NORTH WALES — A father and son based in North Wales in the UK are working together to make sure thousands of vulnerable children won’t be forgotten this Christmas when they receive gift-filled shoeboxes. Dave and Simon Cooke who both run the charity Teams4U are busy preparing to send what they describe as ‘love in…
VANCOUVER, WA — All God’s Children International (AGCI) is excited to announce the public phase of its $22 million comprehensive campaign, Unlocking Hope. This initiative seeks to transform the lives of more than 1,275,000 vulnerable children around the world by empowering local leaders to disrupt the trauma that tears children away from families, so no…
RWANDA — South Africa’s Robben Island is a former prison colony, most famous for hosting Nobel Laureate Nelson Mandela for 18 of his 27 years in prison. Today it is a popular tourist attraction, and the starting point for a challenging ocean swim. A ten-year-old girl from Cape Town is now the youngest swimmer to…
SUDAN — With the conflict reaching 500 days, Sudan is now facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis, with children bearing the brunt of the suffering. According to a new report released by international aid organisation World Vision, the crisis for children and families in Sudan, reveals 26 million people in Sudan are expected to experience acute…
NAIROBI, KENYA —Organized by Christian children’s charity CRY the aim is to bring together local and native Christian African educators who have the best understanding of what young people need to further their lives and escape poverty. Christian children’s charity CRY recently hosted an educational forum for African educators in Nairobi in Kenya, which was…
SOUTH AMERICA— Despite the dangers of the Darién jungle, it has become a popular route for migrants from Central and South America seeking to reach the United States. Among the numerous challenges faced by walkers are exposure to diseases, injuries, violence, extortion, forced recruitment, and more.Christian charity World Vision is helping the most vulnerable passing…
KYIV, UKRAINE — It has been more than 140 days since the beginning of the war in Ukraine. But even in this difficult and horrible time, we are experiencing God’s love. In dangerous situations it is easier for closed hearts to open up. Watch this video about the ministry to children from at-risk families during…
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — Surrounding International Children’s Day in June, Compassion International, a leading child development organization, announced the release of a new study showing the positive impacts on alumni who have participated in Compassion programs in partnership with local churches. The pilot research project titled “100 and 1 Alumni: Long-Term Impact and Ripple Effect,”…
EL SALVADOR — Moises Groezinger shares how his life was transformed when he received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift as an orphan in El Salvador. Moises Groezinger: My name is Moises Groezinger. I’m from El Salvador. I’m a volunteer firefighter. I don’t know much about my country because I was raised in an orphanage….
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — Since 2019, food crisis around the world has steadily increased–and is expected to continue growing in 2024. The far-reaching impact of hunger on child development makes it an area of focus for Compassion International, which is responding to immediate and long-term needs for some of the world’s hungriest children. Between July…
HARLINGEN, TX — There are nearly 2 million confirmed new victims of child abuse reported annually and over 100K children are awaiting adoption. Children aging out of foster care have extremely poor outcomes. Most end up on the street, in jail or dead within the first year. Churches are the perfect partners in the fight…
MEXICO — A mother, daughter, and children in Acapulco, Mexico, praise God for the hope and joy they received through an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift after their home was destroyed in a hurricane. Esmeralda: It was 10 pm. A hurricane was announced. A hurricane became more powerful. It became a category 5 hurricane. I…
NORTH CHARLESTON, SC — Water Mission is partnering with Compassion International on a global safe water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) alliance through a pilot project initiating in Chimwenje, Malawi. The alliance will strive to bring holistic care to children and families experiencing poverty through safe water access. The newly piloted program will reach Chimwenje’s more…
PLYMOUTH, MI — In the face of staggering statistics revealing the devastating impact of preventable causes on millions of children worldwide, NorthRidge Church is joining forces with Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) to launch an ambitious initiative—packing 1 Million Meals over three days. Every year, children succumb to preventable causes such as pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria,…
ISRAEL — Samaritan’s Purse airlifted and distributed 24,000 boxes of gifts over Christmas for Israeli boys and girls. Ken Isaacs – Vice President of Programs & Government Relations Samaritan’s Purse: And today I’m in Moshavim, Israel. We brought 24,000 gifts into the country and we’re distributing them primarily in two of these regional council areas….
