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| ISSUE 14

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Countless children worldwide are abused, neglected or abandoned.

Discover who cares for them, and the vital part you and Viva play

Read how positive peer pressure is helping in the fight against sexual exploitation in the Philippines

Find out how you can help keep children off the streets in Guatemala with the Big Give Christmas Challenge

What could your local church do to help children at risk?

Become a Viva Church Partner and join us on a LIFE journey

WHAT’S INSIDE

Viva(issue14)02&03.pdf

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WHAT AN AMAZING YEAR OF FUNDRAISING FOR VIVA!

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Patrick took the plunge – our founder-president led by example and skydived from12,000 feet above the Kent countryside, in aid of Viva’s Who Cares? campaign.

Jo cycled – she journeyed for 140 miles over four days on the Coast-to-Coast Cycle Challenge across northern England, her first sponsored event since primary school.

Jonny cooked up a fundraising storm with his very own Great Viva Bake-Off!

Jonny baked cakes – a teenager with a love for being creative in the kitchen sold his cookies, brownies and cupcakes for Viva at the Diamond Light Source summer open day.

Dave, Karen and Sophie (pictured) swam, rode and ran – undertaking gruelling triathlons in London and Cheltenham is no mean feat but doing it for a good cause spurred them on.

If you’re tempted to do something similar, please get in touch with us at info@viva.org

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All the children named in vivanews have had their names and photos changed in accordance with our Child Protection Policy Cover photo courtesy of John Cairns

Viva(issue14)02&03.pdf

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EDITORIAL

Joanna Mitchell | Fundraising Manager

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WE ALL LOVE STORIES, BUT SOME HAVE THE POWER TO WORK THEIR WAY INTO YOUR HEAD AND HEART, AND YOU CARRY THEM WITH YOU. SOMETIMES THEY EVEN BECOME PART OF YOUR OWN STORY.

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I read just such a story a few weeks ago. A mother, crushed by poverty and mental illness, left her tiny son at a Babies’ Home in Uganda, unable to care for him any longer.

This could have been the end of the chapter – the mother never knowing what became of her son, the son never knowing why his mother left. But the members of Viva’s partner network, CRANE, believe passionately that children are better off in families than institutional care. When they heard that the mother had recovered from her illness they met with her, gave her specialist counselling and support and helped her to re-establish contact with her son.

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They even renovated her ramshackle home and prepared it for the return of her son. And on the day she brought him home, her neighbours and family threw a party.

This account has much of the joy and ingredients of the story of the prodigal son. Despair doesn’t have to be the end of the story. Hope is robust, resilient and life-giving, and here at Viva we see it in action, from the effects of positive peer pressure in the Philippines (page 7) to the dedication of volunteers keeping children off the streets in Guatemala. In fact, thanks to the Big Give Christmas Challenge, any donation you make to this

work from Thursday 5th December could be doubled by pledges and funding from our Big Give Charity Champion – see page 8 for more details.

I hope as you read on that you will be inspired, encouraged and challenged by how, from the child to the caregiver, the supporter to the staff member, the church to the network, we can all be part of this life-giving work.

I’d love to hear what you think of this issue of vivanews. Email me at j.mitchell@viva.org, and you could win a Kids Praise Party triple CD, courtesy of Spring Harvest.

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Viva(issue14)04&05.pdf

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nt to you would wa s rd o w t o n These are e before their n lo a t le , e n o y an on associate with sent the situati re p re y e th , ly d a who 18th bir thday. S world; children e th r e v o ll a for children for someone te ra e sp e d d n nely a rful are hur ting, lo to our wonde s k n a th t u B . m ‌ to care for the to change this g in lp e h is a iv suppor ters V

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Viva(issue14)04&05.pdf

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WHO car s?

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Thousands of local projects and individuals are passionately committed to helping vulnerable children in their cities. Unfortunately, the sheer number of children and the complexity of their needs are often overwhelming, particularly when resources are few.Viva’s networks provide a platform to equip and empower people working with children.Viva helps to develop the skills and abilities of hundreds of projects and caregivers. By working together, they are able to provide quality care and services for many more children than they ever could alone.

