Together we can give more children a safer, happier and brighter future
vivanews
“I admire their tenacity!” Bear Grylls applauds our adventurers for their 5,000 km fundraising trek PAGE
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StandOut for Asia’s girls PAGE
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Any kids out there who love to win prizes? Check out our competition PAGE
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Christmas shopping? Do it with Viva PAGE
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| ISSUE 10
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Editorial Joanna Mitchell Fundraising Manager
When Bear Grylls admires your tenacity, you know you’re doing something right! No, he’s not referring to my decision to start cycling to work (across several main roads and up at least one hill!) but to long-time friend of Viva, Rob Lilwall, who has just set off on a new adventure to raise funds for our work with children. Back in 2005 Rob cycled home from Siberia; this time he’s walking all the way from Mongolia to his home in Hong Kong. Turn to page 4 to learn more about why Bear is so impressed and find out how you can lend Rob your support. A new addition to this issue of vivanews is the VIP area on pages 14 and 15. While not wanting to be exclusive, I do have to tell you that it is only for those under five foot in height… so please share this new kids page with any children you know who might be interested in some fun video clips, prayer activities and a competition with a grand prize! Don’t worry though - that page might be limited to our younger supporters but making a difference in children’s lives is an opportunity open to anyone. From buying a pair of gloves or baking a chocolate cake (page 19) to holding a party (pages 6 and 7) this issue is full of fun and simple ways you can help to change a child’s life. There’s also a piece of Viva family news to share with you. Patrick McDonald, Viva’s founder and Chief Executive for the last 15 years, has decided to step down from this position next spring. His vision, drive and passion have been invaluable in challenging the global church to take the issues of children at risk more seriously than ever before and helping it to respond in a way that makes a real difference in children’s lives. On page 16 you can join Patrick in looking back on some of the high points of the last 15 years. I hope you enjoy reading this vivanews. We keep adding extra pages, but still find we can’t fit everything in – there’s always so much to tell you about how you are helping to ensure children at risk are loved, protected and given a chance to flourish. Thank you.
All the children named in vivanews have had their names changed in accordance with our Child Protection Policy.
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On 1st November two intrepid adventurers, Rob Lilwall and Leon McCarron, set out on an epic winter expedition through the heart of China to raise money for Viva’s work in Asia. Carrying all of their gear on their backs, including portable kayaks and filming equipment, they began amidst the wastelands of outer Mongolia and are now heading south by foot through the Gobi Desert. Crossing into China, they will follow the Great Wall down to the turbulent waters of the Yellow River, where they will inflate their kayaks and paddle downstream to the legendary city of Xi An. Then it’s just a simple hike through the snow-capped mountains of central China before they reach their finishing point at Rob’s home in bustling Hong Kong. “People’s reactions to the trip have varied,” says 34-year-old Rob. “Some people think we’re crazy to do it and some people have been really excited and wanted to join us! But we actually just feel really blessed to be able to do an expedition like this for such a great cause.” 25-year-old Leon agrees: “There is so much I’ve been looking forward to about this trip, particularly the Gobi Desert, as it’s a place I’ve always wanted to see. But it’s more than that – knowing the trip has a bigger purpose, a bigger goal, is the main motivating factor for us.”
That goal is inspired by Rob’s experiences working for Viva in Asia: “Meeting a girl who’s been sold by her own family into the sex trade; speaking with a little boy whose earliest memories are simply of being hit and shouted at… it makes you want to do everything you can to change their situations,” he reflects, “and stop other children from ever having to go through that.” “We would love to raise several thousand pounds for Viva’s work to help these children,” Leon says, “but a lot depends on just getting the word out. We’re working hard on publicity all the time, even as we’re walking!”
R Rob battling freezing temperatures on his last expedition Cycling Home From Siberia
As well as mountainous terrain, fastflowing rivers, sudden snowstorms and a fairly monotonous diet, the boys are facing temperatures of around -20 during the day, falling to lows of -30 at night. “I was told by my physio that I needed to gain weight for this trip” says Leon, in reference to his very lean six-foot frame, “as we’re probably going to lose a lot of weight in the cold temperatures. But I just couldn’t seem to keep it on! Not with all the exercise.”
