This New Year, Pray It Backward and Forward

The new year is an opportunity to be persistent in our prayers, just as the Apostle Paul instructed the Thessalonians to “pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). This month, let’s look back at a few situations we prayed about in 2011. Then, let’s pray about matters we need to lift up every day in 2012.

Looking Back: 2011

Children pray during World Vision's National Day of Prayer in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. (Seyha Lychheang/World Vision)

Pray for those still struggling to recover from disasters.

Natural disasters turned millions of lives upside down in 2011. News headlines may forget these people, but their needs remain critical.

Horn of Africa: The United Nations estimates that more than 13 million people are in need of humanitarian aid in drought-ravaged Horn of Africa. More than one-third of the region’s children face emergency levels of malnutrition.

Japan: Last March, the strongest-ever earthquake to hit Japan produced a lethal tsunami and a nuclear reactor meltdown.

United States: Soon after the Japanese disaster, thousands of families across America’s southern states were affected by a series of powerful tornadoes.

Haiti: As we mark the two-year anniversary of Haiti’s devastating earthquake this month, more than half a million people remain homeless and living in temporary camps. A cholera epidemic has claimed more than 6,700 lives, and rising food and fuel prices have threatened hundreds of thousands of Haitians with malnutrition and economic hardship.

Dear God, on behalf of our brothers and sisters whose lives are impacted by disasters, we claim the promise of Psalm 46:1. Be their refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.

Pray that children in poverty have better access to clean water, healthcare, and the other life essentials.

(Abby Metty/World Vision)

Today, more than 20,000 children younger than 5 will die mainly of causes that can be easily prevented and treated. Undernutrition contributes to more than a third of early childhood deaths. Waterborne diseases, such as diarrhea, also remain a leading cause of illness and death among children in the developing world.

We thank the Lord that some progress has been made. Globally, the mortality rate for children younger than 5 has dropped by more than one-third since 1990. Millions of additional children can be saved with measures that already exist and are not expensive.

Dear God, thank You for the lives of these precious children. Guide their families to the healthcare, clean water, and other necessities they need to grow up strong and be healthy.

Pray that children are no longer forced into sex trafficking.

Human trafficking is modern-day slavery. Today, an estimated 2 million children — most of them girls — are enslaved and abused in the global commercial sex trade. Many children are sold into prostitution to pay off family debts or abducted from the streets and forced to work in brothels. Children who escape or are rescued face a difficult physical and emotional recovery process.

Dear God, there are times when it is right — and righteous — to be angry. It is right to be angry about people who sexually exploit children. Let that righteous anger fuel action, Lord. Don’t let it fade into complacency.

Looking Forward: 2012

Pray that significant advances in eliminating malaria worldwide will be made this year.

Malaria is one of the top killers of children in sub-Saharan Africa. The parasitic disease, already eradicated in some parts of the world, kills one child every 48 seconds. World Vision is distributing millions of insecticide-treated bed nets, reducing the incidence of malaria. The efforts are working. In sub-Saharan Africa, the lives of 1.1 million children younger than 5 have been saved. Praise God! The Roll Back Malaria Partnership goal is to reduce malaria deaths to near zero by 2015.

Dear God, foster a spirit of continued cooperation and sustain a sense of urgency among the partners working to eradicate malaria. We pray this year for breakthroughs in the fight against malaria.

Pray that families worldwide will have the resources in 2012 to grow or buy enough food.

(Le Thiem Xuan/World Vision)

Poor nutrition is the single biggest underlying cause of ill health and death among pregnant women and children in their first two years of life. Insufficient nutrition during the first 1,000 days of life — from conception through age 2 — can cause stunting and poor cognitive development. Without adequate nutritious food, these children will not be able to reach their God-given potential.

Dear God, help us to never forget that nearly a billion people around the world go hungry every day. Please help those who are malnourished, and guide families to resources and long-term solutions.

Pray that children and their communities will know and be transformed by God’s love for them.

