Our commitment to fighting poverty is having an impact
We’ve improved the living conditions of 300,000 people over the past year. Read the stories from Myanmar and Kenya to learn how our work makes a real difference in reducing poverty and allows people to live a life of dignity.
schoolchildren attended one of the 22 Salvation Army schools we support in Haiti. The Salvation Army’s school programme ensures children have access to high-quality education even in times of extreme crisis.
800
water tanks were set up and installed in Southern Africa as part of water supply projects, providing clean drinking water and improving people’s health.
370
psychological consultations were provided for children and young people in four Brazilian centres. The counselling helped them to overcome childhood traumas and look to the future with hope.
94%
of the smallholder farms in the agricultural project in Kenya increased their harvests. The farmers and their families now have greater food security, protecting them from famines caused by increasingly common regional droughts.
50
That’s how much Memory in Zimbabwe has added to her monthly income by selling chickens and eggs. This means her participation in the women's income project has doubled her earnings. A total of 808 households received small livestock to raise and sell produce from.
20'748
children and adults took part in activities aimed at preventing sexual and gender-based violence. The activities, which include professional counselling, information events and workshops, help us to reduce the risk of sexual exploitation and domestic violence in our partner countries.
2023 report for ‘children and families’ sponsorship
Arco Verde is a centre offering out-of-school activities for children in Brazil. It is located in a poor rural area where children face challenging economic and social conditions.
The centre has a small forest, a greenhouse and a chicken coop, so the children can learn lots about the environment, plants, nutrition and how to care for animals. The lettuce and eggs produced at the centre help ensure the children have a balanced diet.
They also learn a lot about interpersonal relationships and how to deal with their emotions, covering topics such as mutual respect and abusive behaviour by adults or among children at school. In addition, the centre offers professional psychosocial support for children who want it.
Last year around 100 children aged between five and fifteen visited the centre on a daily basis.
“I’ve been coming here for five years now,” says Emily. She and Miguel visit the Arco Verde centre every day. “The most important thing I’ve learnt from the project is to show more respect to others. If we want to be treated respectfully, we have to treat others with respect too.” Miguel agrees: “If you want respect, you have to show it to others. And harassment is a crime. There are different kinds – it can be physical or verbal.” Miguel wants to become a police officer to catch criminals. Emily wants to become a paediatrician because she likes babies.
What was achieved with the 2023 donations?
Support from sponsorships primarily covered the salaries of social workers, psychosocial counsellors and other staff at the centre. The children are also served balanced meals, which is far from a given for many of their peers. The donations also helped maintain the greenhouse and chicken coop.
Outlook for the future
The centre is planning to expand the nature lessons it offers the children. It is therefore actively searching for new partnerships to offer them wide-ranging nature excursions. The centre’s director also wants to invite environmental experts to give talks and workshops this year to provide the children with further insights and experience in this area.
Other themed sponsorships
The Salvation Army offers three other themed sponsorships in addition to the one for children and families: clean water for Africa, education worldwide, and knowledge and education in Haiti. The themed sponsorships allow us to put your donations to work in an ongoing and sustainable manner.
