"The main takeaways I have from this trip is that service requires so much humility and patience. It is only when we humble ourselves to really learn and listen to the needs of the community that we can truly serve and be of value and help. This was truly an insightful and humbling experience for me. I am extremely blessed to witness every single individual's inspiring acts of love."

This trip assured me with a greater confidence that the work done by World Vision and the devoted and passionate staff in Cambodia will work their best to assist more vulnerable families living in developing countries to progress with us. They will be taken care of. Their lives are improving slowly and are progressing towards sustainability in the long run. 

“It’s a blessing to connect with them regularly through letters and get their updates. These letters, and the connection I felt with my sponsored children, are what kept me going," shared Anna.

Covid-19 has caused major disruption to the world over the past couple of years. Organisations had to quickly rethink how they conducted their operations in order to comply with the latest Safe Management Measures, as well as how to stay relevant in the changing world. Likewise, the church has to evaluate how it can continue to participate in cross-cultural missions in light of Covid restrictions. When the opportunity to partner with World Vision in a Faith-in-Action Virtual trip to Cebu, Philippines arose, a team of 10 youths and young adults from Yio Chu Kang Chapel quickly jumped on board.

“One of my Mongolian boy wrote to me saying I believe we will meet again one day. My boy from the Philippines who always address me as auntie Elaine said he will study hard to let his family feel proud of him,” shared Elaine.

“The yearly photo sent along with the yearly report, is always a joy to receive because compared to the previous year, she would always look the same yet much grown-up and always donning the simple accessories that I mailed over or outfits that I bought when I went for the trips,” explained Elsie.

"All we knew from the Singapore side was that we were only sending financial aid. But there’s a lot more [to it], a lot of programs were built up. I was very impressed by the operations that went on.”

Now passionate child advocates, Sharon and Wee Leong share their experience as World Vision child sponsors!

A team of two lecturers and 24 students studying different courses at Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) took part in a Youth Expedition Project (YEP) in Da Nang, Vietnam on 8-20 September 2019. This YEP was organised by NP’s Office of Service Learning (OSL) in conjunction with World Vision, and was the second in a series of Service-Learning trips that introduced students at NP to World Vision’s child-centred approach to sustainable development. The team shares some reflections and key takeaways from their experience.