IT'S TIME TO SUPPORT CHILDREN'S MENTAL HEALTH

Children today are experiencing increased loads of stress and anxiety – whether it stems from conflicts, violence in their communities, loss of a loved one, effects of COVID-19 on schooling, or living life on the move. Children simply cannot afford any more stress on their mental health.

The Mental Health in International Development and Humanitarian Settings Act or MINDS Act is the first piece of legislation to address mental health and psychosocial support in U.S. foreign assistance. This bill supports best practices, lays the groundwork for a U.S. government global mental health strategy, and emphasizes the needs of vulnerable populations – including children in adversity, those living in poverty and conflict zones, women and girls, and other marginalized communities.

Let's ensure that vulnerable children are protected from everything that affects their ability to thrive and succeed, including through ongoing mental health support. Please ask your elected official to cosponsor the MINDS Act in the 118th Congress.

What makes World Vision Advocates unique?

We rely on God’s spirit and power.

The exodus of God’s people from Egypt is the first example of advocacy in Scripture, and it guides our approach to advocacy today (see below, from Exodus 3 and 4). All spiritual gifts and skill sets can contribute to the work of advocacy, and God’s power can move our leaders to action. Trusting in this power, we give prayer an integral place in our advocacy efforts. Additionally, as 88% of current U.S. members of Congress publicly claim faith in Christ, we believe U.S. Christians have a particularly unique role to play in influencing them, and we equip advocates to employ their faith as they engage with elected officials.

We amplify the voices of the poor; we don’t replace them.

We advocate with authority and confidence, using evidence rooted in our relationships with the poor at the community level. Our efforts are intended to amplify the voices of the unheard, and whenever possible, we let the poor speak for themselves — just as God declared in Isaiah that the poor would play the primary role in the restoration of their communities. Believing that our advocacy is on behalf of real lives rather than abstract issues, and that those lives have great worth and value to God, we lift up the stories of those in poverty. We trust that these stories will move our leaders to make decisions with compassion.
  • Proverbs 14:31
  • Isaiah 61:1, 3-4

We approach governments as partners, not targets.

Understanding that most elected officials enter office with good intentions and a sincere desire to effect positive change, we seek to cast a vision for a better world. Leaders need the courage to fulfill their role as God intended — to be servants for the well-being of everyone, including the poor. When leaders fail to fulfill this God-ordained role, we seek to speak truth prophetically and to hold leaders accountable to act justly in serving this common good.
  • Romans 13:4
  • Psalm 72:1-4,12-14