Here's a little known nugget about child sponsorship: It combats trafficking! This World Day against Trafficking in Persons, learn how children are affected by the world’s fastest growing global crime and how child sponsorship is a small act with a big impact. Be an advocate or donate to help!

It has been eight long years. Still the Syria Crisis rages on, with no end in sight.

Some 8.4 million children have been affected. They have been through terrible things that no one, especially children, should. These things have harmed them not just physically but have also damaged their mental health. In response, World Vision has been working to set up Child Friendly Spaces in conflict areas. Child Friendly Spaces give children a safe space where they can begin to heal and work through their emotions. Crucially, they give these children, who were robbed of their childhood, the chance to be children again.

Have we taken a moment to pause and consider the things we take for granted? In Singapore, we have an average literacy rate of 97.1% whilst in Sudan, 1 in 4 children cannot read or write. Our schools are sometimes a mere ten-minute bus ride or walk from our homes, whilst for many students in the developing world, they make long and dangerous treks to get to school that can sometimes take hours.

Meet Gat Luak, a 15-year-old South Sudanese refugee living in Kakuma Refugee Camp, whose family has been displaced by the conflict in the region. Like many other children his age, Gat Luak also dreams about following his passions and creating a better future, not just for himself but those around him.

Alien. Stranger. Different. Anger. Fear.

The word “refugee” is often associated with a spectrum of words or emotions. But what exactly is a refugee?

In June, the monsoon season’s heavy rains battered Bangladesh, causing several landslides in Rangamati, Chittagong and Bandarban. At least 152 people lost their lives in what was deemed one of the worst landslides in Bangladesh’s history. The monsoon season marched on: At it's height on 11 August, almost a week’s worth of rain fell across parts of Bangladesh in a matter of a few hours, leaving almost nearly a third of the country underwater. Eight year old Jibon was among the scores of people whose lives were altered irrevocably. 

Every single day when we read the newspapers or watch the news, we learn about the countless disasters happening around the world. The Syrian Crisis. The African Drought. The Refugee Crisis Affecting Rohingyas. These are only some of the many disasters occurring in our world.

Watch as television host Greta Georges carried out a special delivery mission with World Vision – to bring a gift of a cow to the sole breadwinner of a family in Tien Lu. This is part of our economic development support to help parents provide for their children in a sustainable way.

Before World Vision phases out of Tien Lu ADP, Vietnam, in 2020, we need your support so families there can dare to hope again. Support them through microfinance & integrated economic livelihood. Empower them to move from “can’t” to “can”!

In Singapore, we can work knowing that at the end of the day, we will get paid for our labour. What about families in broken economies? This Labour Day, let's remember those who work with no certainty of covering their basic needs. For them, the chance to start and grow a small business can change their world.