- World Vision International
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For the television production company of the same name, see Worldvision Enterprises.
World Vision International Founder(s) Walter Stanley Mooneyham, World Vision United States Type Non-governmental organization Founded 1977 Location Monrovia, U.S.A., 800 West Chestnut Avenue, Monrovia, CA 91016-3198 (registered administrative center); London, UK (Partnership Office/Global Centre); Geneva, Switzerland (International Liaison); Nairobi, Kenya (Africa Region); Nicosia, Cyprus (Middle East and Eastern European Region); Bangkok, Thailand (Asia Pacific Region); San José, Costa Rica (Latin America and Caribbean Region) Key people Kevin Jenkins (International President)
Denis St. Armour (Chairperson Int'l Board)Area served 97 countries Focus Well being of all people, especially children. Method Transformational Development through emergency relief, community development and policy and advocacy Revenue US$2.6 billion (2008) Employees 40,000 (2010)[1] Motto Our vision for every child, life in all its fullness; our prayer for every heart, the will to make it so. Website www.wvi.org World Vision International, founded in the USA in 1977, is an evangelical[2] relief and development umbrella organization whose stated goal is "to follow our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in working with the poor and oppressed to promote human transformation, seek justice and bear witness to the good news of the Kingdom of God."[3] World Vision is one of the largest relief and development organizations in the world with a total revenue including grants, product and foreign donations of $2.6 billion (2008).[4]
Contents
History
World Vision International as an umbrella organization was founded in 1977 by Walter Stanley Mooneyham the president of World Vision.[5][6] It was the result of a restructuring process that began already in the early 1970s within World Vision Inc. which was already founded in 1950 by Bob Pierce and did business as "World Vision International" since 1966.[7] World Vision International took over most international functions which were previously fulfilled by World Vision Inc. and was headquartered in Monrovia, California, in the same building as World Vision Inc. W. Mooneyham became also president of World Vision International until 1982 when he resigned after criticism within the International Board, where the accusations ranged from a dictatorial leadership style to an ethnocentric American communication style.[8]
Already in 1967 the Mission Advanced Research and Communication Center (MARC) was founded by Ed Dayton as a Division of World Vision International. It became the organizational backbone of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, collected and published data about "unreached people" and also published the "Mission Handbook: North American Protestant Ministries Overseas".[9]
During the 1970s World Vision began training families to build small farms by teaching agricultural skills. World Vision started to aim towards making lasting effects in the communities they were helping by promoting self-reliance.[10]
In the early 1980s famine struck Ethiopia resulting in intense media coverage.[11] This inspired an influx of donations to World Vision allowing the organisation to provide food and health assistance and eventually allowing Ethiopians to successfully continue on their own. World Vision also began installing water pumps for clean water in communities which caused infant mortality rates to drop. Volunteers now use the fresh water to teach communities gardening and irrigation and promote good health.[10]
During the 1990s, World Vision began focusing on the needs of children who had been orphaned in Uganda, Romania, and Somalia in response to AIDS, neglect, and civil war respectively. The began educating other African communities on AIDS after realizing its impact. They also joined the United Nations peacekeeping efforts to help those affected by civil war. World Vision also started to openly promote the international ban on land mines.[10]
Today, World Vision operates in more than 90 countries, including Ethiopia, Ghana, Afghanistan, India, Romania, Austria, Bolivia, El Salvador, Mexico, Jerusalem, and Papua New Guinea.[12] They are now focusing on larger issues of community development and advocacy for the poor towards the end of helping poor children and their families build a sustainable future.[3] World Vision is a Christian charity and one of the world's leading relief and development agencies. Right now, around the world, they are working in partnership with more than 100 million people in nearly 100 countries in their struggle against poverty, hunger and injustice, irrespective of their religious beliefs. In the UK, World Vision is one of the members of the Disasters Emergency Committee.
World Vision employs over 40,000 people and well over 90% of staff works from their own home country.
World Vision was first established in the USA back in 1950, the organisation has now grown to become a world leader in the field of emergency relief.
Kevin Jenkins is the current president of World Vision International.
Organizational structure
World Vision International is the organizational structure of the World Vision Partnership which operates today as a federation of interdependent national offices with three different levels of central control. The three categories of national offices are[13]:
- national offices which are under strong central control and are registered in the host country as a branch of World Vision International.
- intermediate stage national offices that have their own board but have agreed to seek approval from World Vision International for critical management decisions.
- interdependently national registered offices that are autonomous in internal decision but are expected to coordinate with World Vision International and are bound to the Covenant of Partnership .
The Covenant of Partnership is a document that all national members of the World Vision Partnership have to sign. According to this document all national offices have to accept policies and decisions established by the International Board and must not establish a office or program outside their own national borders without the consent of World Vision International and the host country. Furthermore, with the exception of direct project founding, all funds intended for outside their national borders have to be remitted through World Vision International. Also the financial planning and budget principles adopted by the International Board have to be accepted as well as an examination of the financial affairs of the national offices by Partnership representatives.[14]
The president of World Vision International has a seat on all national offices with own national board. Normally he sends a representative.[15] World Vision International is registered in the United States as a charitable organization and described by the Internal Revenue Service as a church and is therefore as a religious charity not obligated to disclose its finances to the tax authorities[16]
The partnership offices – located in Geneva, Bangkok, Nairobi, Cyprus, Los Angeles, and San José, Costa Rica – coordinate operations of the organization and represent World Vision in the international arena. For making large scale decisions, the international organization considers opinions from each national office, whether in the developed or developing world.
