World Vision applauds new U.S. government counter-trafficking policy

"World Vision applauds the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) for its innovative and focused approach to combating modern day slavery with the release of its first Counter-Trafficking in Persons Policy."

Read more here.

End of famine in Somalia means more work ahead

"While the decision by the United Nations (UN) to declare an end to the famine in parts of Somalia is good news, World Vision’s Director of Humanitarian and Emergency Affairs (HEA) for East Africa says the humanitarian crisis caused by the drought and ongoing military conflict in the region is far from over."

Click here to read more.

Save the Children Partners with American Girl to Promote Childhood Literacy in the United States

"American Girl's new 2012 Girl of the Year®, McKenna™, will help children across the United States become better readers through the McKenna Online Initiative promoting Save the Children's U.S. Literacy Programs. Introduced this January, McKenna is a skilled gymnast whose confidence tumbles when she starts having difficulty with reading comprehension — an issue affecting many children as they enter fourth grade, particularly the 16 million children living in poverty. Through McKenna, girls will discover the power of believing in themselves and their potential to achieve great things."

Click here to learn more about this new program.

CARE's Response to the Horn of Africa Crisis

"On July 20, 2011, the United Nations declared a state of famine in two areas of southern Somalia: the Bakool agropastoral livelihood zones and all areas of Lower Shabelle. Subsequently, four more Somali areas have been declared as a famine. At that point, the whole region of the Horn of Africa was suffering from the worst drought in more than 60 years, affecting Somalia, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya."

To read more, click here.

ChildFund Partners With Missions in Action

"ChildFund is participating in a web reality series called MISSIONS IN ACTION (MIA) with host Alex Boylan, who travels the globe telling the stories of people and organizations that are providing services to the world’s underprivileged. In these episodes, MIA shares stories about ChildFund’s work in Kenya. To watch, click on the video. We believe the stories will inspire you."

Click here for these uplifting videos.

MLK, Jr. day inspires ‘virtual volunteerism’ campaign

"How would you like to volunteer in a food line this MLK, Jr Day of Service without ever having to leave your home or get off of work? Now you can. This January 16, the Christian humanitarian aid organization World Vision is encouraging those who can’t volunteer in person to honor the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. by volunteering virtually!"

Click here to learn how you can participate.

This Valentine's Day, Help Break the Cycle of Poverty

"When you get Valentine’s Day cards from Save the Children, your donation supports our education, health and resiliency work in the U.S. for children living in poverty."

Learn more here.

Child-Centered Spaces Help Children Recover

"ChildFund continues to provide emergency relief aid to 2,000 children and families in the hard-hit province of Cagayan de Oro, in the wake of flashfloods and landslides brought about by Typhoon Washi [known locally as Sendong], on Dec. 16.

The relief packs ChildFund is distributing contain food supplies (rice, dried fish, bottled water, canned sardines and noodles), as well as essential non-food items including cookware, laundry detergent, hygiene kits and intimates. All of these items are much needed by families who’ve lost all their belongings, if not their homes as well."

Click here to read more.

United Nations downgrades some famine zones in Somalia

"The United Nations has officially downgraded the famine situation parts of Somalia: in Bakaool, lower Shabelle and Bay. At the peak of the crisis, malnutrition was affecting 53 percent of the population in some areas of Somalia, now, that figure has fallen below the famine threshold of 30 percent. But although conditions have begun to improve in the Horn of Africa for some, challenges remain great for the families who live there and the aid workers trying to respond."

Click here to read more.

Justin Bieber Backs 'Social Good' Facebook Game, WeTopia, Benefiting Children

"Justin Bieber, global pop/R&B phenomenon, will be spreading the joy of reading to U.S. and Haitian school children. Bieber announced earlier this week that he will provide entertainment marketing support to Sojo Studios new slate of 'social good' games, beginning with WeTopia. WeTopia benefits charitable projects in the United States and abroad, including Save the Children's summer literacy program in Appalachian Kentucky and textbooks for children in Haiti."

Read more about Bieber's participation here.

Save the Children Partners with Discovery Kids to Help Children Affected by Floods in Central America

"Save the Children is pleased to announce a new partnership with Discovery Kids, the leading network in children's programming from the portfolio of Discovery Networks Latin America/U.S. Hispanic, to support families struggling through severe floods in Central America. Through online marketing tools, included at the parent section of its website, www.tudiscoverykids.com, the channel is raising awareness of children affected by flooding in El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua."