Faithful supporters of the ‘Who cares?’ campaign have this year helped to provide 368 caregivers

Photo: John Cairns

with specialist training through our ‘Celebrating Children Course’ (CCC).This extensive course covers topics such as caring for children with HIV and AIDS, disabilities or those suffering from trauma, enabling carers to readily engage with the complex needs of the children they support and to explore the best methods of working with them.

In the past year Viva has also helped almost 200 organisations to integrate child protection into their programmes, whilst child protection standards are being actively promoted in another 680 projects. On top of this we are delighted that by completing the Viva Quality Improvement

System (QIS) training course, 124 churches and organisations worldwide have now substantially improved the standard of their work benefitting almost 63,000 vulnerable children.

Viva would like to say an enormous thank you to our Who cares? supporters who are helping to unlock the potential of hundreds of previously under-resourced caregivers who now have a renewed confidence and ability to grow and sustain their work with children.

If you would like to support this campaign please go to www.viva.org/whocares or call 01865 811660.

Listening to children is vital for their development.

Here are three top tips for listening to children adapted from the Celebrating Children Course: 1. Intentionally focus all of your attention on the child. Keeping an eye on your phone or the TV screen whilst listening to a child gives them the impression that you are not interested or engaged in what they are telling you.

2. Pay attention not only to the child’s words but also to their body language, tone of voice and language patterns in order to understand their emotion and state of mind.

3. Step out of your world and fully immerse yourself in the perspective of the child, becoming aware of their feelings, emotions, values and beliefs.

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Viva(issue14)06&07.pdf

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Street children often feel like they are trapped in a downward spiral, without hope or a future. I witnessed this up-close in Bolivia a few months ago and one picture that has lodged firmly in my mind is that of a five year-old boy left paralysed from the waist down because of his addiction to sniffing glue. It was so heart-breaking to see.

And yet there is hope. Viva’s partner networks on the ground are rescuing children and teenagers every day, and helping them, their families and their communities to prevent situations like this happening again. Breaking the cycle of poverty and injustice is the core business for Viva’s partner networks around the world.

Whilst travelling to places such as Uganda, India and Bolivia, I have met

young people whose lives were once fragile but who today, through the love and support of local caregivers, now have a bright future and are destined to be change-makers in their locality and far beyond. Our Child Ambassadors are incredible in their courage, as they stand up and challenge societal norms, and so enable the vulnerable to find strength, hope and life.

Be inspired, and please continue to do whatever you can to support Viva – through collective action we are helping to change the world for the better and enabling children whose lives have been hard to live out extraordinary destinies!

Andy Dipper | Chief Executive

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Viva(issue14)06&07.pdf

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Almost half of the Philippines’ urban population live in slums. Poverty puts children at a higher risk of being neglected and abused by their parents and it is estimated that 60,000 to 100,000 children there are trafficked annually, mostly for the purposes of sexual exploitation.

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A youth advocacy programme run

by Viva’s partner network in the country is a powerful example of how positive peer pressure can not only change the lives of individual children but also help transform the attitude of whole communities.

Thousands of children and young people are learning more about their basic rights and how they can be protected against the very real threat of child abuse.The belief is that if children are brought up with social understanding they will become more responsible adults.

The Philippine Children’s Ministries Network already educates and empowers 5,000 young people in three regions of the country (Palawan, Cebu and Negros), and in October 2013 launched a new campaign in three more areas of major risk (Luzon,Visayas and Mindanao) aimed at reaching a further 7,000 children.

Here’s some of the youth advocate leaders’ feedback about the impact of the programme:

A huge thank you to everyone who supports Viva's StandOut campaign, which is fighting sexual abuse and exploitation in Asia, through the commitment of our partner networks.

What was your best experience of being a youth advocate?

We share our opinions with others / Understanding that age is not a hindrance to helping others / Learning about our rights How have you grown?

By applying the word of God to our lives / By seeking people who truly need a helping hand / By conducting leadership training How has it affected the community?

