Africa
World Hope International works throughout Africa to combat human trafficking, extreme poverty, disease outbreaks, as well as food and water insecurity though various programs that address economic development, education, nutrition, health, clean water and sanitation, and agriculture.
World Hope International has programs in the following countries:
Liberia
Fourteen years of civil conflict has left tens of thousands of Liberians vulnerable to human trafficking for sexual, forced labor and other forms of exploitation. To complement the efforts of the Liberian National Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Task Force Secretariat, World Hope International has taken leadership in educating the public and training law enforcement officials, lawyers, and others to strengthen efforts to combat human trafficking in Liberia.
World Hope International’s work in Liberia includes:
- TIP Hotline: Provides labor and sex trafficking survivors and other at-risk persons with referrals to law enforcement and support services. In 2016, the hotline received 802 phone calls and as a result, 48 trafficked children were rescued.
- THINK Safe House: Provides human trafficking survivors with temporary emergency shelter through a partnership with Touching Humanity in Need of Kindness (THINK). Victims are provided with a safe and secure place to sleep, three meals a day, hygiene items, social activities, as well as educational and vocational opportunities.
- TIP Survivor Protection: Provides holistic case management services (mental and physical health assessments; family and community assessment; social and re-integration support) for up to 50 human trafficking victims. In 2016, WHI successfully reunited 45 children with their families and provided assistance for 24 survivors to re-enter school.
In addition to establishing a hotline and providing direct services to survivors, WHI is working hard to raise awareness of human trafficking in Liberia through person to person outreach in villages and radio shows.
World Hope International also continues to expand its existing Water Well program in Liberia. In 2016, WHI drilled 25 wells, benefitting 28,000 people in Liberia. Since October 2006, WHI has drilled 182 new borehole water wells, constructed 58 protected hand dug wells, rehabilitated 21 existing hand dug wells, and repaired 48 wells.
Mozambique
World Hope International has been operating in Mozambique since 2000, when disaster relief was sent to the country to provide assistance to those affected by heavy flooding. Since 2000, WHI’s presence in Mozambique has expanded to include school construction, agriculture projects for poor farmers, and a strong water and sanitation program.
- General Water and Sanitation Program: Provides clean water to communities in need, and educates Local Well Committees to maintain and sustain wells. WHI has drilled nearly 290 borehole water wells for communities, schools, and clinics throughout the country - all of which are now being managed by local water committees. These wells are located in rural and peri-urban neighborhoods in Gaza and Maputo provinces in the Southern portion of Mozambique.
- School Water and Sanitation Program: Ensures clean water and sanitary conditions in places of education. WHI has constructed restrooms at three schools and drilled borehole water wells at 12 schools in Gaza Province.
- Cattle Development Program: Creates a way for the rural poor to build assets in the form of cattle, which can be used for plowing, milk, food security, or can be sold to generate income and help farming families escape the cycle of poverty. Cattle are distributed amongst families, and owners are educated on animal husbandry. Once the cattle give birth, a certain number of offspring are passed on to another family in the community, creating a sustainable cycle. In 2016, 10 new cattle clusters were launched, including 104 new cows and 19 new bulls, and WHI-trained village vets vaccinated 339 young calves within the clusters. Since the program’s inception in 2003, more than 2500 cows and 93 communities have participated in the project.
- Greenhouses Revolutionizing Output (GRO) Program: WHI partnered with Penn State University to bring this innovative agricultural project to the forefront in Mozambique under a grant from United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The greenhouses are portable, expandable, cost less than $500 and can be constructed in just two days - a stark difference from conventional small-scale greenhouses that are expensive, high-maintenance and difficult to construct. These greenhouses provide a more controlled environment for agriculture, reduce water consumption and ensure crop production despite seasonal fluctuations in weather.
- Community Garden Program: A true testament to how WHI’s programs work together to bring holistic benefits to communities. WHI water wells are used to irrigate the vegetables during the dry season, manure from the cattle clusters is used as fertilizer, and GRO Greenhouses nurse delicate seedlings. Once established, seedlings are planted outdoors providing essential calories and nutrition.
Sierra Leone
World Hope International has led health, safety, nutrition, education and economic development programs in Sierra Leone since 1997. Its initiatives help empower the vulnerable and exploited communities that were created during the country’s brutal 11-year civil war.
