Jump to content

World Vision United States

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by MTYM (talk | contribs) at 22:24, 19 June 2011 (preparation for moving back to its original title (see disk.)). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This article is about the charitable organization. For the media company not affiliated with the organization, see Worldvision Enterprises.
World Vision
Founded1950
FounderRobert Pierce
TypeNon-governmental organization
FocusWell being of all people, especially children.
Location
Area served
USA
MethodTransformational Development through emergency relief, community development and policy and advocacy
Revenue
US$1.6 billion (2007)
Websitewww.worldvision.org

World Vision, founded in the USA in 1950, is an evangelical[1] relief and development 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."[2] World Vision is one of the largest relief and development organizations in the USA with a 1.6 billion dollar budget (2007). It is a member and founding organization of World Vision International. The total revenue of World Vision International, including grants, product and foreign donations is $2.6 billion (2008).[3]

History

World Vision was founded in 1950 by Dr. Robert Pierce ("Bob"), a young American evangelist pastor, who had first been sent to China and South Korea in 1947 by the Youth for Christ missionary organization. Pierce remained at the head of World Vision for nearly two decades, but resigned from the organization in 1967.

On Robert Pierce's trip he was inspired by the poverty of one little girl to pledge a monthly amount to the girl's local church to ensure her care. This generated the idea of child sponsorship and World Vision.[4]

The first area that World Vision focused on was orphans and other children in need, beginning in South Korea, then expanding throughout Asia. The program soon spread throughout Latin America, eastern Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. In the 1960s World Vision started providing food, clothing, and medical care to citizens of impoverished countries after natural disasters by soliciting donations from major corporations.[4]

From 1966 on the organisation used in business also the name to "World Vision International"[5] but from 1977 on this name was reserved for the umbrella organisation World Vision International.[6][7] and the founding organization as a member of world vision international is called world vision united states whenever a distinction is necessary.

Later, Richard Stearns became president of World Vision US. He used to be CEO of Lenox China. His full story can be found in his book, The Hole in our Gospel: What Does God Expect of Us?[8]

Organizational structure

main office in the World Vision US Headquarters office complex in Federal Way, Washington

World Vision US is a independently registered interdependent national member office of the federal umbrella organization World Vision International. The relationship with World Vision International is governed by the Covenant of Partnership, a document that all national members of the World Vision Partnership have to sign. According to this document World Vision U.S has to accept policies and decisions established by the International Board and must not establish a office or program outside the US without the consent of World Vision International and the host country. Furthermore, with the exception of direct project founding, all funds intended for outside the US have to be remitted through World Vision International and the financial planning and budget principles adopted by the International Board have to be accepted.[9] By signing the Covenant of Partnernship World Vision US, like all other national members of the World Vision Partnership, also subscribes to the Core Values, the Mission Statement, and the Statement of Faith of World Vision.[10]

Spirituality

World Vision aims to incorporate Christian belief into their development work as well as their organization. U.S. President Richard Stearns 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."[11] Like all other national members of the World Vision Partnership, World Vision US is committed to the concept of transformational development[12], which is cast in a biblical framework and in which evangelization is a inseparable integral part of development work[13].

U.S. World Vision president Richard Stearns stated that "hope" is World Vision's most lasting impression. He believes that if you can restore hope in an community it is more beneficial than adding water well. He emphasizes that we live in a religious world where more than 90% of the population believes in some faith. He claims that World Vision's understanding of faith is essential for development.[11]

Funding

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.

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.[14][15]

Activities

World Vision provides emergency relief to people whose lives are endangered by disasters or conflict and who need immediate assistance. It attempts to respond to all major emergencies around the world themselves or in cooperation with their partner agencies. For example, World Vision responded to famine[16] in Ethiopia and North Korea, hurricanes in Central America, the tsunami in the Indian Ocean nations, earthquakes in El Salvador, India, Taiwan, Turkey and the Sichuan earthquake in China, Cyclone Nargis in Myanmar and war refugees in Kosovo, Chechnya, Sierra Leone, Angola, and East Timor.

