A message from Watt Santatiwat

Children are usually the last to have a say on the things that matter to them. They do not vote, they have almost no economic power, and their family traditions and cultures typically tell them that they should be seen and not heard.

World Vision believes that every child is immeasurably important and should have the opportunity to live life to the full.. This is why children are at the centre of the hundreds of community development programmes and special projects that World Vision operates in the Asia Pacific region.

But children are not just valuable in their own right - they also have something to contribute to their friends, their communities and their countries.

It is often said by adults that, “Children are our future,” or “Children are our investment”. But this misses the point that children are to be valued today – NOW – and valued as individuals who have their own dreams and aspirations. Children should not be valued only for what they can be or for the benefits they might bring.

It is important to remember this as the Asia Pacific region rushes headlong down the track of economic growth. Even as this growth touches hundreds of millions, pulling many out of poverty, there are millions of others who are being left behind. Many of those millions are children.

524 million people are undernourished in the Asia Pacific Region. This is potentially devastating for children because it can damage them mentally and physically before they even get a real start on life.

There are millions of children who are working as child labourers, often in extremely dangerous conditions on toxic garbage heaps or in mines. There are millions of children impacted by HIV and AIDS, not to mention children who are put at risk when they are trafficked for sex work across borders and into Asia’s booming cities.

And let’s not forget the hidden suffering of millions of children who suffer physical and emotional violence at home, in their communities, at the hands of outdated justice systems, in schools or while working as domestic servants and child labourers.

World Vision is working across the Asia Pacific to give children a chance. In some places this means advocating for and with children, in other places it is as simple as giving a child a satchel and some books and helping them go to school, or it might mean assisting families so they can achieve economic sustainability.

Our staff are partnering with children and their communities, talking to governments and the UN, and working with other agencies and faith groups to combat the complex problems that affect children.

Join us as we work with children, families and communities for fullness of life for every child.

Watt Santatiwat
Regional Leader, World Vision Asia Pacific