This is our hope for the holidays

End-of-year holidays are all about celebration, reflection, and gratitude. As we continue to grow here at ODW, this holiday season we’re reflecting on the global work you, me, us, and them, are doing together.

The stories of transformation we’ve heard from the ground over the past year have been really encouraging and are giving us cause to be excited about the future. Here is just one example…

Emine and Roni’s story

Emine and Roni are two children we’ve been getting to know over the past couple years. They’ve both been attending a school funded by ODW and our partner World Relief. They weren’t always attending this school though.

After their mother tragically passed from cancer 4 years ago, their dad decided they needed to leave their home in Syria. With the war encroaching more and more upon their community, they began their trek along with many other Syrians. They describe a difficult journey where they walked many miles, climbed a mountain and ultimately had to crawl under barbwire to cross the border into a new country.

Emine says being at the school reminds her of the good times she had in Syria. Her and her brother both like to draw pictures. Some of their pictures are fun and reflect who they are as kids, but others speak to their desire for peace and hope and “home.” Emine would like to improve her art skills and one day become an artist when she grows up.

Thanks to the generosity of everyday people like you, Emine and her brother have been able to attend this school where they’re excelling and dreaming of their futures. They both express how thankful they are for the opportunity to get an education and feel safe again.

Our shared hope

Stories like these are why we do what we do. They remind us of the complexities of poverty, conflict, and development. There is no simple solution to empowering the poor and vulnerable, but there are things each of us can do to help.

Our hope is to continue improving this work we’re doing together, enabling the most vulnerable around the world to thrive, all while remaining true to our values of empowerment, transparency, mutuality, and dignity.

We’d love for you to join us this holiday season by giving to one of our projects, enabling us to keep up this work into the new year.

Happy holidays, and ’tis the season for everyday people to help change the world…

You can make your holiday gift here. You can also dedicate your gift on behalf of someone you love.

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