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World Help
Founded1991
FounderVernon Brewer
TypeFaith-based 501(c)(3) organization
FocusMeeting physical and spiritual needs in impoverished communities
Location
Area served
70 countries.[1]
MethodAid and relief
Community development
Sustainability and education
Bible distribution
Church planting
Spiritual programs
Revenue
US$35,371,087 (2017).[2]
Websitewww.worldhelp.net
Vernon Brewer, Founder and President of World Help

World Help is a Christian humanitarian aid organization that provides help to people in impoverished communities around the world. The organization was founded in 1991 by Vernon Brewer, who had previously served as dean of students and vice president of student development at Liberty University. The organization is involved in “child advocacy, humanitarian aid, Bible distribution, and church planting” as well as child sponsorship.[3] Brewer's daughter, Noel Yeatts, took over the position of president in the spring of 2018.[4]

World Help is also known for its Children of the World International Children's Choir that travels around the United States, raising awareness for child sponsorship and other humanitarian aid opportunities such as refugee relief.[5][6][7]

Ongoing projects

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World Help has many different types of programs around the world including humanitarian aid and disaster relief, Bible distribution, child sponsorship, church planting, and clean water projects.

Disaster relief and humanitarian aid

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Crisis relief makes up a major part of World Help's global work, and the organization has played a role in delivering aid during many recent humanitarian disasters. After a 7.3-magnitude earthquake devastated the area surrounding Kathmandu, Nepal, World Help was listed among 10 trusted charities responding in the aftermath.[8] In 2017, the organization providing relief to those affected by Hurricane Irma[9] and in 2018 to the survivors of the deadly earthquake and tsunami in Indonesia.[10]

The organization also sent food, medical aid, personal hygiene kits, and clothing in response to the Fuego volcano eruption in Guatemala that left “hundreds injured, hundreds dead and nearly two million others facing devastation” in June 2018.[11] World Help had been working for more than a decade in the region, which allowed them to respond almost immediately to the crisis.[12][13] Examples of World Help's ongoing work in Guatemala include partnering with donors to provide clean water wells[14] and medical equipment[15] and partnering with another Virginia charity, God's Pit Crew, to deliver “blessing buckets” to families living in poverty.[16][17] Each bucket is “designed for families of five and they contain 23 items – ranging from toothpaste and blankets to crayons and vitamins”.[18]

In addition to responding to natural disasters, World Help has also provided relief to those affected man-made disasters and the global refugee crisis. Starting in 2011, the organization began “actively working with Syrian refugees,” particularly during the siege of Aleppo.[19] In April 2018, the organization provided food, medicine, and clean water to survivors of the deadly Douma chemical attack in Eastern Ghouta, Syria.[20][21] They also distribute “essentials, including towels, diapers, hygiene kits, nonperishable food items, winter coats and space heaters” to refugees who are living in displacement camps along the Jordan-Syria border.[22] In South America, World Help's crisis relief operations have recently focused on Venezuela where ongoing political and economic conflict have led to a “severe hunger crisis” and caused more than 3 million Venezuelans to flee the country.[23] Although Venezuela's president, Nicolás Maduro officially refused allowing humanitarian aid into the country,[24] World Help found a way to covertly transport “containers of food and medical supplies into the capital city”.[25]

Bible distribution

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As a Christian organization, World Help also participates in distributing Bibles around the world. They have been recognized most notably for their work of secretly getting Bibles and “Bible college curriculum for training church planters and future pastors” into the closed country of North Korea.[26] In 2017, they set a goal of delivering 100,000 Bibles into the country by the end of the year.[27][28] Brewer has personally traveled inside North Korea and the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ)[29] and has been questioned for his perspective on recent U.S.-North Korea peace talks.[30][31] In 2018, Brewer joined dozens of other Christians leaders across the U.S. in a nationwide call for prayer that a peaceful resolution could be established between America and North Korea. He has also contributed to Fox News on the subject of Christian persecution and human rights abuses in North Korea.[32][33]