An international board of directors oversees the World Vision partnership. The full board meets twice a year to appoint senior officers, approve strategic plans and budgets, and determine international policy. The current chairperson of the international board is Denis St. Armour of Canada. The international president is Kevin J. Jenkins.[17][18]
Spirituality
In A Declaration of Internationalization (1978) World Vision declares a Statement of Faith[19] that corresponds to the Statement of Faith[20] put forward by the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) as standard for their evangelical convictions as the theological frame in which the organization as a whole has to operate.[21][22] World Vision aims to incorporate this Christian belief into their development work as well as their organization. Vice President of Advocacy and Government Relations at World Vision Canada Linda Tripp wrote, "In Christ, we have a role model who healed the sick, fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and comforted the outcast, and whose message was about restoring relationships and reconciliation." This directly relates to World Visions mission to provide emergency relief, development, promote justice, and spread awareness to countries in need. World Vision staff is not affiliated with one specific church; their staff makes up all branches of Protestantism and Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches. Staff participates in daily and weekly services. They stress that you can be a Christian in any culture. However, World Vision also respects other religions that they encounter stating that "to promote a secular approach to life would be an insult to them." [23] Richard Stearns, president of World Vision US, stated that World Vision has a strict policy against proselytizing which he describes as "... - using any kind of coercion or inducement to listen to a religious message before helping someone.".[24] The World Vision Partnership and all its national members are committed to the concept of transformational development,[25] which is cast in a biblical framework and in which evangelization is an inseparable integral part of development work.[26]
"The very nature of poverty demands a spiritual response" states Jayakumar Christian, a member of World Vision India. In her report Linda Tripp remembers the 1970s when a high number of babies in Haiti were dying of tetanus after birth. After investigating, World Vision discovered that midwives were applying mud to the babies' umbilical cords to keep away evil spirits. World Vision explained to the midwives that there was a loving God who was more powerful than evil spirits that would protect the children. Many midwives decided to stop the practice after hearing a more positive view of God.[23]
Many organizations acknowledge that faith can be vital in development. For example, the Canadian International Development Agency stated that, "faith-based organizations and institutions are an integral and legitimate part of a healthy and resilient civil society." [23]
Funding
According to World Vision's 2006 Consolidated Financial Statements, around 40% of their revenue comes from private sources, including individuals, World Vision clubs in schools, corporations and foundations. 27% comes from governments and multilateral aid agencies such as USAID and the Department for International Development (DFID) in the UK. 30% comes from other World Vision programs and nonprofit organizations as Gift in Kind. Aside from cash contributions, World Vision accepts gifts in kind, typically food commodities, medicine, and clothing donated through corporations and government agencies.[17]
Approximately half of World Vision's programs are funded through child sponsorship. Individuals, families, churches, schools, and other groups sponsor specific children or specific community projects in their own country or abroad. Sponsors send funds each month to provide support for the sponsored children or projects.
World Vision Famine events like the 30-Hour Famine and 40-Hour Famine also help to raise money for impoverished countries. Typically, a group signs up to organize such an event, and then spends the next 30 or 40 hours abstaining from food, technology or other things that are taken for granted, and increasing awareness about world hunger.[27] Many schools and individuals are annually successful with this fundraising activity. In the beginning there was only the No Food Famine,[28] but as an example of the flexibility of the program, some do a Techno Famine, without technology (i.e. cellphones, computers, TV or digital audio players). In 2009 nearly 500,000 children across the US participated in the 30 Hour Famine. According to World Vision spokeswoman Myrna Gutierrez the money raised went towards buying food for countries in need such as Uganda and Haiti. World Vision's relief work in Haiti consisted of distribution of medical supplies and care to injured children and families. Even though the 30 Hour Famine is a critical fundraiser it also "aims to give young people a sense of what it is like to be poor and hungry." [29] Another one is the 24 hour wake, an event that involves a group signing up for lack of any form of rest or energy drink supplements to show the overworked conditions the third world has to deal with.
According to World Vision's annual report, in 2008, 87% of its funding was spent on programs, 8% on fundraising and 5% on management and general overhead.[17][30]
Activities
Key dates of World Vision 1950 Reverend Robert Pierce forms World Vision. 1953 Pierce begins the World Vision sponsorship program with photographs of needy children. 1967 Pierce resigns from World Vision. 1970s World Vision's international structure is established. 1979 World Vision operates offices in 40 countries. 1989 World Vision operates offices in 55 countries. 1996 Dean Hirsch is appointed president. 1998 Richard Stearns is appointed US group president. 2004 After tripling during the previous eight years, World Vision's budget reaches $1.5 billion. 2007 World Vision ends its 57th year with 26,000 employees and a budget of $2.6 billion. 2009 Kevin Jenkins is appointed president.