You learned many fundamental lessons as a child — treat others the way you want to be treated, always be honest, accept consequences for your actions.
If you were in Girl Scouts or Boy Scouts, you were probably taught to leave every place better than you found it.
At World Help, we want to leave every place — and every person — better than we found them. That’s why we invest in sustainable solutions that yield ongoing benefits — investments that will endure.
Two ways you helped accomplish this goal in 2016 were through sustainability projects like livestock gifts and vocational training.
A living through livestock
Sometimes, the difference between thriving and surviving is as simple as a goat or a pair of chickens. Not only do farm animals provide nutritious food or milk for families, they are a reliable source of income.
In 2016, your gifts of goats, rabbits, chickens, cows, sheep, and pigs have impacted everything from physical well-being to economic opportunity to gender equality.
You are helping men like Anderson, a father with three children who has struggled to find a steady job. He says that your gift of livestock has brought dignity to his family and has provided him with a long-term income opportunity.
“This gift is the best thing to happen to me,” said Irene, another beneficiary of your generosity. She has five children and stays at home to take care of them. But with the gift of livestock, she now has an opportunity to make extra income for her family.
New hope through vocational training
Widespread civil war and violence throughout sub-Saharan Africa has stolen the childhoods of far too many young adults — resulting in incomplete educations and a lack of guidance. Many are unprepared to enter the workforce.
But vocational training is giving them a second chance. This year, your generosity has made all the difference for countless students struggling to support their families.
Here’s one story of how your work is changing lives:
At the vulnerable age of 9, Akello was abducted by the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA). For years, she was constantly violated and beaten. When she was finally allowed to return home, she was faced with a new challenge: She was now 31, the mother of three children, and had no life skills.
Discovering that both her parents had been killed by the LRA, Akello’s hope eroded and she began to despair … how could she take care of her children?
And that’s where you stepped in. Akello heard about the vocational skills training center and decided to enroll in the tailoring program. She has now graduated and received a sewing machine of her own.
Today, she is working in a popular market and can afford to send her children to good schools.
“I am happy for the tailoring skills I acquired from the vocational training center. I can now provide my family with clothes, food, and all necessities,” Akello said. “Thank you for giving me free skill training and the tailoring machine you gave me. In a few weeks, I am planning to buy more tailoring machines to expand my business.”
***
We believe all people matter to God. That means the people we serve together are worth far more than any half-hearted solutions.
Thank you for showing so many people that they are worthwhile and valuable through your sustainability gifts this year.
Because of you, men and women around the world learned valuable skills and received the tools they needed to forge a new, brighter future for themselves and their families.