Freedom homes

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Another outreach of the organization is to help women and girls who have been forced into the global sex industry. As part of National Slavery and Human Trafficking Prevention Month in 2017, World Help dedicated a home in Pattaya, Thailand to offer victims a “safe place to live, meals, education, vocational training, trauma counseling, and medical care.” Pattaya is home to an estimated 50,000 sex workers.[34] Two years later, also during Human Trafficking Awareness Month, the organization raised money to add a baking school to the Pattaya home so the women living there could learn a trade and avoid pressure to return to the streets.[35] World Help's local missionary partners in Thailand “spend countless hours in bars all year round” and host “Night of Freedom” parties to tell local sex workers about the opportunity to escape the sex industry and come live at the freedom home instead.[36] World Help also has a freedom home in India specifically targeted toward reaching girls in the Banchara community, a group where tradition often forces daughters into prostitution to pay for their brothers’ marriage dowries.[37][38]

Children of the World Choir

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The Children of the World International Children's Choir is made up of boys and girls from Nepal, Uganda, and the Philippines between the ages of 9 and 12.[39] The choir has been touring for more than 20 years. After each tour, “the children return to their home countries where their education up to the university level is sponsored by World Help”.[40] While on the road, the children are homeschooled and taught English by chaperones from their respective countries.[41] The purpose of the choir is to use “song, dance, and other creative mediums to tell forgotten stories of disadvantaged youth”.[42]

Financials

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According to the charity assessment organization Charity Navigator, World Help commits 82 percent of revenue to international programs, 11.5 percent to administration, and 6.3 percent to fundraising.[43] They have been accredited by the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability since 1993[44] and have been awarded the gold-level Seal of Transparency by GuideStar.[45] World Help submits itself annually to review by independent auditor CapinCrouse[46]