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Two men, two kayaks, two cameras… and 5,000 km to walk home
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Walking Home From Mongolia is an epic challenge that will test not only Rob and Leon’s resolve but also their ability to withstand blisters! I admire their tenacity so much and it is a mission that will make a huge difference in so many kids’ lives.
BEAR GRYLLS
Both men are in pretty good shape thanks to their past adventures. Many of you will remember Rob’s 48,000-km Cycling Home From Siberia expedition, which took him from north-east Russia back to his home in London via such wild corners of the world as Papua New Guinea, Tibet and Afghanistan. He wrote a highly-acclaimed book about his experiences and raised more than £20,000 for Viva. Leon
R Leon’s triumphant arrival in Hong Kong after his year-long cycle ride from New York
has just finished a year of cycling 14,500 miles from New York to Hong Kong and is the author of a regular column about his expeditions in The Sunday Times. You’ll be able to see Rob and Leon’s adventures on screen next year as National Geographic will be broadcasting the story on their channels. “I just hope we live to watch the footage!” jokes Rob, although Leon ends on a serious note: “We know it’s going to be tough in places, but we know that we will keep going. If we give up or don’t finish we’re not only letting ourselves down but also Viva and the children we’re helping. So I know that we’ll make it to the end no matter what.”
YOUR SUPPORT AND PRAYERS MATTER To find out more about the expedition, or to sponsor Rob and Leon, see the interactive map at viva.org/whfm for real-time Tweets, blogs and photos of their epic walk!
6 | vivanews Want a different idea for a Christmas present? Help children to attend a Christmas party as an alternative gift for your friends and family. Get yours at viva.org/christmas
A child’s first Christmas A baby was born to a young unmarried mother in a dirty barn. They had little money, no status and no place to call home. That was the first Christmas. Over time things have changed - we’ve cleaned up the decor, added a huge roast turkey and piled presents sky-high.Yet all over the world many children’s experience of Christmas is much closer to the original: unhealthy living conditions, not much food, no voice to change their circumstances.
Every year Viva invites thousands of these children to a Christmas party in their community. For some it’s the first time they will celebrate Christmas in this way.The parties give each child a present, a full stomach and the knowledge that they are loved and valued, and connect them to local projects who can support them in the future.
Christmas can be a challenging time for many people, near and far. We hope that yours will be full of peace, laughter and fun times with your family and community. And perhaps you could join us in remembering the very first Christmas by giving a child a first Christmas of their own?
Buy this for a friend, and you can ‘borrow’ it later! Want to buy Auntie Maureen a Christmas gift that will also provide someone else with a present? Visit viva.ethictrade.com to do your gift shopping and for every £25 you spend a child can go to a Christmas party.
Auntie Maureen ’s favourite…
Bring your friends together for a Christmas party and use it to make sure children on the other side of the world can enjoy the very same thing! Check out viva.org/christmas to find out how and design a personalised party e-invite. *Texts cost £5 plus your standard UK network rate. At least 95% will go to Viva.
Don’t worry, you don’t have to do fancy dress!