World Vision encourages public awareness about the needs of others, the causes of poverty, and the nature of compassionate response.[17] These efforts include collaboration with media and community participation in fundraising.[18] In all its communications, World Vision claims it upholds the dignity of children and families in presenting explanations of the causes and consequences of poverty, war, neglect, and abuse.[19]

World Vision spends a considerable amount of time advocating to the U.S. government. In 2010, director of advocacy and government relations Robert Zachritz gave a testimony on global hunger to the human rights caucus. In his speech Zachritz states that in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights it lays the foundation for food as a right by saying in article 25 that "everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food..." He went on to state specific statistics on the issue such as 1 and 6 people currently suffer from hunger. Zachritz even proposes that out of the major global challenges addressing malnutrition and munger would offer the most cost effective solutions. "The January 2007 Lancet series reviewing the literature on child development showed that beyond the short-term consequences of increased mortality, morbidity and disability, childhood malnutrition has debilitating long-term consequences of stunted physical and cognitive development, lower economic productivity, and greater susceptibility to disease." Currently 1/3 of children are stunted. Zachritz stressed the importance of a proper diet for children, especially under the age of two, to avoid stunting.[20]

On March 1, 2011 World Vision, along with 29 other faith-based groups sent a letter to Senate petitioning cuts made to foreign disaster assistance, global health, and food aid in the 2011 fiscal budget. In the letter, U.S. World Vision President Richard Stearns stated, "We believe it is morally unacceptable that the deepest cuts have targeted programs that are saving lives and investing in our own national security. The cuts reverse broad bipartisan support behind these programs and jeopardize lives across the world." Humanitarian relief currently represents less than 1/2 of 1 percent of the federal budget.[21]

World Vision is a leading member of the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, a Washington D.C.-based coalition of over 400 major companies and NGOs that advocates for a larger International Affairs Budget, which funds American diplomatic and development efforts abroad.[22] World Vision is also a member of the Global Coalition Against Pneumonia and supports World Pneumonia Day on November 2, 2009.

The humanitarian organisation has a sponsorship programme that helps needy children, their families and communities. Focussed chiefly on Child Sponsorship, World Vision’s child sponsorship programmes helps needy children get access to clean drinking water, sanitation, education, skills for future livelihood, nutrition, health care and participate in an age-appropriate in development processes. By changing the lives of children, the child sponsorship programmes also facilitate overall growth and development in the community, as it helps communities to build a better future through empowerment, education, income generation, and self-sufficiency.

Child Sponsorship programmes seek equitable, just, peaceful, productive and inclusive relationships within households and communities, responsible relationship with the environment, a culture of participation with families and whole communities empowered to influence and shape their situation through coalitions and networks addressing systemic issues towards ensuring access to basic needs in a sustainable manner. It is different than donation and anybody interested to be part of this sponsorship process can be involved

Criticism

In 1999 the academic journal, Development in Practice published an overview of World Vision's history focusing on the evolution of its global architecture. `Pursuing Partnership: World Vision and the Ideology of Development' was notable for being written by then World Vision staff person Alan Whaites, who went on to become a respected development political scientist. Whaites offered a picture of an organization that was often spurred to innovate and change as a result of internal reflection on external criticism.[23]

In August 2010 the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit ruled that "World Vision is a 'religious corporation' and therefore exempt from a federal law that bars faith-based discrimination." This decision supported the dismissal of two World Vision employees who were fired because they did not believe in the "divinity of Jesus or the doctrine of the Trinity." Judge Marsha S. Berzon argued that "Congress did not intend to allow all religiously motivated nonprofits to be exempt from the law." She believes that the decision discriminates against employees who have the ability to do the assigned work just because of their religious views.[24]