Christianity is rapidly growing in the developing world, reflecting a deep hunger for the love of Jesus. Church growth has exploded, yet many churches desperately need programs and materials for the spiritual nurture of children and families. Opportunity abounds for us to demonstrate the love of Jesus among people facing disaster, disease, poverty, and violence.

Dear God, thank You for the local church. Bless World Vision in leveraging its relationships with thousands of local church leaders in developing nations. Cause churches to thrive as they share Your love with the children and families in their communities.

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A Christmas focus on Jesus Christ

The glitter and excitement of the holidays can leave us harried and breathless. But the gleam of anticipation in a child’s eye — reflecting the magic and wonder of the season — reminds us of the hope we have in Jesus Christ. And as we focus on Him amid the barrage of worldly noise and commercialism, we remember how much Christ in His earthly life identified with those who are hurting.

A sponsored child with a Christmas card. (Nguyen Thi Phuong/WV)

Suggested prayer points

In your quiet times this month, or as you bow your head to pray before a meal, remember to intercede for:

The millions of children and families who are homeless.

A heartbreaking 1 billion people worldwide lack adequate housing. Millions live in health-threatening conditions, in overcrowded slums and informal settlements, or in other conditions that do not uphold their human rights and dignity. Jesus knew that feeling of isolation and displacement. In Luke 9:58, He says, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

Dear God, You knew what it was like to be without a home. Guide to spaces of safety and comfort those who don’t have a place to call their own.

Those who are hungry.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the number of people who experience hunger on a daily basis — about 925 million — is close to the number who lack adequate housing. Hunger is one of the leading child killers around the globe. Worldwide, a child dies from hunger-related causes every 15 seconds. In Matthew 25:35-40, Christ says that when we feed a hungry person, we are feeding Him.

Dear God, help us see You in the faces of the hungry. Give us courage to reach out when they lift up their hands in need.

A Somalian mother and son sit in a displacement camp. (Jon Warren/WV)

Those forced to flee their homes because of natural disasters and war.

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, 47 percent of refugees and asylum seekers are under the age of 18, and 80 percent of the world’s refugees in 2010 were in developing countries — nations with the fewest resources to meet their needs. Jesus started His life on Earth as a refugee. Born far from His home, He and His family fled persecution and lived in Egypt.

Dear God, the psalmist wrote that You are our safe refuge, a fortress where our enemies cannot reach us. Be that safe refuge for those who must flee their homelands.

Christians who are persecuted for their faith.

When you live in a place where Christmas is widely celebrated, it might be hard to imagine being restricted from openly worshiping Christ. Human rights experts estimate that approximately 200 million Christians are living in countries with severely restricted religious freedom and are partly suffering discrimination or persecution. Revelation 2:26 tells us that Christ will give authority over all the nations to those who are “victorious, who obey me to the very end” (NLT). He will give a crown of life to those who remain faithful even while facing death (Revelation 2:10).

Dear God, we claim the promise of Your Word for our brothers and sisters in Christ who are persecuted for their faith. Help them hold on to You and obey You to the very end.

Children who are unprotected and exploited.

Around the world, hundreds of millions of innocent children are forced into labor, armed conflict, early marriage, and sexual abuse. They are especially at risk when they are orphaned or separated from their parents. Christ is very clear that children are close to His heart, and there are consequences for those who would seek to harm them. “See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven” (Matthew 18:10).

Dear God, don’t let us ever become complacent about our responsibility to protect children from exploitation. Bring us to our feet to rush to their aid.

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Praying through the day

Scripture tells us that prayer should be as natural as breathing, a running conversation with a Creator who loves to talk to us. As we prepare for Thanksgiving this month, let’s use the ordinary things of our day to remember to be thankful for them and to pray for those who can’t even imagine having the things we take for granted.

Each time you …

• Turn on a faucet, thank God for clean water. More than 880 million people worldwide only have access to unsafe water sources. And 4,110 children in developing countries die every day because they don’t have clean drinking water. Claim for them the promise of Isaiah 41:18: “I will open up rivers for them on the high plateaus. I will give them fountains of water in the valleys.”