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — This January, a new book entitled “What Are You Going to Do?” shares the inspiring true story of Everett Swanson and the humble beginnings of the global Christian ministry Compassion International. In the fall of 1952, Rev. Everett Swanson flew from Chicago to South Korea to minister to American troops fighting…
GREENSBORO, NC — Packing shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child is one of the many activities Lela Mae Cummings enjoys in her still-active lifestyle at “98 and a half years old.” Leila Mae Cummings: I’m Leila Mae Cummings , and I’ve lived in the Guilford College area all my life. And I’m at Friends Home Guilford,…
GOSHEN, IN — Reverend Brian Kamwendo, the Presidential Advisor on Religions Affairs in the African nation of Malawi, held a press conference at First Baptist Church Elkhart on Thursday, November 16, 2023. He was speaking on how Malawi is experiencing the fruit of repentance, the beginnings of which can be traced back to reviveINDIANA in…
NASHVILLE — Each year World Orphans Day™ is observed around the world on the ‘Second Monday in November,’ which was November 13, this year. The Stars Foundation™, a Nashville, TN based nonprofit, initiated this back in 2009, as a day devoted to empowering the Orphans and Displaced Children of the World, while uniting world leaders…
HONDURAS — Ivanna, a 12-year-old girl in Honduras, shares how receiving an Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift gave her hope and introduced her to Christ’s love.
POLAND — An Operation Christmas Child volunteer in Poland started a Christian club for children who wanted to continue to meet for Bible study after they received shoebox gifts and graduated from The Greatest Journey. Wiestawa Szymczak – Volunteer: One day God laid it in my heart that if the children come to know Him…
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — Yesterday, during Belmont University’s annual Hope Summit event, child development organization Compassion International and Belmont Innovation Labs announced a new partnership to pilot Impact Teams, groups of expert volunteers and mentors who will come alongside social innovators dedicated to addressing the world’s most formidable challenges. Impact Teams are designed to work…
EASTON, MD — As a young girl, Christina Issa found a way to block out the horror of war raging in her homeland of Syria — by watching a faith-based television channel for kids, broadcast in her native Arabic. She never dreamed that a few years later she’d be a presenter on the same channel,…
POLAND — “The war started suddenly,” Elena, a fine arts teacher in Ukraine, said. “I prayed every day, ‘Lord, I trust in You. Give me strength, patience, and humility for this day.’” Soon, she and her daughter fled to Poland to escape the increasing violence. They arrived close to Easter and moved into a hotel…
TOGO — Christian charity CRY has launched a campaign to highlight how education is helping to break the cycle of poverty in some of the neediest parts of the world. This report shares the story of how an orphanage that they support in Togo is providing life-changing opportunities for many young lives through the power…
COLORADO SPRINGS, CO — Compassion International, a leading child development organization, is excited to announce the launch of its new “Hope Starts Here“ experience. Buoyed by compelling personal stories, “Hope Starts Here” is an immersive experience, transporting visitors to vulnerable communities where Compassion works. This free, family-friendly event is designed to inspire compassion and action…
LOVES PARK, IL — The war in Ukraine has caused a dramatic surge in the number of “social orphans,” according to a U.S.-based organization responding to an escalating crisis of child abandonment. Ukrainian church leaders estimate there are as many as 50,000 “hidden” social orphans, children barely surviving under the radar who’ve been abandoned or…
UNITED KINGDOM — It is a sad fact that, globally, the number of children and adolescents who do not have access to school education is 260 million, nearly four times the entire population of the UK. In response Christian children’s charity CRY is launching their Back To School Education is Power campaign to highlight how…
MATAMOROS, MEXICO — Thousands of migrants continue to arrive at the United States border seeking asylum. In an improvised migrant camp in Matamoros, Mexico, a gifted Bible changes the life of a Venezuelan child. Joseph Rendón: I learned that if one has confidence in God, everything is possible. The faith in Christ Jesus reaches the…
LOVES PARK, IL — Ten-year-old Maryna kneels beside her bed and prays for the war in Ukraine to end. For Maryna, the horrors of war have already left lifelong scars. Surgeons had to amputate her crushed leg after a shell exploded next to her home. Now she wears a prosthetic. Any loud noise brings her…
CÚCUTA, COLOMBIA — Samaritan’s Purse is in Colombia helping Venezuelan migrants living in areas where there are limited resources. In these neighborhoods, they are teaching children how to read and write, and sowing seeds of the Gospel into their hearts. Tom Ovington – Samaritan’s Purse: Venezuela started to have extreme economic issues. And a lot…
COON RAPIDS, MN — Feed My Starving Children (FMSC), a nonprofit organization committed to eradicating extreme hunger, celebrates the production of its 4 billionth meal. The milestone meal was packed on June 28 at a mobile packing event at the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Shakopee, Minnesota. Since its founding in 1987, FMSC has been driven…
AFGHANISTAN —A special needs school in Kabul in Afghanistan is using play, sports and arts to help heal traumatized kids who have lost their childhoods. The project is supported by Christian charity CRY. A school project supported by Christian charity Cry is restoring the lost childhoods of special needs kids in Kabul in Afghanistan. Cry’s…
