Lifestyle choices

I saw this on a web site* a while ago, and it has really made me think. I already sponsor one child, a little 7-year old girl in Mongolia. Today I was out shopping, and saw the new iPods. They’re very cool. And then I saw a World Vision** stand there in the shopping centre. I had been thinking of sponsoring another child, and so when I saw them I had to go ahead and do that! I now sponsor a 3-year old boy, also in Mongolia.

The message of the image above had been bouncing around in my head, reminding me of perspectives and balance. I probably will buy a new iPod sometime soon, but what has really thrilled me is sponsoring this additional child. Won’t you consider doing that, too? Or make a one-off donation? Every little bit helps. Here’s where you find out more:

• Sponsor a child
• Donate to improve the life of a child
• Find out more about the work of World Vision in Mongolia

* I didn’t make a note of where I found this graphic. If you know where it came from, please let me know and I will gladly give the correct acknowledgment here.

** Charity Navigator has given World Vision a 4-star rating after evaluating its organizational efficiency and capacity.

 

National Child Protection Week this week: take the child-friendly challenge

This week in Australia, Child Protection Week, many events will be held to raise awareness of child abuse and neglect.

Did you know, that in 2005-2006:

• There were over 34,000 children were the subject of a substantiated claim of abuse, neglect or harm?  The number of child protection notifications doubled in the 5 years from 2001-2002.
• There were over 27,000 children on care and protection orders?  That’s an increase of 32% of the past 5 years.
• There were over 25,000 children requiring out-of-home care, which is an increase of 35% over the previous 5 years.

That is worrying enough, but apparently there is an overrepresentation in these cases by indigenous children, children aged under 1 year and children from one parent families. For example, indigenous children are 6.6 times more likely than the rest of the population to be on a care and protection order, and 7 times more likely to be in out-of-home care.

 

World Vision: children in Lebanon affected by war

World Vision reports that as soon as the truce in Lebanon began, they started shipping in urgently needed basic supplies, such as water purification units, hygiene kits and food. Southern Lebanon, particularly, has been affected, with 100,000 people or more isolated by the conflict. As well as continuing those activities, World Vision will be expanding child-focused programs and protection, including psychosocial activities and Child Friendly Spaces:

As in all conflicts, children suffer the most. UNICEF estimates nearly a third of those killed and nearly half of the displaced in Lebanon were children. World Vision has opened two Child Friendly Spaces to help the displaced. At one site, a mother named Fatima watched her three children play and said with tears in her eyes, “I can barely recognize them with their new little smiling faces.” Her family had been displaced from their village for two weeks.

Already World Vision has provided aid to 30,000 people in Lebanon. Help World Vision in its work by:

• Sponsoring a child
• Providing a one-off donation