Dear God, You are Living Water, and I thank You that I have constant access to clean water. Protect those who walk miles daily to gather water for their families, and please give them sources of clean, healthy water.

• Read a book, a sign, or an email, thank God for your education. Around the world, some 67 million elementary-age children are not enrolled in school. Many are denied an education because their parents can’t afford their school fees and uniforms. Millions are put to work to help feed the family.

Dear God, You are the beginning of all knowledge. Thank You for the gift of an education that has made such a difference in my life, and make a way for the millions of children who want to go to school to be able to attend.

• Open the medicine cabinet, thank God for access to health care. Every day more than 20,000 children younger than 5 die from causes we can easily prevent, including diarrhea, measles, malaria, and malnutrition. Pray for children born into unhealthy living situations.

Dear God, You are the Great Physician, who gives my body its ability to heal. Touch the bodies of those who are sick and suffering, and give them Your perfect health.

• Put away an item you’ve just bought, thank God for His overflowing generosity to you. Today 1.4 billion people in the developing world live in poverty on less than $1.25 per day — even though most are willing to work. Millions of families in developing countries have no opportunity to earn income. Pray for these families that struggle to survive. Proverbs 14:31 tells us: ” … Whoever is kind to the needy honors God” (NIV). Contemplate what it means for you to be “kind to the needy.”

Dear God, if I am honest with myself, I probably waste more money every day than most people in the world have to live on. Help me to remember just how blessed I am because of who I am — your child — not what I have. And help me be sensitive to those who struggle to sustain their families.

• Read your Bible, be thankful for access to Bibles and other materials that help keep your Christian faith strong and focused. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.” In some of the 100 countries where World Vision works, political, economic, or social values severely restrict churches serving as beacons of hope to their communities. Pray that church leaders and congregations will be equipped to demonstrate God’s unconditional love to families in need.

Dear God, thank You for loving me so much that You reveal Yourself to me through Your Word. Help me keep Your truth close to my heart, so that I can grow closer to Yours.

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The daughter of World Vision’s founder walks on a street honoring her father’s legacy.

Marilee Pierce Dunker at Dr. Bob Pierce's Road.

When I wrote our World Vision staff in India to say I was coming to visit Dr. Rochunga Pudaite in Manipur and then hoped to see some of our World Vision work, they immediately wrote back with a surprising declaration: “You must visit Tripura to see Bob Pierce Road.”

I was impressed. Somewhere in India there was a stretch of highway or perhaps a city street named after my father, and I was going to see it.

I flew to Agaratala, capital of the Indian state of Tripura, where I was met by two of our World Vision staff, Stevenson and Kanto.

“We will have to leave early in the morning if we are going to reach the road by noon,” Kanto told us. “It takes a long time to get there, and the people are very excited to meet you.”

He was right. It took nearly four hours to drive the treacherously narrow highway over the steep mountains to Raipassa, the village where Bob Pierce Road begins. I knew we were getting close when the land seemed to relax into rolling hills and valleys dotted with planted fields, fruit orchards, and grazing livestock.

We turned off the main road onto a smaller road, one of hundreds we had passed. “Is this it?” I asked.

“Not yet,” Kanto said, “but we are close.”

Marilee visits with children from the Ripassa Baptist Church and school near Bob Pierce Road.

We wound our way up a sloping hillside, and I spotted the Riapassa Baptist Church and school sitting on a rise to my right. As we got closer, I saw dozens of smiling people, many of them children in dark-blue school uniforms, waiting for us. I was so busy waving and smiling that I actually missed what I had come so far to see.

Once out of the car, we were surrounded by greetings and warm handshakes. A couple of children came forward with great ceremony to present me with a bunch of flowers and, of course, pictures were taken. Then Kanto said, “So, let us take you to the road.”

We walked back down to where we had veered toward the church. I could see the expectant smiles all around me as Kanto pointed toward a sign that had been nailed to a tree.

“Welcome to Dr. Bob Pierce’s Road” read the brightly colored sign. “Riapassa to Boratola. To God be the glory!”

