BY LIZ CROSS Before Christmas, I came clean in my blog ‘Confessions of a fundraiser’ and admitted that I hadn’t fulfilled my promise of personally fundraising for Viva’s work in 2017. I also pledged to do better the coming year by taking up running… Here’s an update. In February, my mystery friend who was responsible […]
Author: Liz Cross
Confessions of a fundraiser
BY LIZ CROSS “My family have a reputation for their crazy parties.” Those were my confident words a year ago when I made a New Year’s resolution to fundraise for Viva’s work with vulnerable children. The idea spiralled from there – I recruited my colleague Paul to fundraise too and together we asked Viva’s supporters […]
Ordinary people saving lives
BY LIZ CROSS Betty, Anna, Fiona and Harriet really are a force for a change in their communities. Joy radiates from them and they are constantly laughing and joking around with one another. These are four of our volunteer peer health educators who I have the privilege of meeting whilst visiting Uganda. Going for a […]
Community mentors’ crucial role in Uganda
BY LIZ CROSS “The smile I saw that day was enough to make me smile for the whole week. Faith couldn’t believe she was the one wearing the hat and receiving the certificate.” Faith is a girl who attended one of our Creative Learning Centres in Uganda. These centres provide catch-up education for girls who […]
Stories from Syria
BY LIZ CROSS Dany, his wife and their three daughters live in an unfinished building in a Syrian city that has been plagued by bombs and shelling since the start of the war. Their neighbourhood has sustained heavy bombardment, which has led to many tragic deaths and serious injuries among their friends and neighbours. Unsurprisingly, […]
Holistic care for children in Bolivia
BY ANDREW DUBOCK Vulnerable children living in the 3,000-metre-high, mining city of Oruro are receiving more care and support from local Christians, thanks to the support of Viva’s partner network. Light of the World Church in Oruro, central Bolivia, has been active in the city for about 40 years, growing slowly in membership. However […]
Heartbreak and hope
BY LIZ CROSS Four children were playing on the streets of Guatemala City when they were approached by a man who offered them food to coax them into his house. Three of the children regularly attended workshops run by Viva’s partner network, Viva Guatemala, and knew not to trust the man. But the other boy, […]
Working together to provide family-based care
BY LIZ CROSS Our dream is for abandoned children to grow up in safe and loving families. The reality of life however means situations are deep-rooted and complex. Liz Cross explains why we believe a network approach is the best way to find solutions to society’s largest problems – in countries such as Uganda. It […]
The Library on Wheels
BY LIZ CROSS “I love science because it talks about everyday things.” This is what Joyce tells me as she reads another science book from the mobile library. Every time the library comes she picks out a different book on this subject. Today she reads to me about photosynthesis. There are words there which I […]
Finding life in the cemetery
Liz Cross, Viva’s Supporter Care Co-ordinator, writes about her recent trip to visit Viva’s partner network in Guatemala City and about finding positive stories in difficult places. A cemetery is one of the last places I expected to be standing when visiting Viva’s partner network in Guatemala City. However, over 2,000 people live on the […]