Asia

World Hope International works throughout Asia to combat human trafficking and extreme poverty though various programs that address economic development, education and agriculture.

World Hope International has programs in the following countries:

• Azerbaijan
• Cambodia
• India
• Indonesia
• Nepal
• Philippines
• Sri Lanka

Azerbaijan

For more information on World Hope International’s programs in Azerbaijan, check out the 2016 Year-end Report.

Cambodia

World Hope International’s current work in Cambodia focuses on fighting gender-based violence and extreme poverty:

• Mushroom cultivation: One of our newest programs in Cambodia is our mushroom cultivation. Mushrooms are grown on agricultural waste from one annual planting of rice followed by an annual planting of mung beans. The mung beans are both a cash crop and soil enhancer. The dried mung bean stalks and empty pods are added to the rice straw to create the mushroom growing medium. After three growing cycles of mushrooms, the medium is decomposed and returned to the rice field as compost. Farmers average about 2.5 acres of rice paddy, which is enough to provide sufficient waste for one mushroom house year around. Several crops of mushrooms can be grown in a single year, and the mushrooms are sold at the local markets. Throughout 2016, WHI worked with farmers in Cambodia to grow mushrooms for sale in local markets and thus we saw the rapid expansion of 23 Mushroom Houses. This growth in mushroom cultivation is partly due to market linkages being developed by WHI. Fair and consistent demand and pricing are encouraging smallholder investment in the mushroom houses. Twenty-five farmers are now invested in Mushroom Houses, which have an average return on investment of three and a half months.
• Sisters Rural Development Program: Another new program in Cambodia is our Sisters Rural Development. It focuses on advancing entire Cambodian communities through the empowerment of women with economic development opportunities, education and health care. In 2016, WHI worked directly with 139 women in five villages on agriculture and water projects, drilled 12 water wells, and mobilized 5,040 small loans and 2,847 savings accounts. Additionally, WHI provided dental care to Cambodian residents, many whom have never previously received any form of dental care
• Adelphe Sponsorship Program: Provides a sponsorship platform that connects women in the United States with vulnerable women in rural Cambodia for fighting extreme poverty and sex trafficking and sharing the love of Jesus Christ. Through multi-year monetary commitments, Adelphé assists and empowers women in rural Cambodia and their villages through delivering access to health, agriculture, and education services.
• Gender-based Violence: World Hope International and the United Nations work together to fight violence against women in Cambodia.
• Human Trafficking Assessment Center: From 2005 to 2015, WHI responded to exceptionally high levels of sex trafficking and rape in Cambodia by opening the first and only Assessment Center for Survivors of Sexual Exploitation and Rape (AC) in Phnom Penh in June 2005. For a decade, WHl was at the forefront of the movement to eradicate human trafficking in Cambodia as the AC served as the first stop for victims on their path towards recovery providing immediate health needs and life-skills training. In 2015, WHI celebrated a major reduction in the level of child sex trafficking in Cambodia.  During the 10 years, the AC was operational, WHI had the privilege to support over 1,100 sexually trafficked and exploited girls, helping them begin their journey towards healing. The program was recognized by the U.S. Department of State as a best in-practice for this type of high trauma care.

India

World Hope International has been working in India since 1997, primarily through its child sponsorship program in Central and Northeast India.

• Child Sponsorship in Central India: Since 2006, WHI has managed child sponsorship representing children living in or around the Rajnandgoan Hostel, which serves many children whose parents or grandparents are lepers and live in a nearby leper village.  WHI has recently doubled the size of this program due to the significant impact the program is making for this very marginalized group.
• Child Sponsorship in Northeast India: A child sponsorship program serves three regions in need in Northeast India. While the government seeks to provide education to all Indian citizens, the isolation and discrimination toward those residing in the northeast, causes teachers hired by government officials to rarely fulfill their duties. As a result, rural village children lack basic educational opportunities. To address this problem, WHI has active sponsorships in Tuithaphai, Ruonglevaissuo, and Mizoram.

Indonesia

World Hope International has been working in Indonesia since 1998, primarily through its child sponsorship program.

• Child Sponsorship in Indonesia: Child Sponsorship at WHI, in partnership with The Wesleyan Church, is committed to educating children of Wesleyan church members in Indonesia. Through sponsorships, children are receiving opportunity on the islands of Java and Nias. The Wesleyan Church in Indonesia is committed to bringing up Christian leaders to minister to the largely Muslim country. The child sponsorship program is assessing the need for community based, livelihood development among the communities where the children live and worship. 

Nepal

World Hope International has been working in Nepal since 2000, with a focus on helping children and was able to quickly respond to the 2015 earthquake.

• Emergency Response: In partnership with The Wesleyan Church, provided over 2,000 pounds of relief supplies, including tents, water filters, food, and hygiene kits to families in hard to reach rural areas following the April 2015 earthquake.

Philippines

Our work in the Philippines encompasses human trafficking and child sponsorship programs to help tribal children living in extreme poverty.

Human-trafficking and Sexual Violence: The human trafficking situation in the Philippines has taken a turn for the worst in recent years. Online sexual exploitation of children (OSEC) is growing exponentially, making the Philippines the number one provider of online child pornography in the world. To address this concern, WHI will be developing a special curriculum in 2017 to teach churches and caregivers about OSEC, and training local pastors, lay people, and seminary students as trainers. In addition, to help alleviate the shortage of mental health services, we’ll be raising scholarship funds for young people willing to get social work degrees and work with abused and trafficked children, and will be identifying and training individuals who aren’t social workers but have the right education to work with survivors of trafficking. Finally, we will also train existing shelters to expand to accept boys and younger children.

Child sponsorship through World Hope International, in partnership with the Wesleyan Church, aims to minister to tribal children living in extreme poverty due to discrimination, so they receive quality education.