Notable persons affiliated with World Vision

References

  1. ^ D. Michael Lindsay (2007): Faith in the halls of power: how evangelicals joined the American elite. New York: Oxford University Press. S. 44f.
  2. ^ Our Mission, World Vision, Retrieved July 21st, 2009
  3. ^ Holtzman, Clay, World Vision donors dig deep, Puget Sound Business Journal (Seattle), February 6, 2009
  4. ^ a b World Vision History, retrieved April 26, 2011
  5. ^ United States Patent Office 3. Okt. 1972, no. #944238.
  6. ^ www.manta.com
  7. ^ http://www.wvi.org/wvi/wviweb.nsf/maindocs/39F905AE21E265C1882573750075074B?opendocument
  8. ^ Stearns. The Hole in our Gospel: What Does God Expect of Us?. ISBN 0785229183. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  9. ^ Appendix D, "A Covenant of Partnership" in Greame Irvine: "Best Things in the Worst Times: An Insiders View of World Vision" BookPartners, Inc. (1996) ISBN 1-885221-37-1
  10. ^ The Statement of Faith of World Vision [1] corresponds to the Statement of Faith put forward by the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE)[2] as standard for their evangelical convictions [3]
  11. ^ a b Stearns, Richard. "World Vision CEO Richard Stearns Charts Course, Spirit For Nonprofit Sector ." Huffington Post 3 Mar. 2011: 1-2. Print.
  12. ^ "World Vision Mission Statement." In: Greame Irvine: "Best Things in the Worst Times: An Insiders View of World Vision", BookPartners, Inc. (1996) ISBN 1-885221-37-1, Appendix C.
  13. ^ see e.g. Bryant L. Myer: "Walking with the Poor: Principles and Practice of Transformational Development" ISBN 1570752753 (1999)
  14. ^ "World Vision - Full 2008 Annual Financial Statement in PDF" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-09-03.
  15. ^ P.O. Box 9716 (2008). "2008 Annual Review". World Vision. Retrieved 2009-09-03.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ^ Costello, Tim, et al., Freedom from hunger: the most basic of human rights, Opinion Piece - World Vision Australia, posted: 10 Dec 2008, Authors: Tim Costello (World Vision), Julia Newton-Howes (CARE), Paul O’Callaghan (ACFID), Jack de Groot (Caritas), Andrew Hewett (Oxfam), and Robert Tickner (Red Cross).
  17. ^ Advocacy action center, World Vision, Retrieved July 21st, 2009
  18. ^ - Amnesty International Press Center, Document of Public Statement Issued by CEOs of INGOs on the impact of the global economic downturn – October 2008, Authors: Irene Khan, Secretary General, Amnesty International, Jeremy Hobbs, Executive Director, Oxfam International, Dr. Dean Hirsch, Chief Executive Officer, World Vision International, Tom Miller, Chief Executive Officer, PLAN International, Gerd Leipold, International Executive Director, Greenpeace, Dr Robert Glasser, Secretary General, CARE International
  19. ^ World Vision News - World Vision Houses 70,000 in Somalia In War Torn Area
  20. ^ [4] - Zachritz Testimony
  21. ^ [5] - ONE Press Release
  22. ^ U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, Global Trust members
  23. ^ http://www.developmentinpractice.org/journals/pursuing-partnership-world-vision-and-ideology-development-case-study
  24. ^ The Christian Century: World Vision wins right to hire and fire on faith basis, August 31, 2010

29.http://www.ngoportal.org/funding-agencies-11-World+Vision+India.html 30.http://right-to-education-india.blogspot.com/2011/02/world-vision-india-demands-more-than-4.html 31. http://www.businesswireindia.com/PressRelease.asp?b2mid=25866 32.http://www.worldvisionap.org/childhealth/india-school-or-family-a-parents-impossible-choice.html 33.http://childhealthnow.com/campaign 34.https://childhealthnow.com/

Further reading

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=World_Vision_United_States&oldid=435169183"