follow-up care to It costs Viva around £5 for a child to attend a party and for your guests? to t amoun that t begin in their community, so why not sugges
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Viva Equip update kabuye From: Sheeda Na ce offi a ric Af a Viv To: 13 October 2011 Ministries Date: Thur sday nts at Gateway Mercy Subject: Improveme Uganda, Kampala networ k, rcy Ministries here in To all at Viva and the family of Gateway Me tire en the m fro s eting I bring you warm gre t you are doing well. andoned, who are orphans, ab al care hoping and praying tha n that helps children dic tio me isa n, tio gan da or n mo tia om ris acc a Ch As you know we are of young single mothers. We are providing ildren we care for. Thanks to ch neglected or children as instilling the best moral values in the tter level. ll be we as en , ev on an ati at uc s ed thi and are now doing we ts ec oj areas that were Pr p ui Viva Eq have identified some king sure that we ng ini tra ts ec Viva Equip Proj improve. One of these areas was ma t hurt Since we began the that we would like to children to be in, where they would no d an us for a problem d good space for the an e saf our place was a or catch diseases. part of Viva Equip themselves, get dir ty provement Grant as walls inside and Im an for ed pli ap inted all the that when we We are so thankful trusted us with the money. We have pa de the toilets clean and with en ma u ve yo t ha tha we ts lls; ec wa ed Proj just cooking perly built the unfinish chen area instead of outside and have pro have been able to put in a covered kit the children and then this grant we to be doing for a proper door ; and t us what we needed gh tau ng ini tra e Th outside. u! es do it – God bless yo there were sometim helped us to actually ing the work, because But as you see we have now do re we we ile wh . ing nges We had some challe destroy the repaired floor and the paint ed the pictures so that you lud heavy rains that could blessed to look around us. We have inc so l fee we d an ed ish fin change here. our project looks can see this amazing n ever before. Now tha l oo sch ir a healthy the of are also now living in ff are more proud The children and sta , fitting for these children to live in. We g diseases like cholera or me like it is a proper ho and this has reduced the risk of spreadin nt and clean environme all the trenches have been repaired. ce sin , ea rrh dia nic chro It is always a thanks to you again. So I end with special networ k and may God joy to be a part of thereward the work of Thank you for helping to d continue to bless an ma ke children’s lives better your hands. Webale nnyo, Sheeda Na ka buye
by improving the quality of the projects that care for the m! If you are not yet a part of this exciting work please do visit viva.org/equip for more information or to donate online.
EAR: THIS Y 306 le helped ers p o e P ip u Viva Eq d project work n church a a ined jects tr o r P ip u q Viva E a nisations 238 org
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Why I support
Viva Equip
Design company The Big Picture began supporting Viva Equip Projects earlier this year. We talk to Pete Jones, owner of the business, about why he began that journey… Q: How did you first hear about Viva Equip? A: There was a flyer in our office and then I actually spoke to some Viva staff too.They were great, just really inspiring – and obviously very convincing! Q: Why did you begin supporting the work? A: The quality of our society can be measured by how we look after our most vulnerable, and children at risk are the most vulnerable. I feel it’s important to play my part in helping care for them, and I wanted that to be reflected in my working life as well as my personal life. Q: What made you choose Viva Equip specifically? A: I wanted to give regularly, as I know how important it is that charities like Viva get steady donations so that they can plan ahead. Also, wanting to help children was something from my heart, but Viva Equip caught my head too – it makes sense to provide for children in the long run by supporting those that are working with them day in and day out. And I feel reassured that Viva are very experienced at supporting and training local organisations all over the world, which means that they don’t waste any resources and that they really do meet the needs of the projects and the children. Q: How do you feel reading Sheeda’s email about what Viva Equip helped her organisation achieve? A: It’s wonderful and heart-warming.These kids have virtually nothing and to read that now they are somewhere safe where they are loved is amazing.These are just such basic needs being met through Viva’s networks – basic, but vital. Hearing that they’re so proud of their school now makes me feel pleased to have been a part of giving them that.
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If your parents sold you as a domestic worker, leaving you to be beaten by day and abused by night, would you still be able to smile? Naisha can. Thanks to you P
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P
Curled up in the quiet darkness of her room, 10-year-old Naisha heard heavy footsteps on the stairs. Her door creaked open and the light from the hallway illuminated a short, overweight figure; a terrifyingly familiar silhouette. The man walked over to her bed, sat down and reached out to touch her. Naisha knew what was coming, but she was powerless to stop it. She closed her eyes, clenched her fists and pretended she was anywhere but there.
