World Vision ACT:S is a network of young people committed to exploring what our faith says about poverty and injustice, using creative activism to bring issues to life and change hearts, and using our voices to advocate on AIDS, malaria, hunger, and child slavery.
If you are not already a member of ACT:S, we encourage you to check out our About page and join the ACT:S network for bi-weekly e-mail updates.
Below are the latest stories, resources, and campaigns. If you would like to contribute, e-mail acts@worldvision.org.
Art & Advocacy: A Pounding Heartbeat
Photo www.nnekaworld.com
By Lauren Seibert, ACT:S Advocacy & Campaigns Fellow
In the car the other day, I was casually listening to a friend’s mixed CD—a fairly predictable blend of top chart hits from Usher, Drake, Lil Wayne, etc.—when an unexpected beat suddenly jolted through the speakers. It had been a Drake song, but what…?
I whipped my head around to look at my friend, confused. “Play that again!” I commanded. “Was that Nneka? No way. On one of Drake’s tracks?”
Never Surrender: Fighting for the MDGs
By James Addis, World Vision Magazine
One of the drawbacks of working for World Vision magazine is you sometimes get to edit a ton of bad news. Here’s some of the stuff that has passed across my desk in the last few weeks: millions made homeless by floods in Pakistan and China, more massive flooding in Romania, devastating tropical storms in Central America, an outbreak of cholera in Mozambique, and millions starving in Niger. In short, the sort of material that can make you want to jump off the nearest tall building without a parachute.
The trouble with this kind of news is that it can narrowly focus your attention on the big headaches of the moment. But take a look at longer-term global trends, and you might be surprised to learn that they present a more optimistic picture. That’s why I find reporting on the Millennium Development Goals a healthy antidote.
From the Field: In Pakistan, Everyday Counts
By Mike Bailey, World Vision
“Every day counts.” Conny Lenneberg, policy director for World Vision summed up the crisis facing children under one year old after three weeks of diarrhea, dehydration and going without enough food. “These little ones are so fragile now; if we don’t get aid to them soon many will die.”
We are in a camp for displaced persons north of Mazaffragar in Punjab province. Shadia and Anim have been telling us what happened the night they abandoned their homes in Suzama village to the rising flood water.
Art & Activism: Josh Garrels at Relevant Magazine HQ to launch ACT:S TO END MALARIA
Can you be in Orlando on September 17th? World Vision ACT:S is partnering with RELEVANT Magazine to launch our newest creative activism – ACT:S TO END MALARIA.
This special activism event will feature a performance by our friend Josh Garrels, an experiential art show, and the premier of our new video by RELEVANT.
We’ll also be launching the ACT:S TO END MALARIA website – but you can check out a preview now to learn more about the plan to end malaria deaths by 2015 and get started by ordering a FREE creative activism box (NOTE: these are still being built… but sign up now and you’ll be first in line).
Here's a teaser for the new video premiering on September 17 in Orlando:
5 Years After Hurricane Katrina
Ryan Hamm from Relevant Magazine with Phyllis Freeman from World Vision
On the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we look at how far we've come—and how much more there is to do. It’s hard to believe it’s been five years since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. It seems like such a short time ago that we were watching the horrifying footage of suffering, destruction, looting and the disaster-within-a-disaster at the Super Dome. Because such huge catastrophes often have multi-year (or multi-decade) effects, we wanted to find out how the recovery efforts are going on the fifth anniversary of Katrina.
We talked with Phyllis Freeman, the domestic disaster director for World Vision, U.S. programs. Here’s what she had to say about New Orleans then and now, how a community rebuilds and how both government agencies and non-governmental organizations are better prepared for future disasters.
|
Connect with us at: acts@worldvision.org or 1-888-876-2004.
ACT:S is the activism network for World Vision. World Vision is a Christian humanitarian organization dedicated to working with children, families and their communities worldwide to reach their full potential by tackling the causes of poverty and injustice. |
|
