Evangelical Christian humanitarian group World Vision has launched a $500 million initiative to help 10 million poor children globally with water, health services and child protection, at a time when foreign aid continues to be threatened by government cuts and sequestration.
Under a sequestration cut of five percent, non-profit organizations estimate there will be 1.1 million fewer mosquito nets distributed, resulting in approximately 3,000 more malaria deaths; 303,000 fewer people will have access to clean water and improved sanitation; and two million fewer people will have either reduced access to food aid or be cut off altogether, warns the organization, which aims to raise $500 million by the end of 2015 through its “For Every Child” fundraising campaign.
“This is the most far-reaching endeavor in World Vision’s history,” says the organization’s president, Richard Stearns, in a statement. “Our goals are ambitious and the impact we hope to make would transform the lives of a generation of children. This is not a fundraising campaign but a rescue mission for the children we help and also for the donors who step up to say this is worth the fight.”