Living in a poor village on the Nepali-Indian border, Naisha was no stranger to hardship. She rarely saw her father, and her mother slept through most of Naisha’s waking hours, recovering from her busy nights working in the local brothel. They were always struggling for money, and Naisha had come to regard anything more than one meal a day as a luxury. Like mother, like daughter? One day, when Naisha was just nine years old, her mother told her that she had arranged for Naisha to begin working in the brothel alongside her. It wasn’t much to ask, she said; she would only have to see four or five ‘customers’ per night, just enough to give the family some extra income. When Naisha refused, her mother grew angry. She said if Naisha wouldn’t work in the brothel she would be sent away, as they couldn’t afford to keep her if she wouldn’t help bring in any money. She told Naisha to pack up her things
She didn’t even feel anything when he forced himself on her; she was numb
and get ready to go to Biratnagar, a large town several hours away, where she could stay with some relatives. Naisha was apprehensive, but did as she was told. That was the last time she saw her home. The nightmare begins They arrived in Biratnagar late at night and went immediately to a large house on the outskirts of the town. The door was opened by a man who leered at Naisha as he beckoned her inside. Etched in Naisha’s memory is what came next: her mother simply told her that this man would be her boss and that Naisha was to do whatever he said. Then she just walked away, leaving a bewildered and frightened Naisha alone with the man who would make the next year the hardest of her life. The insults and the shouting came first. If she didn’t cook his evening meal exactly the way he wanted it, if she lingered too long over one task. Soon he began to hit her, kick her, throw her against the wall whenever she displeased him. Then the night-time visits began. After a while she didn’t even feel anything when he forced himself on her; she was numb. Almost every day she imagined running away, but she had nowhere to go. A way out Then one morning, miraculously, her opportunity came – her boss was out when her neighbour, a long-distance truck driver, knocked on the door.
When Naisha’s bruised face and dazed demeanour forced him to ask questions, and he discovered what was going on, he told her he could help her escape. He knew there was a Christian organisation patrolling the border near Koiladi, on the lookout for girls being trafficked, and that if he could just get her that far they would take care of her. There was no time to plan, no time to think. Naisha just nodded and followed him out of the house, barely believing it was all real. One year later Naisha often thinks about that day, although it’s a bit of a blur: the long drive, all the commotion at the border, getting a police escort to a local transit shelter.
A counsellor, whose kind face and caring attitude is Naisha’s clearest memory, helped her begin to work through the hurt in her mind and in her heart
The staff at the shelter, run by Viva’s Nepal network, cared for her for several weeks while they looked for a place for her to stay more permanently. Her physical wounds were tended to by a doctor; and a counsellor, whose kind face and caring attitude is Naisha’s clearest memory, helped her begin to work through the hurt in her mind and in her heart. Slowly, but surely, the old Naisha began to reappear.
Hope for the future Viva’s StandOut campaign supports our networks in Asia so that children, just like Naisha, can be rescued from dangerous and damaging situations and brought to a place of safety and healing. The campaign also works to make sure that more children never have to know what it is like to be abused. There is no doubt that what happened in Biratnagar has left its mark on Naisha. But, thanks to your willingness to StandOut against this kind of injustice, it hasn’t destroyed her. It hasn’t robbed her of a future. It hasn’t taken away her smile.
She now lives with the family of a pastor whose church is part of the network. She attends daily school sessions at another network project where she can spend time with other girls who understand what she has been through. Together they talk, paint, play music and study English – in fact, Naisha is thinking about becoming a teacher one day. She says she does not want to try and locate her parents; she prefers to stay in the loving safety of the pastor’s home, and with us at viva.org/standout and he and his family have assured Naisha help more children like Naisha today that she can stay as long as she wants.
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DID YOU KNOW ...
ple
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viva’s i 5 foot
4 foot 10 inches
4 foot 8 inches
little
der You must be un read this height to this page Three years would be a very long time to spend in prayer, and you would probably be missed at school before you got to the end! But you can do your bit. If you did spend three years praying for these children, how old would you be by the time you finished? What are some of the things you want to do before you reach that age - start secondary school, get really good at back flips, or learn to burp the alphabet? Write down your ideas and then pray for the children around the world who don’t have the chance to follow their dreams.
pray u o y d l u o C ntil u w o n m fro out 2014 with g? stoppin
4 foot 6 inches
Calling all explorers! On page four there is a story about Rob and Leon who are spending six months walking from Mongolia back to their home in Hong Kong. They are walking thousands of miles and will have to sleep out in the freezing cold, face snowstorms and try to make it across one of the most dangerous rivers in China – and they’re doing it all to raise money for Viva.
You could do the same! Well, not quite! But why don’t you find a place (like a well-known landmark, a famous castle, or a brilliant beach) that’s a few miles away from your house and see how much money you can raise by walking from there back to your home? Go to uk.virginmoneygiving.com and click on ‘start fundraising’ to set up your very own sponsorship page now.
