World Vision Australia: Foundation And History

when was world vision australia founded

World Vision Australia is a Christian organisation that is committed to improving the lives of children, their families, and their communities. It was founded in 1966 after Bernard Barron, the head of World Vision Canada, proposed starting a new office in Australia. World Vision Australia is a signatory to the ACFID Code of Conduct and is registered as a charity by the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission. The organisation focuses on child sponsorship programs, which provide its main source of funds, and works to end global poverty through development, relief, and advocacy projects in over 100 countries.

Characteristics Values
Year founded 1966
Founder Bernard Barron
First project Vietnam
Type of organisation Christian organisation
Focus Well-being of children
Number of countries 100
Number of employees 34,000
Number of child sponsors 130,000
Number of people helped annually 11 million
Total income in 2017 $404.1 million
Total income in 2020 $587.9 million

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World Vision Australia's founding and early history

World Vision Australia (WVA) was founded in 1966, sixteen years after the founding of World Vision Inc. in the United States. The creation of the Australian branch was proposed by Bernard Barron, the head of World Vision Canada, and startup funds were provided by the headquarters of World Vision in the United States.

Graeme Irvine, an evangelical Christian, was appointed as the first head of the Australian branch of World Vision. The organisation's first project focused on Vietnam.

World Vision, including its Australian branch, is a Christian organisation that bases its beliefs and activities on the Christian faith and draws on a biblical framework to inform its work. It is committed to making a positive and lasting difference in the world and driven by the desire to serve God. World Vision helps children, families, and communities overcome poverty and injustice, irrespective of religion, race, ethnicity, or gender.

The main focus of World Vision is the well-being of children, and child sponsorship programs provide its greatest source of funds. Sponsorship links the donor to a specific child or children overseas, and the sponsor makes a long-term commitment to contribute regular amounts, usually monthly. The money donated by the sponsor does not go directly to the child or the child's family but instead goes to an Area Development Plan (ADP) that benefits the entire community in which the child lives.

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World Vision's global founding and early history

World Vision was founded in 1950 in the United States by Reverend Robert Pierce, a Baptist missionary who had previously worked in China. Pierce founded the organisation to focus on aiding children in need, with World Vision's first office opening in Portland, Oregon, and its first project aiding children in Korea following the Korean War.

Pierce's inspiration to found World Vision came in 1947 when he gave the last $5 in his pocket to a missionary orphanage for the care of an abandoned Chinese girl. After Pierce was invited to Korea by Kyung-Chik Han to speak at Young Nak Church, the pair continued to collaborate on relief efforts in the region following the outbreak of the Korean War. Han would go on to become a co-founder of World Vision Inc. in 1950, along with Frank Phillips.

The first child sponsorship scheme commenced in 1953, and World Vision soon expanded to other countries. During its early years, the charity operated as a missionary service organisation, meeting the emergency needs of children in crisis areas in East Asia. In 1967, the Mission Advanced Research and Communication Center (MARC) was founded by Ed Dayton as a division of World Vision, becoming the organisational backbone of the Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization.

In 1975, emergency and advocacy work was added to World Vision's objectives, and in 1977, World Vision International was founded to restructure the organisation worldwide. By this time, World Vision was operating in over 100 countries, and in the 1970s, it began training families in agricultural skills to build small farms, promoting long-term improvement and self-reliance in communities. World Vision also began installing water pumps for clean water, which caused infant mortality rates to drop.

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World Vision's Christian ethos and activities

World Vision Australia (WVA) is a Christian organisation that bases its beliefs and activities on the Christian faith and draws on a biblical framework to inform its work. It is a signatory to the ACFID Code of Conduct, which requires that development activities be delivered and reported separately from non-development (including religious) activities. Like other members of the World Vision Partnership, WVA does not make Christian belief or observance a condition of providing assistance.

World Vision was founded in 1950 in the United States by Rev. Robert Pierce, a Baptist missionary who had worked in China, focusing on aiding children in need. The first child sponsorship scheme commenced in 1953 to aid children in Korea following the Korean War. WVA was founded in 1966 after Bernard Barron, the head of World Vision Canada, proposed starting a new office in Australia. The first project of WVA related to Vietnam.