We bring awareness about children’s rights to the community / We help the youth realise there is more to life than smoking and drinking / We hope they’ll share what they’ve learned with the next generation Viva’s partner network in the Philippines is PCMN

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Viva(issue14)08&09.pdf

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the postcode lottery

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MARTIN THOMAS EXPLAINS HOW YOU CAN CHANGE STREET CHILDREN’S LIVES BY SUPPORTING THE EARLY ENCOUNTER* AND I EXIST PROGRAMMES IN GUATEMALA THROUGH THE BIG GIVE CHRISTMAS CHALLENGE

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This Christmas morning my two children, Ollie (14) and Megan (8), will wake up to the expectation of presents and the dash to our church near Oxford. It will be followed by an equally hurried car journey to join our extended family for a ‘lunch’ that will probably take up most of the afternoon. Our Christmas may not always be stress-free, but it is always a time of family togetherness with a focus on the real Christmas story.

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07:21

the hands of her parents who were drunk, promiscuous and uncaring.

After her mother, father and older sister moved away, Odilia (then 14) and her two younger brothers were abandoned in one of the city’s most dangerous areas. Dirty and eating waste – they were not even legally registered and so lacked any official identity.

In sharp contrast two other stories will unfold this Christmas Day on the other side of the world. For one child the day will dawn as it always does after yet another night on the streets. For another child this will be their first Christmas waking up in a clean bed in a safe home.

I dread to think what might have happened next for Odilia and her brothers if it wasn’t for frontline workers from Viva’s partner network in Guatemala City.The team there liaises with government officials to rescue children from the streets and support their recovery.

The children are given accommodation, healthcare, education and life skills training.

This is the story of the children of Guatemala City, where migration and displacement, together with a culture of domestic violence – all fuelled by poverty – have resulted in the breakdown of families. In this city alone, there are an estimated 5,000 street children who are homeless, hungry and often abused.

And this is exactly what happened to Odilia, who has lived in a Viva-supported home for three years, learning to read, write and cook. Through the I Exist programme, she and her brothers have at last been registered as citizens of Guatemala.

Odilia was once one of these children. Growing up, she and her three siblings suffered unimaginable physical and psychological abuse at

There is no doubt that Odilia’s life has been totally transformed, which is clear to see from her beaming smile! She is studying and dreaming

to going to university, and says, “Today I am happy because God took me from where I was and now I can bear witness to all that happened”.

These stories show us that when a child is born their opportunities in life are directly determined by where they are born and who their parents are. For many it must feel like a global postcode lottery.

My children could have had such a different story in a different city – which is why I don’t believe in leaving things to chance. Children, like Odilia, deserve so much better.

This December, you can help us keep children like Odilia off the streets in Guatemala by giving to Viva through The Big Give Christmas Challenge – and, what’s even better: any donation you make could be doubled!

Martin Thomas is Viva’s Head of Mobilisation

Please save the date, give what you can, and help save a child this Christmas. You’ll find more information about Early Encounter in Guatemala and how to give at www.viva.org/biggive

*Viva’s Early Encounter programme in Guatemala is delivered in partnership with Toybox. Viva’s partner network in Guatemala is Red Viva Guatemala

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Viva(issue14)10&11.pdf

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Figures have been taken from officially downloaded feedback, but anecdotal feedback suggests that actual figures may be much higher

Viva(issue14)10&11.pdf

India(Factsheet).pdf

Zimbabwe(Factsheet).pdf

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Nepal

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NETWORK NAME: (CARNET) CHILDREN AT RISK NETWORK churches involved: Organisations and Children helped: 55,400

Issues facing children

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at risk in Nepal

girls Thousands of Nepali Sexual exploitation: gain year for commercial are trafficked each 90% of children access Education: Although 21% have to repeat the education system, out of school by the Grade 1 and 59% drop 10 time they reach Grade boys of girls and 30% of Child labour: 38% in child labour – aged 5 to 14 are involved of their childhood robbed that’s 1 in 3 children (Sources: UNICEF,

Nepal DoE)

Country factfile

Population: 26.5 million 24.8% Population in poverty: out of Index ranking: 157 Human Development 186 countries birth: 69.1 years Life expectancy at births rate: 50 per 1,000 Under-five mortality Source: UNDP

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of behind with their schooling because Network Information Education: With so many children falling VNZ’s Learning Support Centres and Network political upheaval and high school fees, to VIVA NETWORK ZIMBABWE (VNZ) NETWORK NETWORK NAME: Harare’s poorest children the chance some of NAME: offer Quality helps those working with children to put for care: Viva Equip Projects (QIS) with manyMobile Resource Unit basis,66 numeracy, and learn skills involved: literacy churches on a daily basic Street living: Through the Early Encounter missing Organisations and VIVA CHILDgetYOU AND ME and (CYM), DELHI an up on their education, COCHABAMBA catch programme, Red Viva quality standards in placeRED in the areas of child protection, project planning, Children in Nepal go to stop it. Using Cochabamba identifies and supports Sexual exploitation: often feel helpless people 14,000 Children asomore positive future.