Got the These kids in Africa have! Go online and check out www.communityalbums.org/ugandakids and watch this video about how a group of children in Kampala, Uganda, are changing their city! They have written a song about keeping children safe that has been heard by more than 3 million people in their country and they have also spoken to members of the Ugandan government - as a result they are beginning to see the adults in their city work harder to make sure children stay safe and are loved and cared for.
WIN!
Leon
Rob The the most explorers who ra ise m photo frooney will win a sig adventur m our two famo ned us ers R Leon McCob Lilwall and arron. You need to have fi nished yo by 20th F e b r uary 201 ur walk we’ll ann 2 and ounce th e w in n e March ed ition of r in the vivanews .
Make your own website Why not? 13-year-old friends Phoebe T and Phoebe C did. They wanted to give kids some ideas and information to help pray for children around the world and some creative and crazy suggestions of ways to raise money for them. Phoebe T told Viva: “We want to create a place where children can learn about other children whose lives are very different.We hope this website will help you, and will, in itself, achieve great things!” See for yourself at www.scribble-learn2love.kk5.org
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You can read more about Patrick’s next steps at viva.org/media
CEO on the go
God has given me are not the ones needed to lead Viva through this next phase of life. He is calling me on to new adventures (although hopefully not ones involving a 5,000 km walk across China!) that I hope and pray will still help to benefit children at risk.
While I will no longer have a day-to-day role in the organisation as of spring 2012, you can rest assured that I will do my utmost to continue to speak and network on Viva’s behalf. My passion to see the lives of children at risk transformed remains as strong as it was when Viva began, when as a teenager I first returned from volunteering in Latin America. Although at that point I had no idea what the following 15 years would bring, I did know two things: children were suffering, and we needed to think big if we were ever going to stop that. Green, but keen, my question was pretty simple: if all these people were working towards the same goals in the same communities, why not get them to work together? So that’s exactly what we started to do. The first city-wide network began in 1996 in Lima, Peru, and since
1996
1998
Viva officially registers with the Charity Commissioners on 28 February 1996
then Viva has built and supported over 150 networks on five continents. And, 15 years on, I am only further convinced of the importance of this work in bringing change in the lives of children worldwide. Yet a great challenge lies ahead for Viva. Over the years many of the networks have become strong and united communities in their own right, offering quality care to children and encouragement and resources to one another. Now Viva needs to grow them to bring transformation to the wider communities around them, strengthening those groups of people and projects so they can not only help individual children but change whole cities in the 14 countries they are working in. While this challenge excites me, and I am convinced of Viva’s ability to meet it, I also know that the gifts
2000
2002
City-wide networks were formed in Bolivia, Costa Rica, Peru, Guatemala, South Africa and the Philippines. Our first-ever World Weekend of My wife Emily was a key player in making the vision Prayer saw several of Viva real, and the two of us, plus fellow students thousand people from Katy Miles and Martin Hull, were Viva’s only 17 different countries staff (unpaid of course!) for the first two years. take time to pray for children at risk. We had no premises of our own so Viva’s first office was this phone box on Pembroke Street in Oxford!
Meanwhile Viva is already beginning to embark on its own new challenge and even at this early stage the results are exciting, as demonstrated by the network in Kampala, Uganda. It has grown to include 120 member organisations and churches and is not only caring for 29,000 children within the city itself but has a significant voice at a national level. The network’s presentations to parliament, their government-championed events and their extensive media coverage have allowed them to exert an influence on behalf of
‘‘
People are always joking that I am constantly on the go – always travelling, meeting new people and dreaming up new ideas. Well, recently I made the difficult decision to ‘go’ much more literally: I feel that the time is now right for me to step down as the Chief Executive of Viva.
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The church was never meant to be a club, but a community with a purpose
2005
City-wide networks were formed in Tanzania, Nepal, Uganda, Cambodia, India, El Salvador, Kenya and Zimbabwe.
children that simply would not have been possible for one project alone. In a 1997 magazine article I said that the Christian church was the biggest single provider of care for children at risk, but that “this effort is fragmented into a million pieces - we’ve got an army and there’s a battle, but nobody’s called the troops together.” Now that quote makes me smile, because the Christian response today is so different. This issue of vivanews alone shows that in many places the efforts of Christians are now not fragmented but united and strong, and children are feeling the positive effects of that. The church was never meant to be a club but a community with a purpose, and although I’ve no doubt that the next 15 years will see Viva continue to change, develop and improve, I know its purpose will remain the same: uniting Christians to see whole cities changed for children. I thank you for the part you have played, and I’m sure will continue to play, in making that a reality. Patrick McDonald Chief Executive
2007
The Lausanne Forum asked Viva to become its official body for children at risk.
g
2009 The first Viva Christmas Parties were held in 2007.
Viva Equip began in 2006 with ing 34 organisations go ty ali qu e through th ing improvement train . da an in Ug
Viva Equip began in 2008 and trained 197 caregivers in its first year.
