Recent Posts

A “mom” to walk beside me

Posted on May 6, 2011 by Carla Swanson Gawthrop in Stories

Carla with her daughter and her mother. Photo courtesy of Carla Swanson Gawthrop.

At 24, I moved across the country by myself for a new job. At the time, my parents, as empty-nesters, moved to London, making the distance between us much, much farther — six time zones away. Having recently graduated from college, with a big move and new job before me, I was asking myself the typical “20-something” questions: What did my faith mean? What was God’s plan for me? Would I ever get married?! As a beginning step to discovering those answers for my life, I started volunteering with my new church’s youth group. One of the girls’ parents, Kay and Sandy, invited me over for dinner. Through Kay and Sandy, I was given what seemed like the two greatest...

News that matters: Tornadoes, conflict minerals, maternal health

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Amy Parodi, WV News Bureau in Conversations

Editor’s Note: This is the second post in a new, periodic series called “News that matters,” meant to highlight coverage in news articles and blog posts about important, current issues that affect those living in poverty around the world. Recent breaking-news headlines might lead you to believe that some of the less prominent stories lack significance and aren’t worthy of our attention. The truth is, there are many equally critical issues that directly affect the lives of the world’s poor and dispossessed – and so many of them don’t see the kind of coverage they really deserve. I’ll let you follow the breaking news on your own, and I’ll highlight some other stories that you may not see otherwise. As...

“We’re all still alive”

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Laura Reinhardt in Disaster Relief

A child's stuffed animal amidst the wreckage in Birmingham, Alabama. © 2011 Laura Reinhardt/WV

Editor’s note: Last night, I received the following email from Laura Reinhardt, who is in Alabama: The man sitting next me on the plane looked out the window as we approached Birmingham, Alabama. He pointed out the path of destruction left by the April 27 tornadoes. “That’s the spookiest thing I ever saw,” he said. “It’s like someone took a giant vacuum cleaner to the earth.” Seeing it from the air and being kind of awed by nature’s power is one thing, but getting on the ground and seeing tin roofs curled up like ribbon, walls ripped away to reveal the inside of someone’s life, and then meeting people like 10-year-old Morgan Adams makes it all much more personal. Morgan...

When disaster strikes home

Posted on April 29, 2011 by Nathan Looney, World Vision U.S. web team in Disaster Relief

Robbie Thomas wipes her eyes as she recalls her experiences in the Rosedale Courts housing complex, in the aftermath of deadly tornados in Tuscaloosa, Alabama April 29, 2011. | REUTERS/Lee Celano

Editor’s note: World Vision’s Nathan Looney reports from his hometown of Birmingham, Alabama, that while neighborhoods in his immediate area were spared, towns just 30 minutes north and south have been completely devastated. Nathan, who happened to be visiting his family for the Easter holiday, will connect with our incoming assessment team tomorrow as they jumpstart World Vision’s response. I’ve seen countless pictures of destruction and hundreds of video clips of unimaginable devastation. In my few years at World Vision, I’ve sat in meetings sifting through images and articles, looking for the ones that best tell the story. At times, those pictures and stories ended up just being a tool to me, a means to educate our donors, a device...

World Vision responds to storms and tornadoes in American South

Posted on April 28, 2011 by Mindy Mizell in Disaster Relief

Residents inspect the aftermath of overnight tornadoes that left this part of Pratt City, a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, in ruins April 28, 2011. Devastating storms and tornadoes raked though the U.S. South, killing at least 185 people as they ripped houses to rubble, flipped cars and uprooted trees and power lines, officials said on Thursday. (REUTERS/Marvin Gentry)

Editor’s note: At World Vision’s office in New York, Mindy Mizell is coordinating media efforts concerning our response to the deadly storms and tornadoes in the American South. URGENT: World Vision is responding to the devastation left by deadly storms in Alabama, Oklahoma, North Carolina, and Mississippi, as well as the levee break in Missouri. We are working with local partners to distribute first aid kits, hygiene supplies, and other essential products to some of the hardest-hit communities. An assessment team is also preparing to survey the damage in Alabama and look for ways to partner with churches and other local organizations to help the most vulnerable children and families....