History
World Vision International was founded in 1977, as an umbrella organization, by Walter Stanley Mooneyham the president of World Vision. It was the result of a restructuring process that began already in the early 1970s within World Vision Inc. which was already founded in 1950 by Bob Pierce to provide support for missionary organizations and did business as "World Vision International" since 1966. World Vision International took over most international functions which were previously fulfilled by World Vision Inc. and was headquartered in Monrovia, California, in the same building as World Vision Inc. W. Mooneyham became also president of World Vision International until 1982 when he resigned after criticism within the International Board, where the accusations ranged from a dictatorial leadership style to an ethnocentric American communication style.
Already in 1967 the Mission Advanced Research and Communication Center (MARC) was founded by Ed Dayton as a Division of World Vision International. It became the organizational backbone of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization, collected and published data about "unreached people" and also published the "Mission Handbook: North American Protestant Ministries Overseas".
During the 1970s World Vision began training families to build small farms by teaching agricultural skills. World Vision started to aim towards making lasting effects in the communities they were helping by promoting self-reliance.
In the early 1980s famine struck Ethiopia resulting in intense media coverage. This inspired an influx of donations to World Vision allowing the organisation to provide food and health assistance and eventually allowing Ethiopians to successfully continue on their own. World Vision also began installing water pumps for clean water in communities which caused infant mortality rates to drop. Volunteers now use the fresh water to teach communities gardening and irrigation and promote good health.
During the 1990s, World Vision began focusing on the needs of children who had been orphaned in Uganda, Romania, and Somalia in response to AIDS, neglect, and civil war respectively. They began educating other African communities on AIDS after realizing its impact. They also joined the United Nations peacekeeping efforts to help those affected by civil war. World Vision also started to openly promote the international ban on land mines.
Today, World Vision operates in more than 90 countries, including Ethiopia, Ghana, Afghanistan, India, Romania, Austria, Bolivia, El Salvador, Mexico, Jerusalem, and Papua New Guinea. They are now focusing on larger issues of community development and advocacy for the poor towards the end of helping poor children and their families build a sustainable future. World Vision is a Christian charity and one of the world's leading relief and development agencies. Right now, around the world, they are working in partnership with more than 100 million people in nearly 100 countries in their struggle against poverty, hunger and injustice, irrespective of their religious beliefs. In the UK, World Vision is one of the members of the Disasters Emergency Committee.
World Vision employs over 40,000 people and well over 90% of staff works from their own home country.
Kevin Jenkins is the current president of World Vision International.
Read more about this topic: World Vision International
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