2011 Viva now has offices in Uganda, India, Hong Kong, Costa Rica, Denmark and North America, with a global staff of 45.
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How YOUR prayers made a difference Teens in India beginning their own advocacy group for children at risk; pastors in Tanzania committing to regular prayer and action for local children; 15 people becoming Christians at an event in Guatemala - your prayers over the World Weekend of Prayer helped to make all these things possible! Go to viva.org/wwp to read more, or call 01865 811660 to get your own copy of the World Weekend of Prayer report.
Viva Church Partners We could tell you how our networks are changing their communities for the better, but why take our word for it? With Viva Church Partners you can connect with one city-wide network over a period of three years and see the change in children’s lives for yourselves.
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purchase Eat...
any of these delicious fair trade chocolate recipes. The BitterSweet World of Chocolate is a thoughtful cookbook that reveals the eventful, and somewhat chequered, history of cocoa and chocolate production. However, it softens the blow by offering 50 new ideas for tasty chocolate-centred dishes from around the world. It’s the perfect present for any socially-conscious chocolate lovers in your life, and Viva will receive £2.40 from the sale of each book. Let the cooking begin at viva.ethictrade.com
Wear… something warm for winter from our online shop. Just because the weather is getting dreary doesn’t mean your style has to - from chunky knits to funky mitts our shop is bursting with pretty accessories to keep the cold out. For every £25 you spend Viva gets £5, which is enough for a child to attend a Viva Christmas Party in their local community (see pages 6–7 for more info). So you can step out in a nice new hat feeling just as good as you look!
Choose from five networks in Africa, Asia and Latin America and your whole church can journey with that group of projects and churches over several years. As you share successes and challenges, pray for one another and offer financial support to the network, we hope that the faith and mission of your church will also be refreshed and strengthened. To find out more, or to get your church involved, see viva.org/involveyourchurch
Keeping up with Viva Want Viva’s latest news to pop right into your inbox every month? Our new email updates, Global News and Global Prayer, will bring you all the top stories and current prayer requests from our work around the world. Get yours at viva.org/signup
a
Warm up at viva.ethictrade.com
Plant... a tree with OxTreeGen and you’ll not only be helping the planet but also the children who live on it. We have formed an exciting new partnership with this UK company who help people offset their carbon footprint by planting trees on their behalf. Viva receives £3.50 from every £10 Tree Dedication pack, each of which allows one tree to be planted, and you can buy one for yourself or use it as a gift. Start planting now at viva.org/purchasewithapurpose
Children are suffering. We all know that. Thousands of people are working to help them. We all know that too. Yet the problems persist. Children are still suffering. In cities all over the world there are projects doing great work, but a lack of money, people and time means there is a limit to what they can achieve alone. We need to work together. Imagine what would happen if the people caring for children joined forces. If childcare workers, local churches, governments and international charities came together to tackle the issues faced by children. Whole cities would be transformed. Together we would have the power to bring about real change for children, not just chipping away at the surface of the problems but fighting them right at the root. At Viva we are doing just that.
Viva, Unit 8, The Gallery, 54 Marston Street, Oxford, United Kingdom, OX4 1LF t: 01865 811660 e: info@viva.org w: www.viva.org
Viva is an operating name of Viva Network. Viva Network is a company limited by guarantee no. 3162776, registered charity no.1053389, and registered in England at Unit 8, The Gallery, 54 Marston Street, Oxford OX4 1LF, UK
www.andersondesignoxford.co.uk | 01865 201300
Through 22 city-wide networks we are increasing the unity, quality and impact of work for children at risk, our joint action changing the lives of 104,000 children around the world.