In the Shadow of Hunger: The Power of Self-Reliance to Protect Children and Restore Hope

Ten-year-old Ayen walks daily to the Sobat River in Anackdiar Payam, where her family, displaced by conflict, relies on unsafe water for all basic needs. The contaminated river water especially during floods causes frequent illness, leaving Ayen often too weak to play. Her mother, Nyajuma, worries as sickness becomes routine for their children. Despite hardship, the community remains resilient but exhausted. Hope is emerging through a World Vision WASH project funded by the South Sudan Humanitarian Fund, which will provide safe water, sanitation, and hygiene services. For families like Ayen’s, access to clean water offers a chance for health, dignity, and a better future.

Flood-resilient sanitation is transforming lives in Mabalane, Mozambique, where improved latrines are helping families like Lucia’s gain dignity, safety and protection from recurring floods.

Ray Carter’s journey from TB diagnosis to recovery highlights resilience, support from World Vision PNG, and hope for a healthy future through early treatment.

In Pagirinya Refugee Settlement, families face daily struggles of displacement, scarcity, and stress. The Life in Fullness Together (LIFT) programme by World Vision is reshaping parenting by focusing on community-led conversations rather than external aid.

In Phalombe, young women are transforming their lives through tailoring and design skills supported by World Vision Malawi in partnership with TEVETA. The initiative targets vulnerable girls at risk of school dropout, early marriage and poverty by equipping them with practical vocational skills that open doors to income and independence.

In Cox's Bazar, 12-year-old Win navigates displacement, fear, and funding cuts and still shows up for school every morning. This is her story.

Daniel’s story is a powerful example of how vision, discipline, and the right support can transform lives. After participating in World Vision’s Empowered Worldview Training and receiving start-up capital, the 44-year-old farmer from Kageyo Sector, Gicumbi District, shifted from subsistence farming and chronic food shortages to profitable agriculture. By applying modern farming techniques and carefully planning his goals in a notebook he calls his “Performance Targets Notebook,” Daniel steadily increased his harvests from just 5 kilograms of beans to more than two tonnes of produce per season. His success has enabled him to provide adequate food for his family, improve their living conditions, purchase productive assets, and expand his farming business. Guided by a clear vision and commitment to continuous growth, Daniel now looks forward to even greater development for himself and his family.

In Cox’s Bazar, girls like Win risk losing education as poverty, insecurity, and funding cuts threaten to pull them out of school.

On Megaramo Mountain in Central Ethiopia, community-led watershed restoration stopped erosion, revived biodiversity, and helped farmers triple their harvests, creating new opportunities for children and families.