Why I Chose World Vision as a TOH Charity
Oh this New York Times article is so stinking good I want to post the entire thing here! It’s written by Nicholas Kristof who, along with his wife, wrote the exceptional book Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. (I highly recommend this book!)
The article is fantastic for many reasons and you should really go read it right now, but really it addresses why I chose World Vision as one of the charities that Threads of Hope supports. Here’s a quick excerpt:
A pop quiz: What’s the largest U.S.-based international relief and development organization?
It’s not Save the Children, and it’s not CARE — both terrific secular organizations. Rather, it’s World Vision, a Seattle-based Christian organization (with strong evangelical roots) whose budget has roughly tripled over the last decade.
World Vision now has 40,000 staff members in nearly 100 countries. That’s more staff members than CARE, Save the Children and the worldwide operations of the United States Agency for International Development — combined.
…The head of World Vision in the United States, Richard Stearns, begins his fascinating book, The Hole in Our Gospel, with an account of a visit a decade ago to Uganda, where he met a 13-year-old AIDS orphan who was raising his younger brothers by himself.
“What sickened me most was this question: where was the Church?” he writes. “Where were the followers of Jesus Christ in the midst of perhaps the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time? Surely the Church should have been caring for these ‘orphans and widows in their distress.’ (James 1:27). Shouldn’t the pulpits across America have flamed with exhortations to rush to the front lines of compassion? How have we missed it so tragically, when even rock stars and Hollywood actors seem to understand?”
Another book to read is the one referenced here called The Hole in Our Gospel, a compelling call to action and convicting read. I’m happy to support this organization and hope you will consider sponsoring a child with them too!