Read more here.

Holiday retail sales stall as some charities see big jump in donations online

"In the wake of record Black Friday shopping numbers, retail sales for the first week of December appear to be stalled as holiday shoppers went online to donate to charities. World Vision, the Christian relief and development organization, saw online donations to its popular Gift Catalog jump ten percent compared to this time last year. In 2010, the Gift Catalog raised more than $32 million in total. This year’s goal is $34 million."

Click here to read more.

New 'gold standard' for aid worker training aims to improve humanitarian support for disaster-hit communities

"Communities affected by major disasters will receive higher quality support from aid workers thanks to a groundbreaking new tool which aims to improve the standard of training humanitarian workers receive.

The new Trainer Competency Framework is being billed as a future ‘gold standard’ quality mark for capacity building in the aid and development sector. It will ensure that aid workers receive appropriate training content via proven teaching and learning methods from skilled, professional trainers. It has been developed by disaster relief charity RedR UK and French humanitarian agency Bioforce."

Learn more here.

New Facebook Game, WeTopia, Spreads 'Joy' of Giving to Appalachian, Haitian Children

"Facebook fans and online game lovers can spread the 'joy' of giving and develop a better world for children — both on Facebook and in the real world — through Sojo Studios' new Facebook game, WeTopia, launched today. This novel way to Play for Good™ will help underprivileged kids, including Appalachian children benefitting from Save the Children's literacy programs."

Read more about this new game and how it can change lives  here.

Save the Children Study in Lancet Offers New Hope on Battling Pneumonia, the #1 Cause of Child Death

"Children treated at home for severe pneumonia by Pakistan’s 'Lady Health Workers' were more likely to recover than children referred to health facilities, Save the Children found in a USAID-funded, WHO-coordinated study published in The Lancet medical journal today."

Read more about these hope-filled findings here.

Cracking the pigeonpea genetic code to help poor farmers

"The pigeonpea genome mapping published this month in Nature Biotechnology marks the first subsistence and non-industrial crop to have its genome code cracked.

The breakthrough will lead to more varieties that are resistant to drought and diseases in coming years. This could boost harvests of the crop and have a major impact on the lives of millions of smallholder farmers in Asia and Africa."

Learn more about this exciting event here.

World Vision declares November ‘Month of Prayer’ for Horn of Africa

"As World Vision continues to provide assistance to children and families in the Horn of Africa, the Christian aid organization is calling on churches and individual Christians across America to raise awareness of the drought and famine in the region, and to pray daily for the critical needs of children throughout the month of November."


Click here to learn more.

World Vision Issues Report Card at the close of 2011 G20 Cannes Summit

"As the 2011 G20 Cannes Summit draws to a close, World Vision provides a report card assessing how the G20 did on food security and nutrition, critical issues for the health of children in the global south."

Click here to read World Vision's assessment of the Summit.

World Vision statement at G20 on Greek referendum and Eurozone crisis

"If you were a woman like Kadidja born in Niger, you would never have a chance to talk to the G20 leaders or vote in a referendum about the measures they are discussing, but you’d have to live with their decisions. Kadidja lives in a hot, dry, dusty nation in west central Africa — her children are among the 15 per cent suffering from acute malnutrition. She is struggling to keep her family alive on meals that consist of little more than millet porridge. According to the United Nations’ Human Development Index, only two countries of 172 are worse off than Niger, and the people are still reeling from a massive food and nutrition crisis in 2010."

Read more of World Vision's statement here.

The IKEA ‘Mr. Broccoli’ Soft Toy Heads Home for the Holidays and Visits School Children Along the Way

"Don’t head for the hills of Whoville just yet, the Grinch won’t be the only guy in green this holiday season.


Come November 1, Mr. Broccoli, an IKEA soft toy personality and a lead character in the IKEA Soft Toy campaign, will venture away from the broccoli patch and show the world his willingness to travel by boat, plane, rickshaw or railroad to make it home in time for the holidays. With a camera slung around his stalk, Mr. Broccoli plans to capture the heartbeat behind Save the Children’s IKEA-funded education programs in Bangladesh, China and Vietnam, while checking off some favorite U.S. and European hotspots from his travel list."

Catch up with Mr. Broccoli here.