Category Archives: Disaster Relief

Aid worker’s diary: returning to Goma

Posted on January 14, 2013 by Aimee Manimani in Disaster Relief

During the recent conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, I was evacuated along with other World Vision colleagues to Gisenyi, Rwanda, a town a little more than a mile across the border. We were later allowed to return to Goma to help civilians who had been displaced. Rebels of the March 23 (M23) movement were in charge of the city, and thousands of people had lost their homes and sense of stability....

Haiti: Rebuilding what has been broken

Posted on January 12, 2013 by World Vision social media team in Disaster Relief

On January 12, 2010, a 7.0-magnitude earthquake shook Haiti and shaped a generation. While its duration was brief, the devastation it caused continues to affect the people of this small country — the poorest in the Western Hemisphere. Three years later, Haiti is still in repair, but not without hope....

A burden that children should never have to bear

Posted on December 26, 2012 by Elizabeth Ranade-Janis in Disaster Relief

An 8-year-old Syrian refugee child named Layla* shares, “I saw my cousin dying in front of me, so I always see this scene in front of my eyes.” As children all over North America happily rummage through the cheerful remains of Christmas Day’s joys — festive gift wrap strewn about, the latest version of Halo blaring from 40-inch television screens — the existence of Syrian children presently seeking refuge in Lebanon is one far less carefree. In this season of joy, it’s difficult to fathom that at least 66,000 children like Layla are coping with the loss of home and childhood as their families struggle to survive the displacement of war and onset of a cold, snowy winter in Lebanon’s...

Happy Thanksgiving from Rich Stearns

Posted on November 22, 2012 by Rich Stearns in Disaster Relief

Dear Friends, My hope for you this week is that you’ll experience the blessing of sitting at the Thanksgiving table with friends and family. I plan to enjoy Thanksgiving with my wife Reneé, several of my kids, and our grandson. One of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions is to go around the table and each share something that we are thankful for....

Aid worker’s diary: A cry for Goma

Posted on November 21, 2012 by Aimee Manimani in Disaster Relief

Congolese walk to a refugee camp in Gisenye, Rwanda. (2012 Reuters/James Akena, courtesy the Thomson Reuters Foundation – AlertNet). * * * Rebel forces overtook Goma, the largest city in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on November 20, forcing tens of thousands of residents to flee for safety. Much of the country and its borders are now under the control of this rebel group, known as the M23 rebels, and the situation remains tense. World Vision evacuated its staff to Gisenyi, Rwanda. Aimee Manimani, a World Vision aid worker in the DRC, shares her thoughts and feelings on leaving the city of Goma....