Lost in history? Guess the year!

For generations, World Vision Canada has partnered with Canadians to help children, families and communities overcome poverty and injustice. Along the way, there have been bold rescue missions, youth-led movements, iconic songs, freezing-cold fundraisers, emergency responses and advocacy wins that have changed Canadian law.

How well do you know your World Vision history?

Here's how the quiz works.

• Read the question.
• Select your multiple-choice answer.
• Scroll down for a photo clue.
• Find the answer (and story!) below.

Question 1: What year was World Vision Canada founded?

A. 1947 B. 1950 C. 1957 D. 1971

Answer: 1957

World Vision Canada began in 1957, seven years after World Vision International was founded. Since then, we’ve partnered with Canadians to help empower children, families and communities with essentials like clean water, healthcare and education. Our origin story reaches back to Bob Pierce, who gave his last $5 in 1950 to help a girl who’d been orphaned in China. That small act of compassion sparked a global movement that continues today. Learn more about World Vision Canada.

Question 2: What year did World Vision defy the dominant voices of the day to launch a rescue mission for stranded Vietnamese refugees?

A. 1969 B. 1975 C. 1979 D. 1984

Answer: 1979

In 1979, amid political unrest, war and genocide across Southeast Asia, families were fleeing Vietnam by boat. With neighbouring countries refusing them entry, an estimated 200,000 to 400,000 people died at sea. When no one else would act, World Vision raised funds for an old freighter and launched Operation Seasweep, the first international rescue ship to provide food and medical assistance to 93 stranded refugees. Read the full Operation Seasweep story.

Question 3: What year was the first 30 Hour Famine event held?

A. 1971 B. 1980 C. 1999 D. 2004

Answer: 1971

The first 30 Hour Famine began in 1971 in Calgary, when teenager Ruth Roberts and a group of friends staged an event to raise awareness about children facing hunger in Ethiopia. Their small, youth-led action grew into one of World Vision’s most recognizable fundraising and awareness events. Today, the 30 Hour Famine invites youth groups and churches to go without food or another “comfort” for 30 hours while raising money to fight global hunger. Get involved in the 30 Hour Famine.

Question 4: What year did one small World Vision flight help spark Live Aid—the greatest benefit concert in history?

A. 1979 B. 1984 C. 1985 D. 1991

Answer: 1984

In 1985, Live Aid brought global attention to the Ethiopia famine. But before the concert, World Vision had already been responding. BBC journalists travelled in a World Vision Twin Otter plane to film the famine footage that shocked the world in 1984 and helped ignite international support. Watch the story: How a World Vision plane made music history.

Question 5: What year did Tom Cochrane travel with World Vision—and find inspiration for his most famous song?

A. 1983 B. 1989 C. 1991 D. 1995

Answer: 1989

In 1989, Canadian musician Tom Cochrane travelled to Mozambique with World Vision. The intense sorrow and joy that he experienced there changed him, and inspired one of Canada’s most recognizable songs: “Life is a Highway.” The song became a pop-culture classic, but its roots are deeply connected to Cochrane’s humanitarian journey with World Vision. Watch Tom reflect on the experience 25 years later.

Question 6: What year did Canada’s largest polar bear dip start raising funds for World Vision water projects?

A. 1986 B. 1995 C. 2001 D. 2010

Answer: 1995

The Courage Polar Bear Dip began as a family tradition in Oakville in 1986, when Gaye Courage dared her sons Todd and Trent to “jump in the lake” on New Year’s Day. But the World Vision Canada milestone came in 1995, when the Courage family teamed up with World Vision Canada to raise support for clean water projects. Since then, the event has raised more than $2.47 million and become the largest of its kind in the country. Take the plunge or support the dip.

Question 7: What year did World Vision launch the Hope Initiative in response to the HIV and AIDS crisis?

A. 1996 B. 2000 C. 2004 D. 2010

Answer: 2000

On World AIDS Day in 2000, as the AIDS pandemic devastated rural communities, World Vision announced a groundbreaking global initiative to fight HIV and AIDS. The Hope Initiative invited churches, faith leaders and communities to help protect children, care for orphans and support families affected by the crisis. This work later expanded through Channels of Hope, a curriculum that continues equipping faith leaders to respond to difficult issues affecting children in their communities. In 2010, the initiative was phased out, with HIV and AIDS programming being fully integrated into World Vision’s core approaches. Learn more about the Hope Initiative.

Question 8: What year did World Vision launch its largest-ever relief response at the time, following the Indian Ocean tsunami?

A. 1998 B. 2001 C. 2004 D. 2008

Answer: 2004 In 2004, a 9.1 magnitude earthquake triggered a devastating tsunami across the Indian Ocean, killing nearly 230,000 people and leaving many more injured or homeless. World Vision launched its largest-ever relief response at the time, raising US$350 million across five affected countries. Canadians were part of that response through World Vision Canada, providing emergency essentials like blankets, clothing, kitchen utensils, water tanks and roofing materials. Read World Vision’s reflection, 20 years later.

Question 9: What year did the Rana Plaza tragedy in Bangladesh spur on World Vision Canada’s No Child for Sale campaign?

A. 2008 B. 2011 C. 2013 D. 2016

Answer: 2013

On April 24, 2013, the eight-story Rana Plaza building in Bangladesh—where 5,000 garment workers worked—collapsed. It was one of the deadliest industrial accidents in history. More than 1,100 people died. The tragedy lit a fire for World Vision Canada’s public advocacy and education campaign, No Child for Sale. The campaign raised awareness about child labour and forced labour in everyday goods used by Canadians, while calling for legislative solutions. Watch the campaign ad.

Question 10: What year did Canada actually pass legislation to help fight child labour and forced labour in our supply chains?

A. 2018 B. 2020 C. 2023 D. 2025

Answer: 2023

In 2023, Canada passed Bill S-211, the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act. This breakthrough legislation followed more than a decade of World Vision Canada advocacy through the No Child for Sale campaign. It requires Canadian companies to report on whether there are any signs of child labour in their supply chains and provide accountability on how they will address it. The bill received Royal Assent on May 11, 2023, and came into force on January 1, 2024. Read World Vision’s reflection on the decade-long effort.

How did you do?

Across seven decades of work, World Vision Canada has spoken against injustice, nurtured social movements and stood firmly beside the world’s most marginalized children. As an organization, we have grown and learned and changed along the way. But a look through these landmark moments shows:

• Each change began with a small cry for justice.
• Each achievement can be traced back to regular people, choosing to act.

We made history—together—when we partnered with you.

Do you want to be part of what comes next?

One of the world’s worst humanitarian crises is happening, right now, in Sudan. Learn how you can lend your voice.

If you enjoyed this walk through history, check out our Vision Journal podcast episodes to hear from:

• Corey Scarrow and Mark Polic, World Vision videographers who’ve spent 50 combined years telling children’s stories
• Rick Campanelli, on 30 years of global impact with World Vision
• Vanessa Saraiva, on what it’s really like to be a humanitarian response worker