, children’s realities and the future. She did it with a conviction that surprised even herself, believing her words could influence decisions on other continents.

Now 19, Sheyla is in a new stage of life. She has trained as a leader, is studying to become a communicator, and remains connected to World Vision through a university scholarship program. As a part of the Promised Land area program funded by World Vision Canada, the initiative ensures that financial barriers don’t stand in the way of her career. "I want to work in spaces that transform lives, as World Vision did with mine," Sheyla says.

Every step—from the children's workshop to the UN, from the school municipality to the university—carries the same thread: elevating voices like Sheyla’s can create a measurable impact—research has found that every dollar invested in World Vision Canada’s community-led advocacy work generates $6 back to communities in health and education benefits.

Stopping early marriage: Malawi's mission

Child abuse remains a serious issue in Malawi, and Sellina’s community was falling behind in its ability to create a safer environment for children, with only a handful of child protection committee members following up on identified cases of abuse—41 cases had been reported.

The child protection committee decided to launch a campaign to rescue children from early marriage. With support from World Vision, 61 community volunteers were equipped with training in child protection. The volunteers counseled these children and provided school supplies support their return to school.

Sellina, 16, had been forced into marriage by her parents and uncles. “Me and other children lacked basic necessities and opted to marry or work, even if it affected our health,” she says. Sellina gave birth to a baby boy, before being rescued by child protection committee members.

Through the community’s efforts, Sellina and 41 other children were freed from early marriage and other forms of abuse. Now in high school, she dreams of becoming a nurse.

Physical interventions like access to clean water, leadership and advocacy that drive personal transformation, and structural changes like child protection networks all work together to achieve sustainable, transformational development. When these elements align, they don’t just change systems—they change lives, creating futures where every child can thrive.

Written by Rami Shamma, Implementation Enablement Lead, Program Excellence & Impact Delivery, with contributions from Bryna Jones, Knowledge Management Specialist, Programs & Policy. Edited by Christina Cook.