Organisations andcare children who are at risk of slipping into Network Informatio and localhelped: churches and child wellbeing. involved: 62 is changing attitudes Organisations and churches involved:and 60 are very financial accountability, governance, staff n a life on the streets. trafficked into prostitution, Viva’s Daughter programme at risk in community, taking NETWORK NAME: in Harare face different types of abuse Children helped: 3,000 Issues facing children Safety: Many childrenChildren the whole excellent set of resources, helped: 50,000 Gender equality: Through a mentoring and skills programme made possible by assists families to address this issue. VNZ is offering done can be opposed by The team trafficking Zimbabwe with housing, of sexual abuse to vulnerable. There is very little being Children school fees or counselling, tackling that the practice of at to advocate forwilling volunteers from churches, CYM is working with girls in Delhi to ensure children and denial together Action Protection: CRANE members bringing some ofthat Network (CRANE) the problems which oftenRisk Issuesand facing children at risk in India from undervaluing is empowering families training on child protection push children Education: Only 45% of children attend Issues onto the streets. homes, people on a journey facing their in children – at children risk for to keep children at communities so that in Bolivia they have the opportunity to make choices about their own lives, rather than protection Organisations and care and children. home and in their change and improvedQuality another generation secondary school in Zimbabwe Abuse and exploitation: care: There are 100,000 street Centres CarNet proactively protecting Where can a childchurches involved: Streetfor living: is not lost to systematic turn when 100is no longer Over 3,700 children live on the their home Child Development having poor decisions made them. and churches.

Through Children communitieschildren Families: Through safe and they are being abuse. helped: in Delhi sexual abuse and exploitation child labour: Hidden 40,000 shelters give mistreated? streets of Bolivia’s major cities (Source: the re-registrationschools, Temporary the ‘Children Belong of first with Education rather than Safety: back UNICEF) school, children a place in ZimbabweIn addition they problem in Families’ programme, serious in Zimbabwe are orphaned as a result Child protection: CYM is working to change the mindset to stay and multi-disciplinary working with 20 children’s getting children children is ato in of Issues facing teamschildren Family: Around 1 million Gender equality: 47% of India’s girls are help reconcile them with their families Abuse and exploitation: Violence and of pastors across the city the network after-school tuition.

Nepal support children homes to help children or family neglect and then with loans one or both parents to AIDS. Most families are affected by separation findhave them a new family where they will be at risk in Uganda type losing orphans in have materials 1.4 millionsmall who are in orphanages, is so that they and their churches understand s heart for children. They Family: 71% of the and married by the age of 18 and, compared to members to look after are common Protection: 94% of safe. problems God’ give (Source:co-operative process, uniform and facing children in but UNICEF) children are vulnerable them, to return home loss. as well in business training are AIDS orphans They Boliviaprotection. also teach schooland family breakdownboys, onlyas 88% are enrolled in secondary started with a focus on child Red Viva Cochabamba andlongs again. at risk Education: work with the families Zimbabwe initiatives. of abuse to see children for In up safe and happy in families who partnership with income generating can speak school factfile are able to start and grow their Country and provide school clubs so children Families: Creative Learning Centres the Girls’ Education Challenge, CRANE with CYM is an enterprising and creative network which is passionate about seeing to protect them 90% of them a healthy place in which 20 children protection and start they is running in orphanages across the city to change can thrive.

Population: 13 million teachers about child have Child protection: Neglect, child labour and families who could done and to help over Country children protected and well caredfactfile for – will your church partner with them to the way education take care of them 4,000 marginalised is Nepal of 55% themselves. domestic violence are all day-to-day realities girls get back into school.