WHI’s work in Sierra Leone began with war and food relief programs in partnership with The Wesleyan Church but quickly expanded to include initiatives that address the country’s stagnant economic growth, crippled infrastructure and poor health and education resources. It’s grassroots development and aid programs include:
- Human Trafficking and Sexual Violence Prevention: Provides 24-hour, year-round emergency care and recovery services for survivors of sexual violence through the World Hope International Trafficking in Persons Recovery Center. Additionally, public education and outreach to at-risk populations are core to WHI’s human trafficking and sexual violence prevention initiatives. In 2016, the center provided residential care for 52 survivors, while providing psychosocial, physical, and social support to 72 survivors. WHI successfully reunited 50 survivors with their family members and provided income generation support to 45 survivors and their family members.
- Agricultural Initiatives: Boosts agricultural sustainability and food security. Through Affordable Greenhouses, Village Partnerships and an extensive Outgrowers Project for pineapple and mango cultivation, WHI is able to help over 5000 small holder farmers gain access to resources and technologies that improve agricultural productivity and maximize profits.
- Water and Sanitation Program: Alleviates the burden of dirty water through training in well drilling and maintenance, latrine construction, and community and school education around hygiene and sanitation practices. WHI has constructed more than 270 borehole drilled water wells in Sierra Leone since 2005. In 2016, WHI drilled 69 community boreholes, 16 borehole wells in health centers and hospitals, 42 wells in various schools, and 1 borehole well for irrigation. WHI also constructed twelve water towers with gravity tank systems.
- Global Health and Childhood Educational Resources: Improves public health through quality wellness and childhood education resources, including a children’s scholarship fund, nutrition screenings, and community counseling around HIV/AIDS and the benefits of breastfeeding. Specific health programs include:
- Maternal and Child Health Programs: In a partnership with the American Academy of Pediatrics and Children’s Prize Foundation, WHI is training and equipping Sierra Leonean health workers in newborn resuscitation based on the Making Babies Breathe curriculum. Through the Enable the Children (ETC) program, WHI also provides physical therapy, occupational therapy, care, and support services to approximately 580 children living with disabilities in Freetown, Sierra Leone. Through support from UNICEF, the WHI Nutrition Project focuses on reducing child mortality in Sierra Leone by promoting the uptake of healthy feeding practices and managing acute malnutrition of infants and young children.
- Medical Supplies and Ambulance Services: WHI coordinates the delivery of medicines and supplies to health centers throughout Sierra Leone. In 2016, WHI helped to delivery two technologically advanced ultrasound machines that were donated by General Electric, helping to improve diagnoses and care. Also in 2016, WHI ambulances transported over 750 pregnant women to three hospitals in Sierra Leone.
- Ebola Response: Continues to utilize WHI’s expansive network of rural communities to help rebuild the country at the local level after the outbreak, specifically by helping Ebola survivors by reducing financial, logistical, and psychosocial barriers. During the outbreak WHI partnered with The Wesleyan Church, the Ministry of Health, and many global granting organizations such as UNICEF, UKAID, and the CDC, to train health care workers, retrofit medical facilities, build Community Care Centers, manage infection control processes, provide ambulance and supply transportation services, assist with food and income security, and educate the public to address and prevent further spread of Ebola in West Africa.
Zambia
World Hope’s work in Zambia focuses on giving opportunity to children. Through WHI’s child sponsorship program, hundreds of families in hard-to-reach, rural areas are given education and opportunity.
- School Initiatives: Provide quality education and school supplies to students in 68 schools located in Chabbobboma, Choma, Jembo, Kalomo, Siachitema, Mazabuka, and Zimba districts. Previously, education-focused projects have included teacher training, a mobile laboratory and improving school infrastructure where needed.
- Greenhouse Revolutionizing Output (GRO) Program: WHI partnered with Penn State University to bring this innovative agricultural project to the forefront in Zambia under a grant from United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The greenhouses are portable, expandable, cost less than $500 and can be constructed in just two days - a stark difference from conventional small-scale greenhouses that are expensive, high-maintenance and difficult to construct. These greenhouses provide a more controlled environment for agriculture, reduce water consumption and ensure crop production despite seasonal fluctuations in weather.