References

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  1. ^ Grizzard, Kim (July 30, 2017), "Ripple effect: Area companies help impoverished countries through the gift of clean water", Reflector, retrieved March 14, 2019
  2. ^ ECFA. Retrieved March 16, 2019.
  3. ^ "Vernon Brewer chosen as baccalaureate speaker", Liberty News, April 20, 2011, retrieved March 14, 2019
  4. ^ "Leader of the Month: Noel Yeatts (October/November 2018)", Lynchburg Business, October 1, 2018, retrieved March 14, 2019
  5. ^ Gunn, Olivia (January 16, 2019), "International children's choir visits Columbus during U.S. tour", WTVM, retrieved March 15, 2019
  6. ^ Haskins, Shelly (December 30, 2018), "Children of the World visits Alabama", Huntsville Real-Time News, retrieved March 15, 2019
  7. ^ "Children from around the world raise awareness in Blair Co", WJAC, November 15, 2018, retrieved March 15, 2019
  8. ^ Goyette, Jared (April 25, 2015), "How to help Nepal: 10 vetted charities doing relief work following the earthquakes", PRI's The World, retrieved June 19, 2018
  9. ^ Justice, Jessilyn (September 7, 2017), "Major Christian Leaders Rebuke the 'Monster' Coming Straight for the US", Charisma News, retrieved June 19, 2018
  10. ^ Johnson, Taylor (October 4, 2018), "World Help aiding those impacted in Indonesia", ABC 13 News, retrieved March 15, 2019
  11. ^ Carson, Ford (June 7, 2018), "Area Group Leaps to Guatemala's Aid Amid Tragedy", Virginia First, retrieved March 15, 2019
  12. ^ Pinto, Caren (June 7, 2018), "World Help offers support to Guatemala volcano victims", ABC 13 News, retrieved March 15, 2019
  13. ^ Kumar, Anugrah (June 6, 2018), "Christian Aid Group World Help Activates Crisis Response to Aid Volcano Survivors in Guatemala", The Christian Post, retrieved March 15, 2019
  14. ^ Anne, Ashley (August 16, 2018), "Lynchburg man helping to bring clean water to Guatemala", WDBJ, retrieved March 15, 2019
  15. ^ McBride, Ashley (July 29, 2016), "Nurse honors late niece with international gift of medical supplies", The Palm Beach Post, retrieved March 16, 2019
  16. ^ Stuart, Nicolas (April 14, 2018), "God's Pit Crew and World Help to deliver Blessing Buckets to Guatemala", WDBJ, retrieved March 15, 2019
  17. ^ Wilborn, Charles (April 13, 2018), "God's Pit Crew launches new international program", GoDanRiver.com, retrieved March 15, 2019
  18. ^ Wilcox, Kyle (April 14, 2018), "Danville God's Pit Crew Helps Country Abroad", ABC 13 News, retrieved March 15, 2019
  19. ^ Gledhill, Ruth (August 23, 2016), "Christian aid agency to deliver emergency supplies to war-ravaged Aleppo", Christian Today, retrieved March 16, 2019
  20. ^ Malado, Jardine (April 10, 2018), "Christian charities send aid to Syrians following deadly chemical attack", The Christian Times, retrieved March 15, 2019
  21. ^ Jones, Emily (April 9, 2018), "'We're Trying to be the Hands and Feet of Jesus': Christian Aid Groups Working Around the Clock to Help Syrian Victims of Chemical Attack", CBN News, retrieved June 19, 2018
  22. ^ Klett, Leah MarieAnn (December 25, 2018), "This Christmas, don't forget suffering Syrian refugees, implores Christian aid group", The Christian Post, retrieved March 16, 2019
  23. ^ "Ministry Aids Venezuelans With Survival Kits", Charisma News, January 28, 2019, retrieved March 16, 2019
  24. ^ Wamlsey, Laurel (February 8, 2019), "Humanitarian Aid Arrives for Venezuela — But Maduro Blocks It", NPR, retrieved March 16, 2019
  25. ^ Shepher, Josh (February 3, 2019), "'Hell On Earth': Humanitarian Crisis Worsens as Political Drama Unfolds in Venezuela", The Stream, retrieved March 16, 2019
  26. ^ Rosales, Erik (November 20, 2017), "This Man Smuggles God's Word into a Place Where Getting Caught with a Bible Is a Death Sentence", CBN News, retrieved June 19, 2018
  27. ^ Smith, Samuel (October 11, 2017), "Not Enough Bibles to Meet Growing Demand in North Korea; Group Aims to Send 100,000", The Christian Post, retrieved March 16, 2019
  28. ^ Malado, Jardine (October 13, 2017), "Christian group launches donation drive in effort to send 100,000 Bibles to North Korea", The Christian Times, retrieved March 16, 2019
  29. ^ Shepherd, Josh (June 12, 2018), "North Korea and the Summit", Point of View, retrieved March 16, 2018
  30. ^ Shepherd, Josh (June 10, 2019), "Christian Relief Leader: What the Media Won't Tell You About North Korea", The Stream, retrieved June 19, 2018
  31. ^ Justice, Jessilyn (June 12, 2018), "Trump Confronted Kim Jong Un About Atrocities Against Christians", Charisma News, retrieved June 19, 2018
  32. ^ Brewer, Vernon (May 12, 2017), "North Korea's Christians are suffering. We cannot forget them", Fox News, retrieved March 16, 2019
  33. ^ Brewer, Vernon (May 10, 2018), "People are still suffering in North Korea -- Don't let smiles and handshakes fool you", Fox News, retrieved March 16, 2019
  34. ^ Doss, Catherine (January 31, 2017), "Local nonprofit dedicates home to rehabilitate human trafficking victims in Thailand", WSET, retrieved February 16, 2018
  35. ^ "World Help Announces Baking School to Help Women Escape Sex Industry in Thailand", Missions Box, January 18, 2019, retrieved March 16, 2019
  36. ^ Smith, Samuel (December 19, 2017), "Christian Missionaries Give 244 Thai Sex Workers Chance to Escape 'Cultural Slavery'", The Christian Post, retrieved March 16, 2019
  37. ^ Sells, Heather (May 17, 2017), "'Give up Your Friday Night' - A New Way to Help Trafficking Victims", CBN News, retrieved June 19, 2018
  38. ^ Zaimov, Stoyan (May 12, 2017), "Christians Urged to Take 'One Night Stand for Freedom,' Help Girls Deprived of Humanity in Sex Slavery", The Christian Post, retrieved March 16, 2019
  39. ^ Franklin, Lu Ann (November 2, 2018), "Refuge and strength", The Times of Northwest Indiana, retrieved March 16, 2019
  40. ^ Rash, Jennifer (February 26, 2019), "Children of the World", The Alabama Baptist News, retrieved March 16, 2019
  41. ^ Kassahun, Pheben (March 6, 2019), "Children of the World makes tour stop in the Key City", Big Country Homepage, retrieved March 16, 2019
  42. ^ Brutus, Wilkin (January 29, 2019), "Video: Children of the World choir perform in West Palm Beach", The Palm Beach Post, retrieved March 16, 2019
  43. ^ [1]. Charity Navigator. Retrieved March 16, 2019
  44. ^ ECFA Member Profile. ECFA. Retrieved February 16, 2018.
  45. ^ GuideStar. Retrieved February 9, 2018.
  46. ^ Financials. Retrieved March 16, 2019
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