Resilience Rising: How World Vision is transforming lives of migrants and communities worldwide

On this International Day of Migrants, it’s crucial to recognize the unprecedented challenges faced by migrants and displaced people globally. In a world marked by conflict, insecurity, and the devasting impacts of climate and extreme weather events, these individuals are among the most vulnerable and marginalized in our societies. World Vision joins with our partners and other leading actors at the forefront of addressing these challenges to call for concerted action to provide innovative, impactful, and sustainable solutions that not only respond to immediate crises but also foster long-term resilience.?

For decades, World Vision has implemented programming and initiatives to support and empower displaced and migrant families as well as communities at risk in fragile contexts around the world, including Latin America, the Middle East, and Africa, leaving us well-positioned to support areas recently experiencing crises, like South Sudan and Ukraine. We are committed not only to respond to crises but also to empower children, families, and entire communities to thrive in their countries of origin. Our response is holistic, addressing immediate needs while laying the groundwork for long-term resilience and stability.?

For example, in Latin America our efforts have transformed many lives. Over 7.7 million people fleeing Venezuela have found hope through our Hope Without Borders initiative. With a US$25 million investment, World Vision has positively impacted over 170,000 individuals across six countries, offering essential support ranging from hot meals to hygiene kits. In partnership with the U.S. Department of Labor , we are focusing on eradicating child labor in agricultural sectors through Campos de Esperanza in Mexico. Our flagship project model Youth Ready, equips young people as agents of change, focusing on economic opportunities and social engagement. The Puentes Project, implemented with USAID in Guatemala, empowers young people with skills and opportunities? to provide alternatives to irregular migration. In collaboration with the US Department of Labor, the Futuros Brilliantes project in Honduras aims to reduce child labor and improve labor rights enforcement.?

In the Middle East, Syria’s ongoing conflict has left millions of children in need of aid. World Vision’s comprehensive and cross-sectoral programming in health, education, and child protection have been a lifeline for these children. The devastating February 6, 2023, earthquake has added more misery to the complex layers of suffering, with the loss of housing making Syrian children and women more vulnerable to exploitation and abuse. In the winter months, hardships will deepen and needs will increase for those who are displaced within the country and far from home. World Vision is working across Syria, Türkiye, Jordan, and Lebanon to support refugees and those internally displaced as well as vulnerable host communities through programs focused on health, child protection, education, nutrition, psychosocial support, livelihoods, and access to clean water, sanitation, and hygiene resources. Since the onset of the Syrian refugee crisis in 2011, we’ve supported more than 7.5 million children and their families across the region.?

The war in Ukraine and the escalating conflict in Sudan highlight the growing needs of displaced populations. The war in Ukraine has driven 6.3 million people to seek refuge in other countries, as of December 2023. Children, enduring nearly two years of turmoil, have faced immense physical and emotional hardships. As of January 2023, over 5 million children were experiencing educational disruptions. Our efforts reach beyond immediate response to include long-term assistance through psychosocial support and educational programs for children and families.?

An escalation in conflict in Sudan that began in April 2023 has displaced over 1 million children, worsening an existing crisis. Climate shocks, food price spikes, and political unrest had already caused widespread hunger, but the violence escalated food shortages. Now, over 13 million children are in urgent need of humanitarian assistance. In addition to our ongoing work in Sudan before the crisis, we’ve also aided over 1.5 million people with food, access to clean water, child protection, health and nutrition support, sanitation and hygiene resources, and more.?

Leading with expertise and learning?

Our holistic, evidence-based solutions and approaches to addressing the needs and challenges around migration are built on a process of continual evaluation, reflection, and refinement to ensure the greatest possible impact. We use real-time evaluations and case studies in fragile and conflict affected contexts to adapt programming to meet the needs of children in conflict zones. These case studies provide an overview of World Vision’s programming interventions and document best practices of adaptation, implementation, and iteration of project models and approaches to fit the realities of those contexts and ensure that children affected by conflict are better served, resourced, and empowered. We employ these core tools and approaches to ensure the organization is grounded in conflict-sensitive and principled operations while being adaptable to the context.??

Our partnerships with independent institutions to analyze our work and methodology enable us to adapt to what we learn. For example, are conducting cutting-edge research with The Johns Hopkins University and USAID using system dynamics modeling to predict and effectively implement targeted responses to gang and community violence against children in Latin America. We are also using evidence-based practices aligning with the INSPIRE framework for ending violence against children, especially in fragile and conflict areas.?

World Vision is committed to sharing our learnings with the humanitarian sector to increase support and impact for migrant families and communities. Last year, we released Out in the Cold, a comparative analysis of three large displacement crises that not only highlights winter-related challenges for displaced households from or within Ukraine, Syria, and Afghanistan but also offers 17 recommendations to improve an aid system that predominantly prioritizes the needs of male-headed households in winterization support for displaced people and leaves their female-headed counterparts out in the cold. This year, we released another report revealing that forcibly displaced children are paying the price for the international community’s failure to address the root causes of conflict, hunger and climate events along with urgent recommendations for national governments, donors and humanitarian actors, including UN agencies and NGOs.?

Join us?

This International Migrants Day, we are grateful for our partnership with USAID, the Department of Labor, and all the?global, local, and community organizations that enable us to expand the impact of programs and approaches that are transforming the lives of children and families in fragile contexts around the world. ?

Join us in delivering holistic solutions that address immediate needs while laying the groundwork for long-term resilience and stability. Share the insights from our research reports—knowledge is a powerful tool in raising awareness about the challenges faced by displaced communities and solutions that can transform lives in their countries of origins. Follow and share our work on social media; stay informed about our projects and successes to keep the momentum going. If you are part of an organization, explore partnership opportunities with World Vision. Collaborative efforts can amplify the impact of our work together.??