Population: 10.1 million Population in poverty: This committed network remote places Education: continue growing this work? would Only love 17% yourofchurch to partner to reach even the mostranking: about and child health: Children with them toMaternal girls finish for many Indian children see n/a the value of their secondary Index more children growing Population in poverty: 51.3% school CarNet Nepal is determined Human Development communities up in families where they belong. in the slums of the dying needlessly of more? of churches to teach capital, Kampala, are preventable diseases help them to do even 52.7 years birth:church Human Development Index ranking: atyour through local networks Life expectancy Country factfile Will model: Maternal and child such as malaria, dysentery 108 out Our The network is training keep them safe. health: 141,000 of and births of 186 countries peer educators to help and cholera. children and how to under Under-five mortality rate: 80 per 1,000 a network Population: 1.2 billionof local churches five year-olds die from and to preserve the change the behaviour Viva believes that preventable diseases Life expectancy at birth: 66.9 years lives of thousands of parents in purpose, is the best every year united Source: UNDP & UNICEF Population in poverty: 32.7% of children.

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Zimbabwe

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your church can play community organisations, Under-five mortality rate: 54 per 1,000 a crucial role in transforming By partnering with CRANE, children.

Our model: change lasting births Development Index ranking: 136 to out Country factfile and young people for bringing the lives of vulnerable possible vehicleHuman in Uganda.

Sources: CIA World Factbook, UNDP children of 186 countries churches and Population: Our model: Viva believes that 34.1 million a network a network of local of local churches and is the best Life expectancy at birth: 65.8 years Viva believes that Population living Viva believes that a network of local churches and community organisations, ns, united in purpose, united below ain purpose, dollar is the best a day: 38% Under-five mortality rate: 63 per 1,000 births to children. community organisatio possible vehicleHuman for bringing community organisations, united in purpose, is the best Development lasting bringing lasting change change to children.

Index ranking: Source: UNDP 161/186 possible vehicle for Life expectancy at possible vehicle for bringing lasting change to children. birth: 54.5 years Our model:

Our model:

Under-five mortality

rate: 99 per 1,000

births

Sources: Ministry of Gender, Uganda’s National FrameworkLabour and Social Development; for Alternative Care 2013; UNICEF

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viva church partners

Inspired by what happens when the global Church comes together for a common cause? What could your local church do to help children at risk?

Viva believes that a network of local community organisatio churches and ns, united in purpose, possible vehicle is the best for bringing lasting change to children.

Viva is inviting churches to link with one of five partner networks and be part of a powerful outworking of God’s transforming love, impacting individuals, families, churches and entire communities.

Viva Church Partners offers life for children and life for your church, as you start on a journey of support with a network in Bolivia, Nepal, India, Uganda or Zimbabwe.

l am in no doubt that God’s Kingdom comes when we join together in our efforts to protect children. The work of Viva is visionary, strategic and essential. l pray that your church will get involved; involve your children, involve your leaders, involve your community!

Rev Stephen Gaukroger, Patron of Viva and Director of Clarion Trust International

As a church community, you’ll be encouraged by moving stories of how God is changing the lives of children and those who care for them benefit from creative activities and practical ways of engaging the children in your church be equipped with engaging prayer resources

have the opportunity to hear first-hand stories of changed children’s lives from a Viva speaker

be equipped to join with local groups to reach children and vulnerable families in your own community

Email churchpartners@viva.org to request a pack, or go to www.viva.org/churchpartners for further information. If you’d like to talk with someone, please call on 01865 811660.

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Viva is all about life!

We are inspiring lasting change in children’s lives through the power of collective action because we have a vision to see children safe, well and fulfilling their God-given potential.

We believe that a network of churches and community organisations, locally focused and united in purpose, is the best possible vehicle for bringing lasting change for children. Through 35 partner networks we are increasing the unity, quality and impact of work for children at risk, our joint action training 23,000 caregivers and changing the lives of over 987,000 children.

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Viva, Unit 8, The Gallery, 54 Marston Street, Oxford, OX4 1LF t: 01865 811660 Mixed Sources Product group from well-managed forests, controlled sources and recycled wood or fibre. www.fsc.org Cert No. SA-COC-09174

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