If you are familiar with Outreach, it is due in part to our shared certainty in the power of hope. In our partnership with thousands of good people born into poverty, we find the value of this belief reinforced again and again.
Often, in the early days of work in a new Outreach community, despair weights the air, and the accompanying sense of isolation becomes the quiet thief of ingenuity, energy, and the creative spirit. Hope is the catalyst that transforms communities; a joyful restlessness that coaxes opportunity from every challenge. As communities work together and witness the changes they have helped create — clean water, better nutrition, higher levels of household income, and on and on — they manifest the greatest triumph of Outreach’s impact: the enduring presence and unstoppable power of hope.
Hope is a lens through which despair cannot travel. As we look at the state of our world, we see so many more reasons to hope than to worry.
Are You Ready for Good News?
1. Despite the pandemic and its accompanying economic upheaval, our communities have become islands of stability in their regions. Teams have pushed themselves to create solutions, with Outreach as an enthusiastic partner. Never before have we seen such a burst of innovation and unity from our communities. They will emerge from this crisis more equipped and empowered than ever.
2. Thousands of hand-washing stations have been constructed in and around our field program locations worldwide. These are important now but will also create habits that will limit the spread of disease far into the future.
3. Because of physical distancing, many of the local teams and leaders have established social media groups to coordinate their efforts. For the first time, community members are obtaining email addresses — and, by extension, acquiring and enhancing their ability to read and write — and are establishing new ways to connect with one another, and with the world at large. These skills and connections create yet more opportunities for self-sufficiency, dignity, and empowerment.
4. Perhaps the best illustration is visible in the fact that our community partners around the world, defined at times by some as “the least of these,” are concerned about our health and well-being. They pray for our safety.
Outreach is in the hope business. Throughout our summer magazine, you’ll see why in all the moments, milestones and miracles created through hope and hard work. Take a look at the good emerging throughout the world, and recognize your own definitive, ongoing role in its creation.
| Dr. Kevin W. Prine President & CEO |
August 2020
How to Help
As you can see in this year’s summer magazine, Outreach’s model for community-led development means our partners around the world aren’t just enduring the effects of COVID-related measures, they’re thriving — working with unified purpose to find new solutions to new problems, and building new experience and expertise that benefit communities for generations. It’s a big deal, and we’re incredibly proud of the women and men whose dedication to their families and their neighbors makes it all possible. All of this amazing stuff starts with Outreach donors, whose generosity and trust provide the spark that ignites empowerment. 100% of all donations to Outreach go to support our work worldwide. We’re proud of that, too. Join us — donate today!
