The day after Christmas in the small community of Dedere, Paula went into labor. Only 17 years old, Paula had never had a baby before, so when the second day passed with no progress, she began to worry. By the fourth day of intense pains, Paula began to panic. The
Ramesh began drinking alcohol at 18, but it escalated to a more serious problem after he married. “He started to fight with me every night,” his wife, Angala, said. “He always wanted money to buy alcohol.” Though he had a job as a day laborer, a common job in India,
Jeanne is a 33-year-old farmer and mother to six children. She lives in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), but she is like every mother in the world, and nothing is more important to her than keeping her beautiful children healthy. When ADRA met with Jeanne, she was pregnant with
Having lost both her parents to AIDS, Mercy lives in an orphanage outside of Harare, Zimbabwe. Unfortunately, the orphanage lacks access to clean water, making Mercy one of the many children living in Zimbabwe at risk of diseases like cholera. Contaminated water and improper sanitation are the primary reasons for
Monem, a 7-year-old living in Al Masraka, Yemen, makes the mile-long trek through a conflict-ridden area to draw water for his family. The youngest of five children, Monem is starting to show signs of trachoma, a painful and debilitating bacterial disease that has caused his older siblings to go blind.
Veronica lives with her husband and three children in Dilor, a small village in Timor-Leste. Every day, she makes at least two exhausting trips to the river and back to provide water for her family. The river water is dirty and often causes diarrhea and other illnesses, especially for her
Every day, Tin Mar Hwe, the headmistress of a school in Than Bo, Myanmar, worries about having enough clean water for her students. She depends on parent volunteers to make eight trips a day to nearby ponds to collect enough water to last the children through the day. Access to
Tsitsi, her husband, Isaac, and their five children had been receiving food aid for their family to survive. Where they live in Zimbabwe, it’s not uncommon to remain in a cycle of food aid for years because it’s difficult to start over when conditions haven’t changed. Tsitsi and her family
Voahary is 15 and is a growing boy in the outskirts of Antananarivo in Madagascar. He sits restlessly in his seat at school, but today he’s lucky. His distraction these days is brought on by his desire to get outside and play, but it wasn’t that long ago that his
Makai’s story is not uncommon in the Mandera area of Kenya. She has lived through times of plenty and seen her family grow and prosper, but her world was forever changed a few years ago. “Before my husband passed away, we used to be one of the leading livestock traders
What inspires a young chiropractor to leave the comfort of Southern California, step away from modern-day conveniences, and travel to Peru in the middle of their winter to build homes for those in need? For Angelene Rivera, the answer lay in a divine calling she couldn’t ignore. When Angelene first heard
“Nearly 20%—that’s one in five children— ages 3-17 in the U.S. have a mental, developmental, or behavioral disorder, like ADHD, anxiety, behavior issues, or depression,” says ADRA International’s Mental Health Specialist, Weanne Estrada-Magbunua, MPH, during the upcoming “Let’s Talk Mental Health: How Can I Help My Child” webinar. To start conversations
By James Standish It’s called “survival sex” and that we have a term for it lets you know just how common it is. Survival sex occurs when hungry women and girls are forced to exchange sex for the food they need to survive.[1] Survival sex is only one of forms of
Worldwide, 1 in 20,000 people are born with albinism. In Tanzania, the number is closer to 1 in 14,000. With a population of 66.46 million, this means there are more than 40,000 people living with albinism in Tanzania, one of the highest rates of albinism in the world. People with
As we stop to recognize World Literacy Day on September 8, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) continues to reaffirm its commitment to literacy as a foundational tool for achieving equality, individual empowerment and sustainable development. Michael Kruger, president of ADRA International, emphasizes the importance of literacy in ADRA’s
On World Humanitarian Day, August 19, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) recognizes the dedication and compassion of the many professionals whose tireless efforts drive meaningful humanitarian work. This year, ADRA spotlights Annette Parris, the inspiring Country Director for ADRA Curacao and ADRA Bonaire, whose work exemplifies the profound
As the world observes International Youth Day in August, ADRA is proud to spotlight remarkable young people like Alejandro Flores from La Victoria, Honduras. This small rural village, known for its vibrant greenery and industrious farmers, has faced significant challenges recently. Climate change has severely impacted their financial stability, with
The Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA) participated in this year’s Young Professionals Conference, held in Houston, Texas, this past summer. This marks the fourth consecutive year of ADRA’s active involvement, showcasing its unwavering commitment to empowering young professionals and fostering awareness of positive change worldwide. The purpose of the
Abed Odeh, a 65-year-old resident of Beit Lahia in the north of Gaza, once led a peaceful life surrounded by his large family of 25. A father of eight, Abed saw all his children graduate from university with high honors. “Education has always been important to our family,” he says
In a small village in the region of El Paraiso nestled among the mountains of Honduras, lives a woman named Santos Victorina Tomás Flores. Santos is the mother of four children—three boys and one girl. Her days are filled with love for her children, but also with the harsh reality
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