World Vision's main focus is the well-being of children, and child sponsorship programs provide its greatest source of funds. Sponsorship links the donor to a specific child or children overseas, and the sponsor makes a long-term commitment to contribute regular amounts (usually monthly). Money donated by the sponsor does not go directly to the child or the child's family; instead, it goes to an Area Development Plan (ADP) that benefits the entire community in which the child lives. Not every child in an area benefited by an ADP may be sponsored; children are selected for sponsorship who are considered to be in positions of particular vulnerability.

World Vision also engages in emergency relief, development, and advocacy projects in over 100 countries. They work to end global poverty, tackle injustice, and promote long-term improvement and self-reliance in communities. World Vision has also been involved in promoting an international ban on land mines and advocating for an end to the stigmatisation of people living with HIV/AIDS. In the 2020 financial year, World Vision Australia reported raising AU$587.9 million in total income, with $306.6 million coming from cash donations and grants and $281.3 million from non-monetary donations and gifts.

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World Vision's child sponsorship programs

World Vision Australia (WVA) was founded in 1966 as a branch of World Vision International, a Christian humanitarian aid, development, and advocacy organisation. WVA is a registered charity and public benevolent institution, committed to improving the lives of children, their families, and their communities.

The children selected for sponsorship are considered to be in positions of particular vulnerability. World Vision ensures that aid is provided regardless of the recipient's religion or beliefs, and their programs operate in over 100 countries. In the 2020 financial year, WVA reported raising AU$587.9 million, with $306.6 million coming from cash donations and grants, and the remaining $281.3 million from non-monetary donations and gifts. Of this, $522.8 million was spent on development programming and $66.3 million on overheads.

World Vision Australia has over 130,000 child sponsors, helping to change the lives of over 11 million adults and children annually. Their work includes emergency relief, development programs, and advocacy projects, with a focus on ending global poverty and tackling its root causes.

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World Vision's funding and finances

World Vision is a Christian humanitarian relief and development organisation that was founded in 1950 by Robert Pierce, a Baptist missionary. It is active in over 100 countries and had over 33,000 employees as of 2022. The organisation's main focus is the well-being of children, and child sponsorship programs are its greatest source of funds.

World Vision Australia (WVA) was founded in 1966 after Bernard Barron, the head of World Vision Canada, proposed to start a new office in Australia. WVA is a signatory to the ACFID Code of Conduct, which requires that development activities be delivered and reported separately from non-development (including religious) activities. In the 2020 financial year, WVA reported raising AU$587.9 million, of which $306.6 million came from cash donations and grants, and $281.3 million came from non-monetary donations and gifts. In the same reporting year, they disbursed AU$589.1 million, with $522.8 million going to development programming and $66.3 million to overheads. Child sponsorship accounted for 38% of their total income in the 2017 financial year, while 12% came from Australian Government (DFAT) grants, 9% from appeals, donations and gifts, 11% from overseas grants, and 6% from other cash revenue.

World Vision U.S. has been recognised as a top-rated charity by independent third-party organisations, including the BBB Wise Giving Alliance, which has accredited it as meeting all standards for charitable accountability. In 2024, it earned the Platinum Seal of Transparency, the highest possible rating, as well as 4 out of 4 stars for financial efficiency, trustworthiness, leadership, and innovation.

In 2019, World Vision provided financial support to various regions: $8,460,082 to Central America and the Caribbean, $1,287,749 to East Asia and the Pacific, $1,168,937 to Europe, $8,968,564 to the Middle East and North Africa, $616,195,515 to North America, $5,092,365 to Russia and its neighbouring states, $9,393,103 to South America, $4,682,193 to South Asia, and $180,570,113 to Sub-Saharan Africa. According to World Vision International's 2020 Annual Report, $258 million was spent on fundraising efforts and $136 million on administration. In June 2021, World Vision launched its largest capital campaign, called Every Last One, with the goal of raising $1 billion by 2023.

Frequently asked questions

World Vision was founded in 1950 in the United States by Rev. Robert Pierce, a Baptist missionary.

World Vision Australia (WVA) was founded in 1966 after Bernard Barron, the head of World Vision Canada, proposed starting a new office in Australia.

World Vision Australia's main focus is the well-being of children, and child sponsorship programs provide its greatest source of funds.

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