I smiled through my tears as I looked down the lovely, tree-shaded lane that had been cut into the hillside. Sloping gently toward the valley below, Dr. Bob Pierce’s Road is two kilometers long and wide enough for a car. As we walked, Kanto told me the story. World Vision began development work in this area in the late 1990s, and today more than 1,700 children are enjoying the benefits of sponsorship: clean water, education, healthcare, and malaria nets.

For generations, Riapassa and Borotola villages had nothing but a narrow walking path to connect them. Winter rains would wash the path away, cutting them off for weeks at a time. In 2002 World Vision partnered with the local government to build a proper road, cutting into the hillside and laying brick to ensure that the rains would not wash the road away. The road is so stable that many people have built houses on either side.

Dr. Bob Pierce's Road in Tripura, India.

“So why did they call it Bob Pierce’s Road?” I asked.

“When a village is blessed in a significant way, the people believe that it must be honored with a name that is equally important,” Kanto explained. “This road was life-changing for them, and when the village leaders sat down to decide on what to call it, they asked us what the founder of World Vision’s name was. They wanted to honor the memory of the person who had caused so many good things to happen for their people.”

“You should see our road after a good rain,” one young woman proudly shared as we walked the road together. “The dust that is covering now washes away and you can see the brick. It sparkles in the sun. It is a beautiful road.”

My dad would agree.

A film about top surfer Bethany Hamilton helps make sense of life’s bitter blows.

Bethany introduces Thai children to the delights of surfing. (Jon Warren/World Vision)

Imagine being a champion surfer and one day having a shark bite off your arm. Not only will you have to live through the rest of your life with one arm, your surfing career might well be at an end. Is there a bright side to this story?

We wrote about Bethany Hamilton in the Spring 2006 issue of World Vision magazine. And her extraordinary story is now the subject of the major motion picture “Soul Surfer,” due for release on April 8 and starring AnnaSophia Robb, Helen Hunt, and Dennis Quaid.

Bethany, a top surfer, did indeed lose her arm to a tiger shark when she was just 13, but within a month she was back in the water, trying to find the next great wave. That spirit gave World Vision an idea. Following the Asian tsunami, fishing communities we were working with in Thailand had become petrified of the ocean from which they derived their living. Could Bethany help?

AnnaSophia Robb stars as Bethany Hamilton in "Soul Surfer." (Mario Perez, courtesy of Film District)

Bethany traveled to Phuket, where she talked with villagers about her own devastating ocean experience. One of her key points: Shark attacks and tsunamis are rare events; we ought not allow them to dictate the way we live the rest of our lives. Bethany persuaded some village youngsters to head into the ocean with her, where—much to their delight—she gave them their first-ever surfing lesson.

With the movie coming out soon, I got in touch with Bethany, now 21. She’s delighted with the way the film has turned out. She had a hand in picking AnnaSophia to play her, assisted with the script, and acted as a technical consultant on the surfing scenes. Her biggest buzz, though, has been audience reaction to the previews—including a girl about 7 years old who was born without an arm and was thrilled to see another single-armed person succeed. She had even written a book, A Dog Without a Paw, which she proudly presented to Bethany. In return, Bethany gave her signed poster of the movie.

“She was really sweet,” Bethany says, “and it was cool to show her that you can make the best of out life with one arm.”

Bethany’s own life proves that point. She still spends about six months of the year on the women’s professional surfing circuit, and last year she placed 25th on the women’s world rankings. I ask her if she ever fears another shark attack, and she just laughs: “I try not to focus on that. I just try to focus on having fun.”

Her message to others who have faced a terrible blow: “Things happen for a reason, and good can come out of it. In my experience, so much beauty has come out of a terrible thing.”

Getting ready for spring training in the Dominican Republic. (World Vision Staff)

I was browsing through some new images that arrived in our photo library, and I couldn’t help but smile at this one from the Dominican Republic.

Just in time for MLB spring training!

Every year has its good times and bad times. World Vision editors pick their highlights and lowlights of 2010.

