Loom: Tell us a little about yourselves Ed & Kay: Kay was raised by missionary parents in Africa and Ed was born and raised in California. We married in 1973, and eventually joined Youth with a Mission in 1987 and our lives have taken us all around the world. We have four children and 12…
Local ExpertsDESCRIPTION: All it takes is one caring adult to transform the life of a vulnerable child. This underlying belief led us to the creation of our Celebrating Children Workshop, and informs the work of so many Local Experts around the world. These Local Experts are committed to children even though they have access to…
Climate ChangeDESCRIPTION: The UN Human Rights Council recently acknowledged that children, particularly displaced and those from migrant families, are among those most at risk to the adverse impacts of climate change. According to the World Health Organization, climate change is expected to cause approximately 250,000 additional deaths per year between 2030 and 2050, due to…
CorruptionDESCRIPTION: The poor and vulnerable suffer most in societies where corruption is high. Women are eight times more likely to die during child-birth in places where more than 60 per cent of people report paying bribes, compared to countries where bribery rates are less than 30 per cent. Corruption leeches around $150 billion each year…
MenstruationDESCRIPTION: According to Project Humanity, an international organization dedicated to identifying and supporting women’s empowerment projects in rural Africa, schoolgirls in Kenya miss, on average, almost a week of school every single month owing to menstruation. 70 per cent of all reproductive diseases in India are caused by poor menstrual hygiene. In many communities, the…
Food and HungerDESCRIPTION: There is an estimated 800 million people around the world that remain chronically undernourished (Center for Global Development). Although many organizations are fighting the issue of hunger in developing countries, there are many root causes that still need to be addressed such as distribution problems and the cycle of poverty and subsistence…
Domestic ViolenceDESCRIPTION: Nearly 40 percent of all murders of women worldwide are carried out by an intimate partner, according to the World Health Organization. One in three women across the globe has experienced physical or sexual violence at the hands of her partner. Women who have been physically or sexually abused by their partners are…
DisabilitiesDESCRIPTION: In many communities in the majority world, children with disabilities face even greater disadvantages in accessing healthcare, education, and resources. Parents love their children but are insufficiently equipped to help them thrive. There are often social stigmas or misconceptions that further isolate these children from their communities. The gospels tell many stories of Jesus’…
Nehemiah Global Initiative, South KoreaDESCRIPTION: Nehemiah Global Initiative (NGI) is a South Korean non-profit established by missionary Kenneth Bae, to protect vulnerable refugees of various nationalities and ethnicities. NGI’s Seoul headquarters was established on October 2017, and since then it has been ceaselessly working to rescue North Korean defectors and helping them to physically and…
Family PreservationDESCRIPTION: Unless the wellbeing of the family is prioritized in society, we will continue to see increasing numbers of vulnerable children. War, HIV/AIDS and poverty have contributed to the breakdown of family leaving millions of orphaned children. Many of the Local Experts we partner with find themselves in their roles because they simply respond…
