Your Gift is Keeping People Alive

Life in war camps for displaced people and refugees can be brutal. In the African country of Chad, World Concern has kept 30,000 people alive for the more than three years. Many have escaped rebels who have killed their families and burned their villages.

Even though they are relatively safe now, they have almost nothing. They need clean drinking water, latrines, soap and hygiene training. Without these basic needs, children face preventable, serious illnesses.

Here's what's awesome: Your gift is saving lives. World Concern has been working to create clean water sources, and provide health and sanitation training, jobs and farming opportunities for the people in displacement camps. The land is showing signs of fertility and the lives of refugees are improving with better health. Although they still don't have a permanent home, many now have hope for the future.

Please join us by helping hundreds of thousands of homeless people in Chad rebuild their lives. Together, we can make a huge impact.

Read current updates from Chad over on our blog.

A Letter From A Mom Caught In Crisis

My name is Mattra. I am 30 years old. I have two girls, one boy - and no home.

Janjaweed militia men on horses killed my mother and father, burned them in their own hut. I had to leave my village. Then my husband went off with another woman. This war has cost me everything.

Until this war ends, I live in a World Concern displaced person camp. I work 30 hours a week for World Concern and do service in my camp, planting trees and digging ponds to collect clean rainwater to drink. In exchange I get vouchers to buy food and other necessities.

I have been so worried about my children. For many months they were sick with scabies. Their skin looked so bad. My friends told me it was witchcraft. I took them to the traditional healer but it did nothing.

Now I know what was really going on. World Concern taught me about hygiene. They said our dirty drinking water and dirty home was making my children sick. So I used soap to wash my children. I washed all of our clothes and boiled our bedsheets. When I did that, the scabies began to disappear! My children became healthy.

I teach others now about hygiene. And if my children or I am sick, we go directly to the health center in Goz Beïda. We are receiving medical care for free. We are healthy now, and I know now it has nothing to do with witchcraft.

I hope more people can receive help like I did.

Recent photos from Chad

These photos are from Derek Sciba's trip to Chad in June/July 2010. Derek is World Concern's Marketing Manager. He visited displacement camps to report on how World Concern's programs there are helping people build new lives.

When you give to World Concern, 94% of every dollar—cash plus gifts-in-kind—goes directly to programs that serve the poor. Wise stewardship is important to us, and we work hard to keep administrative costs down so more people can be helped.

Though its parent organization, CRISTA, World Concern is ranked as a Four Star Charity by Charity Navigator. In addition, we are held accountable through internal audits, the Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability (ECFA), as well as through the US government.

1,000+ people in 24 countries providing help for people in need

World Concern is a Christian humanitarian organization that focuses on sustainable development for the poor in Africa, Asia and the Americas. We work in some of the world's most remote places, offering life, opportunity and hope to 6.5 million people a year in the name of Christ.

Learn more about us at www.worldconcern.org.