Haiti earthquake. (James Addis/World Vision)

January

LOW: One of the worst earthquakes in human history strikes Port-au-Prince, Haiti, on Jan. 12, killing more than 220,000.

February

Sri Lanka. (Asanga Warnakulasuriya/WV)

HIGH: World Vision brings aid to northern areas of Sri Lanka, previously inaccessible due to a 26-year civil war.

LOW: A magnitude 8.8 earthquake strikes Chile. Though an even more intense than the Haiti quake, the damage is much less severe.

March

LOW: Assailants attack a World Vision office in Mansehra, Pakistan, killing seven employees. Investigators do not uncover who is responsible.

April

HIGHS: A World Vision campaign to deliver 3 million insecticidal-treated bed nets to malaria-prone countries is dramatically increased to 10.6 million nets. The World Health Organization reports dramatic declines in the prevalence of malaria in 2010.

May

Paul Martin, Comrades marathon (Andrea Peer/WV)

HIGHS: Athletes gather to run the 56-mile Comrades Marathon in South Africa—among them, amputee Paul Martin, representing Team World Vision, and cheered on by his sponsored child.

The Hole in Our Gospel, penned by World Vision U.S. President Rich Stearns, wins the 2010 Christian Book Award from the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association.

World Vision launches worldvisionmicro.org, which enables visitors to give microloans to struggling entrepreneurs.

June

HIGH: Formerly homeless women strut down the catwalk in eye-catching new threads at a Beverly Hills, Calif., fashion show. The models are beneficiaries of a World Vision U.S. Program helping women recover from violence, alcohol, and drug abuse.

July

HIGHS: Congress passes a bill, partially drafted by World Vision, that subjects U.S. companies sourcing minerals from the Democratic Republic of Congo to closer scrutiny. Trade in minerals is a major source of funding for rebel groups.

More than 120 teens converge on Capitol Hill for World Vision’s Youth Empowerment Summit. The young people press politicians to sponsor the Youth Promise Act.

August

Pakistan. (Muhammad Ali/WV)

LOW: Unprecedented flooding leaves 10 million people without shelter in Pakistan and prompts mass outbreaks of water-borne disease.

September

HIGHS: World Vision celebrates its 60th anniversary.

Founder Bob Pierce’s Bible is rediscovered. Handwritten in the flyleaf is his famous prayer: “Let my heart be broken with the things that break the heart of God.”

“Jamaa,” a dramatized film commissioned by World Vision about children orphaned by AIDS, wins a Crystal Heart Award.

Max Lucado headlines World Vision’s Make A Difference Tour, aiming to find 25,000 child sponsors to mark his 25^th year in publishing.

October

TOMS Shoes in Zambia. (Collins Kaumba/WV)

HIGH: World Vision launches a new partnership with TOMS Shoes to provide thousands of pairs of new shoes to children in developing countries.

November

HIGH: The Texas Rangers lose the World Series, but pre-printed T-shirts and sweatshirts—declaring the Rangers as victors—are donated to World Vision for impoverished children. In 2011, World Vision distributed more than $94 million worth of clothing.

December

HIGH: The True Spirit of Christmas Tour is launched on Facebook. In Africa, the team gathers inspiring stories of children whose lives have been transformed by gifts from the World Vision Gift Catalog.

Is there a significant event that we missed? Let us know in the comments.

A sponsored girl in Cambodia recieves a card from her sponsor in the United States.

In my job, I see stories of people whom I like to call “Super Sponsors.” These are the people who write to their child every month, send extra gifts for birthdays and Christmas, and write letters to their sponsored child’s siblings and parents.

I know I should do that, but I never manage to. In reality, almost all of my letters are quick notes on the back of the cards World Vision provides for sponsors to send on to their sponsored children. A couple weeks ago, I got the Christmas card from World Vision, and I had every intention of sending it right away, but now the card is buried under some piles of paperwork and other things to mail during the holiday season. To top that off, the card is a reminder that I haven’t written my sponsored girl in South Africa since I sent her the birthday card sometime last spring.

