World News & Stories

Jehovanise, Rebecca and Diane fled conflict, malaria and flooding in Burundi. They lived in Tanzania for three years, but life in the refugee camp is hard. They've returned to Burundi seeking hope for a better future, but is it too soon? 

Even before her abduction, Agnes’ childhood had already been shaped by war. Millions of South Sudanese children endure chronic hunger in the chaos wrought by violent conflict. They’ve endured illness, gone without schooling, grown up in fear. 

 

Lionel became a soldier at age 11. He did it to stay alive. The soldiers who gunned down his terrified community members, killed is parents. Lionel was alone in the world. 

 

It was evening in Marie’s village in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Supper was finished. Families enjoyed the cool of the evening, lingering around the lantern, laughing and telling stories. Suddenly, gunfire pierced the night. And Marie’s life was split in two.  

 

Discover seven ways to experience holiday wonder with your kids, without abandoning traditions or breaking the bank.  

The holiday season can be so hard on the planet we love. All too often, the traditions we embrace come wrapped in layers of paper, reams of plastic and mountains of disposable shopping bags.

Christmas comes but once a year – and that’s plenty for most of us. Many people meet life’s pressures quite well. And then December arrives. Why are we so vulnerable during that time?

Real-life aid workers do far more than distribute aid to “people in other countries.” Many of the world’s humanitarians hail from the very countries, or communities they serve. Luna is one of them.

Even before armed groups came crashing into her town in the Kurdish region of Iraq, Tabarak’s education was pulled to an abrupt halt.

When rebels attacked and burned their village in Central African Republic, 15 year-old Angela and 11 year-old Innes escaped with their mothers during the night, carrying nothing but the clothes they were wearing. Now they are in a safer place, but at the same time, they’re facing a different kind of danger. One that lasts much longer. The prospect of no education and a difficult road ahead. 

When civil war first erupted in Nyamal’s village, four years ago, she became one of the four million people who were forced to flee their homes. At Nyamal’s school in the camp, students learn to read and write, tackle math equations, learn about science and how to be good leaders in the future.
 

Jipara and her family were forced to flee their home in Myanmar when their village was burned down by the military, and it was no longer safe to stay. She attends a Child Friendly Space at the refugee camp where she tries hard to continue to learn and teach the other children.

After fleeing war-torn Somalia, Fatuma says education literally saved her life. She spent much of her childhood and adolescence in a refugee camp in Kenya, and is currently attending the University of Toronto. “Going to school gave me hope for a better future,” Fatuma says.

After the horror of Nepal’s 2015 earthquake, Nikita struggled to find the courage to step indoors. Her own home and school were badly damaged. Nikita joined the thousands of Nepali students who were trying to keep up with lessons in temporary structures, during the weeks and months that their schools were off-limits.

Seven examples of countries in crisis. Seven girls, coming of age amidst unthinkable circumstances. They share a common courage, in the face of danger and deprivation. And they share something else: an urgent need for education. Hadeel is the first girl.

Families are fighting malnutrition in Honduras, with a new way of thinking about adding vegetables to the kids’ tortillas. Not rolled up inside, where they can be detected and avoided, but mashed into the actual dough.
 


When the pressures of the holidays seem to be too much, this article reminds us of what is important.

As Father's Day approaches, I wanted to learn how dads around the world encourage, mentor and care for their children. Looking through the World Vision photo database, I found dozens of men who go to immense lengths for their little ones.

Children should be playing, learning to read and write and experiencing happy, healthy childhoods. But when there’s not enough money to put a meal on the table, children have no choice but to earn their keep. It’s a growing problem, particularly in countries that don’t have strong governments, laws and regulations to make sure children are going to school, not down mine shafts.

This Saturday, I got to meet real-life superheroes. They were refugee mothers, recently arrived from the Middle East having escaped Syria. All of them had come to a giant playdate organized by World Vision and the Mennonite Central Committee for their families.