Light in dark places

  BY ANNA COX Understanding and action: How Viva’s partner network in Patna is developing girls as rights advocates Every 18 months, we gather together with our colleagues from around the world to share experiences, develop strategy and build relationships. During our most recent international team meetings, I had the privilege of interviewing Devesh Lal […]

Mentoring provides a turning point for Cambodian children

BY ANDREW DUBOCK One hundred children in north west Cambodia, who face neglect and abuse in their lives, are being given the opportunity to turn their lives around through a new mentoring programme. The Child Protection Mentorship initiative is being run by Viva’s partner network, PEACE Team Cambodia (PTC) in ten communities in Siem Reap, […]

After Haiyan

When Super Typhoon Haiyan swept across the Philippines on 7 November 2013, destroying more than a million homes and tragically killing 6,000 people, our partner network PCMN already had people on-the-ground in Eastern Samar. As a result, PCMN was ready to respond immediately by co-ordinating emergency supplies and, with Viva’s support, put together a comprehensive […]

Building safer, stronger communities in Nepal

Justine Demmer, Viva’s Network Consultant for Asia, writes about the people she met during a recent visit to see our partner network CarNet Nepal in action. “Last year one of the members of our Child Vigilant Group (CVG) saw with his own eyes a man raping a young girl. We as the CVG group took […]

Out of danger

Justine Demmer describes how grassroots networks are best placed to tackle society’s biggest issues and shares a story from Nepal of one girl saved from the risk of exploitation. Eleven years old: the age when girls in many cultures begin to become more independent and transition from primary to secondary school. The younger years of […]

Training to create a safer city for children

BY KANICE HO Viva Hong Kong conducted a proactive child protection training on 20 February, attracting around 40 participants. Attendees represented churches, schools and various children learning centres and, put altogether, they reach more than 6,000 children in the city. In the training, delegates were provided knowledge on child abuse, as well as the importance […]

Over 4,000 children attended a Viva Christmas Party

BY ANNA COX Thirteen networks around the world hosted 27 Christmas Parties in December with support from Viva. The events brought children of different backgrounds, churches and organisations together for a day to celebrate God’s love and care where they were able to hear the Christmas story and learn valuable lessons to improve their understanding […]