But I do know that World Vision’s cards get to sponsored children around the world and the kids enjoy them. I recently discovered a series of photos by Sopheak Kong, a very talented photographer in Cambodia, who chronicled the path of a birthday card from when it reached the country to when it was delivered to the sponsored child. It encouraged me and made me want to track down that Christmas card for my sponsored child. I hope it will do the same for you.

You can click on any photo to launch a slideshow presentation of these pictures.

At the national office in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, sponsorship staff unpack birthday cards from delivery boxes, which just arrived at their office.

Staff enter birthday card logs into the computer system and note which community to which the card should be delivered.

The staff at the national office organize the cards for delivery to communities around the country.

Once the cards arrive in the community, local staff translate the included notes into the local language—here that's Khmer.

On this day, the cards are being distributed to sponsored children at their school.

Now each sponsor's message is delivered to their sponsored child.

Rithy, 12, says, "I am very happy to receive the card. Thank you to my sponsor that always supports me. I wish you health, good luck, and success in every work."

Thank you, sponsors!

For those of you, like me, who get busy and forget to write, it’s never too late to return the greeting cards. Any time you drop it in the mail, World Vision will ship and deliver them to your sponsored child. I’ve been lucky enough to see the smiles of sponsored children as they receive letters from their sponsors. Be sure to put a smile on your child’s face!

On World AIDS Day, hear from a courageous staff member whose own experience with HIV has provided purpose and grace.

Watch the moving testimony of Cristo Greyling, World Vision’s advisor for global HIV and AIDS and faith partnerships.

Much of Cristo’s work has been focused on Africa, helping churches reach out to families devastated by AIDS. Read his magazine essay from 2008:

“Why would we need a new ministry on AIDS? We do not have anyone with AIDS in our church!” I cringed as I listened to these words from the head of social services of the Dutch Reformed Church in South Africa. It was March 1990—three months before I announced to the congregation where I served as minister that I was living with HIV.

Many things have changed since that terrible day. Despite sometimes fierce resistance, many churches have started amazing HIV and AIDS ministries. But the reality is that stigma still prevents many churches from responding appropriately.

Thomas Lebiletsa, a pastor of Calvary Hope of the Nations Church from Lesotho, acknowledges that he used to be part of the problem: “I would tell my congregation almost every Sunday, ‘Those with HIV must repent. You will come back to the church when your legs are as thin as the pole holding up this tent and ask for forgiveness… and I will be ready to conduct your funerals.’”

But in 2006, Thomas was trained as a facilitator for World Vision’s Channels of Hope program, which aims to equip church leaders and their congregations to respond effectively to HIV and AIDS. He left the training a different man. He realized those who were suffering because of the pandemic could never come to him for support unless his attitude changed.

Thomas did not intend to stigmatize. He wanted to prevent new HIV infections. But the words he used communicated a strong undertone of blame and judgment. Instead of embracing and providing hope to those affected and infected by HIV, he was casting them away and making their situation worse.

God calls us to accept others as Christ accepted us. As followers of Christ we are compelled by the love of Christ to reach out to people living with or affected by HIV. And only the experience of Christ can lead to true compassion, because true compassion flows from the love of Christ poured in our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Such compassion crosses barriers in society and identifies with all who are stigmatized, ostracized, or oppressed. It embraces them with unconditional love. Through this kind of compassion, Christians can be advocates in society for those whose voices have been silenced.

Thomas publicly repented before his congregation when he returned from the Channels of Hope training. Now he dedicates one Sunday a month to sharing about HIV and AIDS. Whenever possible, people living positively with HIV share their life experiences to provide hope for others in the congregation.

The church has since established a six-member committee to spearhead issues related to HIV and AIDS. Volunteers in the congregation visit orphans and vulnerable children in their homes. They make sure that adults and children get the care and support they require. Currently, the congregation of only 90 members feeds and cares for 35 orphans and 21 people living with HIV.

This is truly compassion in action. May God continue to renew our hearts and fill us with his compassion in similar ways. Let us be compelled by the love of Christ.

Find out more about World AIDS Day.

