Editing World Vision International (section)

== History ==
The charity was founded in 1950 as World Vision Inc. by [[Robert Pierce]], [[Kyung-Chik Han]] and Frank Phillips.<ref name="Hamilton1980">{{cite thesis |type= Dissertation |last = Hamilton |first = John Robert |title = An Historical Study of Bob Pierce and World Vision's Development of the Evangelical Social Action Film |publisher = University of Southern California |year = 1980}}</ref><ref name=christianitytoday /><ref>Mehmet Odekon, W. George Scarlett, ''Encyclopedia of World Poverty'', SAGE Publications, USA, 2006, p. 1198</ref> It was founded after Pierce was invited to [[Korea]] by Han to speak at [[Youngnak Presbyterian Church|Young Nak Church]], followed by another speech in [[Seoul]]. After the breakout of the [[Korean War]] weeks later, Pierce and Han continued to collaborate on relief efforts in the region.<ref name=christianitytoday /> The first World Vision office opened later that year in [[Portland, Oregon]],<ref>Brian Steensland, Philip Goff, ''The New Evangelical Social Engagement'', Oxford University Press USA, USA, 2014, p. 243</ref><ref name="Hamilton1980"/> with a second office following in 1954 in Korea.<ref>Graeme Irvine: "Best Things in the Worst Times: An Insiders View of World Vision" BookPartners, Inc. (1996) p. 77 {{ISBN|1-885221-37-1}}</ref> During the early years, the charity operated as a missionary service organization meeting emergency needs in crisis areas in [[East Asia]]. World Vision operated as a missionary service organisation meeting emergency needs of children in crisis areas in [[East Asia]] following the Korean War.<ref name=christianitytoday />

In 1967, the Mission Advanced Research and Communication Center (MARC) was founded by Ed Dayton as a division of World Vision. It became the organizational backbone of the [[Lausanne Committee for World Evangelization]], collected and published data about "unreached people" and also published the "Mission Handbook: North American Protestant Ministries Overseas".<ref>S.W. Haas: "MARC to Make Transition, Retain Its Mission" MARC Newsletter 03-4, World Vision Publications, Nov. 2003</ref>

During the 1970s, World Vision began training families in the agricultural skills necessary to build small farms, with the aim of promoting long term improvement and self-reliance in the communities.<ref name="WV History">[http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/about/history World Vision History] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110304005004/http://www.worldvision.org/content.nsf/about/history |date=March 4, 2011 }}. Retrieved April 26, 2011</ref> The organization also began installing water pumps for clean water, which caused [[infant mortality]] rates to drop. Volunteers now use the fresh water to teach gardening and irrigation and promote good health.<ref name="WV History" />

In order to restructure, the organization World Vision International was founded in 1977 by [[Walter Stanley Mooneyham]] the then president of World Vision.<ref>{{cite web |title=World Vision Annual Review 2012 |url=https://www.wvi.org/sites/default/files/WVI%20AR2012_Final_electronic_smallest.pdf |publisher=World Vision International}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.manta.com/c/mmghym3/world-vision-intl|title=World Vision International : Company Content Page|publisher=Manta.com|access-date=September 1, 2013}}</ref><ref>[http://www.wvi.org/wvi/wviweb.nsf/maindocs/39F905AE21E265C1882573750075074B?opendocument] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110227220137/http://www.wvi.org/wvi/wviweb.nsf/maindocs/39F905AE21E265C1882573750075074B?opendocument|date=February 27, 2011}}</ref> In 1979, World Vision also co-founded the [[Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability]] with the [[Billy Graham Evangelistic Association]].<ref>Timothy J. Demy Ph.D., Paul R. Shockley Ph.D., ''Evangelical America: An Encyclopedia of Contemporary American Religious Culture'', ABC-CLIO, USA, 2017, p. 135</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Fund-Raising Oversight Agency Begun by Evanzelical Christians |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1979/03/03/archives/fundraising-oversight-agency-begun-by-evangelical-christians-public.html |publisher=[[NY Times]] |date=March 3, 1979}}</ref>

During the 1990s, World Vision International began focusing on the needs of children who had been orphaned in Uganda, Romania, and Somalia in response to [[HIV/AIDS|AIDS]], neglect, and civil war, respectively. World Vision began working with communities, health providers, faith-based organisations and people living with HIV and AIDS to encourage an end to stigmatisation, better understanding of HIV prevention and community care for those living with AIDS, and orphans left behind by the pandemic. They also joined the [[United Nations]] peacekeeping efforts to help those affected by civil war. World Vision also started to openly promote the international ban on land mines.<ref name="WV History"/> In 1994 World Vision US moved to Washington State.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1994-06-30-ga-10097-story.html|title=MONROVIA : World Vision Picks Seattle as Relocation Site|date=June 30, 1994|work=Los Angeles Times}}</ref> In 2004, the political weekly ''[[Tehelka]]'' newspaper in India criticised World Vision India for its involvement with [[Joshua Project|AD2000]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main.asp?filename=ts013004shashi.asp&id=1|title=VK Shashikumar '"Preparing for the harvest ..."' Tehelka, Vol 1, Issue 1, Feb 07, 2004|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304024001/http://archive.tehelka.com/story_main.asp?filename=ts013004shashi.asp&id=1|archive-date=March 4, 2016}}</ref>

In 2022, WVI operated in more than 100 countries and had over 33,000 employees.<ref>{{cite web 
|title=Our Structure
|url=https://www.wvi.org/about-us/our-structure 
|website=World Vision
|publisher=World Vision International
|access-date=2023-08-14
}}</ref>