Nepal Flash Floods Response
Dear Reader,
During a visit, I met Xiao Zhang. He had been out of school for some time, and the light that should shine in every child’s eyes, together with any hope for tomorrow, had faded.
Relocation had taken him from his familiar hometown to a new city, with new streets, a new language, and new classmates. All these should have brought fresh possibilities. Yet for Xiao Zhang, they became daunting barriers. He struggled to keep up with lessons, adapt to the language, and find his place among classmates. Gradually, he lost interest in school. Away from the classroom, he wandered aimlessly, growing ever more silent day by day.
I believe every child longs to be seen, accepted, and encouraged. School is not only a place of learning, but also a place where children build friendships, develop self-confidence, and pursue their dreams. When a child is forced to leave school, they lose more than the chance to learn and achieve grades. They also lose their dreams for the future and the courage to believe they can change their own lives.
Through the combined efforts of World Vision, the school, and the community, Xiao Zhang has returned to school. He has begun to take part in lessons and join the conversation, and his eyes now shine once more with the light of a child rediscovering confidence and hope.
Xiao Zhang's story is heartwarming, but countless children around the world face similar, or even greater, challenges. Poverty, conflict, displacement, and lack of resources force them out of classrooms. Today, around 270 million children and adolescents worldwide lack access to education. In the poorest countries, more than one in three children are excluded from classrooms, compared with just 3% in the richest. Meanwhile, international aid for education is being cut drastically, and UNICEF estimates that another 6 million children may lose the opportunity to receive education by the end of this year. In a few years, 1.2 billion young people in developing countries will reach working age, followed by another 1.3 billion. How we invest in education today will shape the quality of life for an entire generation, as well as global economic stability and social integration.
At World Vision, we firmly believe that education is one of the most powerful ways to transform lives. A classroom, a teacher, and the opportunity to attend school can change a child’s future. We hope you, too, can see how vital these opportunities are to children.
Yours truly,
Amy Fung
Chief Executive Officer
If you pour yourself out for the hungry and satisfy the desire of the afflicted,
then shall your light rise in the darkness and your gloom be as the noonday.
Isaiah 58:10