Volunteers in a camp for displaced families in Pakistan represent a side of the disaster you don’t often see.

Ihsan hands out cricket bats to flood-displaced children. (Muhammad Ali/WV)

Under the scorching sun of the post-monsoon season in Pakistan, flood-displaced people living in camps bake under tarpaulins, swatting mosquitoes, and waiting for the next meal, the next water truck, or the next piece of news about their village, home, or relative.

But at the Khairpur Civil Society camp in Sindh, there’s a lot of hustle and bustle. And volunteers are everywhere.

Ihsan Raza, 24, greets me at the camp entrance dressed in a tan shalwar kameez, baseball cap, and glasses. He is confident and genuine and looks like he knows what’s going on. At first blush, I thought he was one of our employees, but I soon found out that he is a volunteer.

Ihsan lives in Khairpur city, just a few kilometers away from the camp. He has been coming here every day for two months, volunteering to help the people of his country. He shows up at 9 in the morning, like clockwork, and leaves around midnight, but he has been known to stay until 3 in the morning.

When anyone wants to know anything about what’s going on at the camp, Ihsan is their man. He is involved in virtually everything and knows everyone who lives there, as well as the staff of the various NGOs and government agencies that work there. He can navigate through the maze of tents that are home to more than 150 families—and he knows all their stories. He helps with the families’ day-to-day problems and helps the NGO and government teams with distributions, installing hand pumps, fixing tents, and any other thing that might need an extra pair of hands or his knowledge of the residents. Just three weeks ago, he helped World Vision arrange to get two pregnant mothers to the hospital to deliver their newborn children.

Meeting Ihsan was a humbling experience of dedication and a belief in helping one’s neighbor. Ihsan was with me step-by-step. He was there when I wanted to meet the two new mothers and their children and took me directly to their tents. He was there helping people setting up tents while I was taking pictures.

And he was with me when I noticed a 7-year-old girl, Rasheeda, following me around the camp who had contracted a skin disease on her face that looked like a severe sunburn. Ihsan told me that since she’s been going to the World Vision health clinic, her face has been clearing up, and that she’s been much happier these days playing with other girls her age at World Vision’s Child-Friendly Space.

Ihsan is unemployed; he doesn’t do this for money. The only tangible thing he gets for his time is a meal during the day. His explanation for what he does is simple: “I try to do good for other people. Maybe Allah will do good to me as well.”

Zubaida teaches sewing at World Vision’s center for women and infants. (Muhammad Ali/WV)

I also met two women at World Vision’s newly opened Women and Infant Friendly Space who were volunteering to teach other women how to stitch, embroider, and use a sewing machine.

Unlike Ihsan, Zubaida, 30, and Farhana, 28, actually live in the camp. The two women are from different villages in Sindh and had never met before the flood. At home, both help support their families by sewing and embroidering shalwar kameez and other garments.

Now, in the camp, their lives are completely different. They’d complain about having nothing to do and missing their stitching. But something changed the day before I visited the camp. World Vision opened its first Women and Infant Friendly Space, and with it came four sewing machines.

Zubaida and Farhana jumped at the opportunity to get back to doing something they used to do in their own homes. This time, however, they chose to teach the other women and girls who were interested in their craft rather than just make things for themselves or for profit. “We love to sew, and since we had too much extra time in the camp, we wanted to use our time in a productive way to help others,” they said.

In the middle of the tent, amidst the brightly colored rugs and roll pillows, Zubaida and Farhana were happily drawing a crowd as they showed the rest of the women and girls how to mend clothes and use a hand-cranked sewing machine.

Dwayne Mamo

We often hear stories of people suffering in disasters like this, but rarely do we hear stories of hope and human resilience. It is true that many of the families I met living in the camp are living a hard life, disrupted and uprooted from their homes and routines, but life in this camp also had a quality of survival rarely reported.

To know that people like Ihsan, Zubaida, and Farhana are volunteering in this camp gives not only those living around them hope, but shows us the level of human compassion and spirit that can exist in the face of tragedy.

Dwayne Mamo is based in Tbilisi, Georgia.