Blog | World Vision International

Monday, May 19, 2014 - 23:51 by World Vision Blogger

Shattered School, but not Shattered Dreams

By Florence Joy Maluyo, World Vision Philippines

They all looked beautiful in white. It was graduation day at Botongon Elementary School.

I watched them arrive, one by one. Some arrived with their parents, some with their siblings, some with relatives. The girls were made-up while the young boys put an effort in their hairstyles. Graduation songs started to play. Parents were smiling.

I looked around. Destroyed classrooms. Scattered boats....

Keeping the child protection fires burning

“We would like to recommend the Government of Albania… raise awareness of a child’s right to participate in the family and in the community.” As the statement was read out, I wanted to shout out loud, to get up and dance, but restrained myself to a slight, UN-appropriate smile. How fitting these words should come in the year we celebrate the 25th birthday of the ...

Showing children their rights matter

This week at the United Nations, a quiet victory will take place for children. It is a victory that will amplify the voices of children who’ve been ignored, neglected, abused and overlooked. It is a victory with the potential to change their lives.

Thanks to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) — ratified by...

The abandoned children of far-west Nepal

As a mother of two young children and a development worker in a child-focused organisation, ensuring child well-being lies at the heart of my home and work. Often in my visits to different regions of Nepal I come across children who do not experience the fullness of life we envision for them. There are many reasons for this: poverty and lack of access to much-needed resources are just the beginning.

Poverty might set limitations on child well-being, but parents...

Mum’s the word after years of improving maternal health

Thirty weeks’ pregnant with my first child and my midwife asks me the dreaded question, “Have you given any thought to your birth plan?”

Eek. Labour. Childbirth. Things just got very real.

“I’d like a natural birth,” I replied. “With as many drugs as possible…”

What I meant was: Panadeine – yes. Gas – yes. T.E.N.S – yes. Pethidine – yes. Epidural? Yes, please!

Sensing fear she did her best to reassure me, “There’s nothing to worry about. Your body...

New York children get involved during the Global Week of Action

Children from New York City’s Henry Street Settlement gathered on their rooftop terrace playground Friday May 3rd and helped World Vision International advocate for children around the world to enjoy the same rights, following in the footsteps of Henry Street Settlement's founder, Lillian Wald. Wald founded the Settlement in 1895 after witnessing the poverty and hardship endured by the immigrants on the Lower East Side.

...

Preventing child malnutrition in emergencies

It’s never easy news to deliver.

But with one-year-old Jalrotchen, there was no way to avoid it. Her mom needed to know. The girl was too small, too thin. Even though she played wide-eyed, when I wrapped the measuring tape around her arm, I knew what was going to read.

Red – the danger zone for child malnutrition. The measuring tape has been designed to assess child malnutrition.

Jalrotchen was 14 months and only 5.3kgs, in desperate need of more...

Azraq – another stop on the journey home

From a distance, it looks like a white smudge on the horizon.

Azraq Refugee Camp came first came into my view four or five kilometres from its main entrance. Off in the distance, against the harsh brown scrub of the Jordanian desert, I saw hundreds upon hundreds of small, white shelters lined up in straight rows, waiting to provide protection from the hot...

Tough choices for South Sudan and the world

South Sudan’s independence on July 9, 2011 saw the beginning of the difficult, but important task of nation building. I and many South Sudanese were overwhelmed with joy at having a new country. This is what South Sudanese fought for against Khartoum for over 20 years.

But as a new country, South Sudan was inexperienced and needed the support of the international community to accomplish this important task. Accordingly, World Vision and other international...