WORLD VISION AUSTRALIA
From the beginning, World Vision’s activities have been focused on giving people – especially children – opportunities to come out of their suffering and to improve their lives. In 1947, American missionary Dr Robert Pierce travelled to China and Korea and encountered people who had to go on in life without food, clothing, shelter or medicine. During the Korean War in the early fifties, he helped set up orphanages to care for children who’d been abandoned or orphaned.
Upon his return to the US, Pierce began raising funds to continue and expand his work in Asia. The strength of the public response was such that in 1950, World Vision was founded, with Pierce as its president.
World Vision was established in Australia in the year 1966. During that decade, World Vision expanded its operations to meet the needs of refugees in Indochina and of people recovering from disasters in Bangladesh and in several African countries. Where long-term assistance was needed, children began to be sponsored by Americans, Australians and others. In the 1970s, World Vision’s focus broadened from assisting the individual child to include community development. Since the 1980s, the “welfare” approach has gradually changed to a more collaborative relationship. Poor, marginalised people and communities work with World Vision to improve their lives and take control of their futures.
A major area World Vision focuses on is human trafficking which others have ignored. Human trafficking is the recruitment and/or receipt of human beings through force or other deceptive means. The end purpose of trafficking is exploitation. This can take many forms including slavery, debt bondage and servitude. All over the world people are trapped in clutches of human trafficking and slavery- a violation of human rights. Unaccompanied children, migrants and the economically challenged are most at risk of suffering this kind of exploitation. World Vision is works to stop human trafficking and slavery. In Australia and elsewhere World Vision is advocating for rigorous anti-trafficking policies. Through our field work we seek to prevent trafficking through empowering vulnerable communities and providing support to victims.
World Vision also seeks to help feed children who are not able to support. It daily provides breakfast and lunch to alone 1 lakh children is Australia. Without the support of World Vision these children would have either died or taken to the streets and used unfair means to procure food for them. World Vision Australia has come a long way in helping people but there is still a long road ahead.