SIERRA LEONE — As Sierra Leone faces extreme poverty and high rates of illiteracy, Christian school Destiny Grace Academy is teaching hundreds of children, who’ve been rescued from the slums of the capital city of Freetown, to be the country’s next generation of leaders. A Christian-run school in war-torn Sierra Leone has provided life-changing education…
NAMIBIA — As God works through Operation Christmas Child to reach the remote Himba tribe in Namibia, southwest Africa, they are hearing, believing, embracing, and sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ. Pastor Rizera Hipakua – Volunteer: Jesus Christ is my Savior. He’s my personal Savior. I really love Jesus. I want to follow Jesus…
LOVES PARK, IL — The Ukraine war and growing desperation in hard times are driving a surge in the number of children expected to flock to Bible camps this summer across the former Soviet Union, a region once steeped in atheism. Amid fears the Ukraine conflict could escalate at any moment, Illinois-based Slavic Gospel Association…
HARLINGEN, TX — Blue Sunday Child Abuse Prevention Initiative, a non-profit organization dedicated to preventing child abuse and neglect, is calling on communities across the country to recognize the annual Blue Sunday Day of Prayer for Abused Children on April 30th. Since 1994, Blue Sunday has been raising awareness about the devastating effects of child…
UKRAINE — Throughout the war in Ukraine, Great Commission Media Ministries has coordinated the evacuating of many children and families from some of the worst-hit parts of the East of the country. Here’s just one story of how Hannu Haukka and his team rescued Andrei’s family and many others from near Mariupol and brought them…
NASHVILLE — No child, no matter where they live, should have to face hunger and malnutrition. Unfortunately this is the tragic reality for millions of children around the world. In just two years, food insecurity has doubled to affect 276 million people. In 2021, 22% of children under age five experienced stunted development from malnutrition…
LOVES PARK, IL — Thousands of abandoned and unwanted orphans in orphanages across Russia, Ukraine and the former Soviet countries are highly vulnerable to recruitment by organized crime groups, a U.S. mission agency says. “When children turn 18 they age out of the orphanages and have to fend for themselves,” said Michael Johnson, president of…
ALBUQUERQUE — Calvary Church’s Reload Love ministry raised over $208,000 during its annual “Love Bomb” weekend (Feb. 11 and 12), with proceeds benefitting the ministry’s 2023 highlighted project: children caught in the crossfire of the yearlong conflict in Ukraine and decade-long civil war in South Sudan. Hundreds of people joined Calvary Church at their flagship…
LOVES PARK, IL — The war in Ukraine is accelerating an orphan crisis in the embattled nation and neighboring Russia, a U.S. mission agency says. Children are being swept up in the turmoil in Ukraine and taken to overcrowded orphanages miles away across borders, often separated from family members desperately searching for them, says Illinois-based…
MONGOLIA — Erdembayar, a boy in Mongolia, tired easily and couldn’t participate in physical activities with his friends. After he underwent heart surgery arranged by Samaritan’s Purse, he gained new energy and could actively play like other kids. More importantly, he and his mother both trusted Christ as their Savior. Now, Erdembayar wants to become…
UKRAINE — Elizabeth Groff praises God for the Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift she received while living in an orphanage in Ukraine. It softened her heart for the Gospel to take hold. Elizabeth Groff: When I was about one year old, my father was killed. After his passing my mom just really could not deal…
KIBERA, KENYA —A Christian charity is empowering and educating children in Africa’s largest slum in Kibera on the outskirts of Nairobi in Kenya. Most of the residents live in extreme poverty. There are few schools, little clean water, and very little electricity, medical care or toilet facilities. With no government services, schools, clinics, water and…
EASTON, MD — A U.S. organization focused on the Middle East and North Africa is casting the spotlight on what it calls the region’s top 5 “evolving crises” at the start of 2023. With the world’s gaze fixed on Ukraine-Russia and muscle-flexing in China, “seismic events unfolding in the Middle East are simply off the…
CHARLOTTE, NC — Celebrating the 200 millionth shoebox gift collected since 1993, Franklin Graham encouraged staff and volunteers at the Charlotte Processing Center this Christmas. These shoeboxes represent opportunities to tell boys and girls about the Lord Jesus Christ, God’s Greatest Gift. Franklin Graham – Samaritan’s Purse CEO and President: 29 years ago right here…
BAYANKHONGOR, MONGOLIA — Baljinnyam praises God for the Operation Christmas Child shoebox gift he received when he was 13 in Mongolia. Through that gift, he gave his life to Christ. Now, Baljinnyam is an adult and saw his young daughter receive her own shoebox and learn more about Jesus. Baljinnyam: My name is Baljinnyam. I…
WADSWORTH, OHIO — Kristel and Matt Stone praise God for the thousands of Operation Christmas Child shoebox gifts they have been able to pack at their Ohio farm over the years with help from family and friends. They are grateful that, through these gifts, boys and girls in need around the world are hearing the…
NAMIBIA — The classroom was quiet as deaf Namibian boys and girls opened their Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes. There were no squeals of excitement or chattering, no shouting for friends to come and look at the fun gifts inside their shoebox. The Operation Christmas Child outreach event marked the first time that most of the…
