World Help’s 25th anniversary marks the Christian humanitarian organization’s most significant year in history.

FOREST, Va. — Christian humanitarian organization World Help is beginning 2017 by celebrating a record 2016. At the end of its 25th anniversary, the organization celebrated impacting more than 3 million lives in the past year through humanitarian efforts in 37 countries.

“From inception, the mission of World Help has been to deliver ‘Help for Today’ and ‘Hope for Tomorrow,’ and we are blessed to have been able to do so for 25 years now,” said Vernon Brewer, president and founder of World Help. “And as these numbers indicate, our impact is growing and the health of our organization is strong.”

“In 2016 we remained committed to our founding mission by going to the very frontlines of every conflict and humanitarian event where we were needed. From eastern Ukraine and the red-light districts of Thailand, to the hurricane-battered coasts of Haiti, and the outskirts of Mosul, Iraq, we had boots on the ground, delivering immediate aid to millions in need. We are honored to have been able to touch the lives of so many people in so many places, and we are very thankful for the faithful help of our friends, staff and supporters who made this incredible year possible.”

“World Help has played — and continues to play — an instrumental role in rallying Christians to respond immediately when disaster strikes and to meet the needs of millions of men, women and children,” Brewer added.

World Help was on the frontlines of many of the seminal events of 2016, rushing to deliver immediate aid and relief to those in need.

In July, as the conflict in eastern Ukraine escalated, World Help launched a campaign to assist the estimated 2 million Ukrainians who have been forcefully displaced from their homes whether they were fighting separatists or government forces. By partnering with local churches and volunteers, World Help was able to donate essential food kits and Bibles to families in war-torn eastern Ukraine and the western Kiev and Lviv regions.

World Help also worked through the unfolding conflicts of the Middle East.

In Syria, the organization sent covert emergency aid convoys to the outskirts of Aleppo and provided shelter, food, counseling and literature to Syrian refugees who fled to neighboring countries.

World Help was working in Iraq even before the government offensive to capture Mosul from ISIS. Since then, the organization has continued to deliver food and essentials, including blankets and diapers, and sent mobile clinics to provide first aid to refugee camps in the surrounding area. In November, Brewer spoke at the Return Festival, the largest gathering of Christians since ISIS captured the predominantly Christian villages across northern Iraq. He was the only Westerner asked to participate at the event. Delivering a message of hope, Brewer encouraged Iraqi Christians to hold on to their faith in Jesus as they waited to return to their homes.

When Hurricane Matthew swept through Haiti and Cuba in October, the worst natural disaster since the 2010 earthquake, World Help responded by sending critical humanitarian aid such as food staples, mattresses, and medical equipment. Throughout this time, World Help continued to rescue malnourished children, fund clean-water projects and provide education opportunities through its Child Sponsorship program in Haiti.

Over the course of the year, World Help shipped over 6.4 million meals and delivered 47 containers with humanitarian aid to countries including Iraq, Syria, Honduras, and Uganda; sponsored 13,800 children in 22 countries; rescued 775 babies at risk of malnutrition in Haiti and Guatemala, and started 62 clean-water projects. The organization also distributed more than 500,000 Bibles and helped plant more than 8,700 churches. In countries like Thailand and India, World Help continued its initiatives to fight sex trafficking. In Rwanda and Uganda, scholarship programs provided vocational training designed to help lift men and women out of poverty. The organization also remained a constant advocate for persecuted Christians around the world.

World Help celebrated its 25th anniversary in 2016. Since its founding in 1991 by Brewer, the organization has delivered humanitarian aid and hope to more than 79 million people in 70 countries.

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World Help is a Christian humanitarian organization committed to serving the physical and spiritual needs of people in impoverished communities around the world. It was founded in 1991 by Vernon Brewer.

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