Fieldnotes: Spring 2026 (CA)

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a i an z Tan A mother’s strength

BY WORLD RENEW TANZANIA VAILETH, 30, and her husband Simon John, 34, are raising seven children in Tanzania where World Renew’s local partner, Africa Inland Church Tanzania (AICT) Diocese of Geita, has implemented a Maternal Newborn and Child Health (MNCH) project.

Vaileth spent years tending to her growing family with resilience, but when she became pregnant with her seventh child, she found herself needing support. During this time, she discovered a beacon of hope: a mothers’ support group established by AICT Geita through the MNCH project, with support from World Renew Tanzania.

The group is more than a gathering of women—it’s a source of knowledge and compassion. Here, mothers like Vaileth share experiences, learn about MNCH, and discover financial empowerment through saving and lending programs. Vaileth joined the group’s Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA) and began contributing to the savings pool every week to help secure her family’s future.

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In Malawi, thanks to gifts like yours, 1,575 people learned new methods to improve their food security last year, such as crop irrigation and kitchen gardens.

However, when Vaileth was about to give birth, financial hardship loomed over her family. The little money they had was not enough to buy essential baby items. As she neared her due date, anxiety weighed on her heart.

Vaileth and her husband turned to the savings group for support. Because of her participation and contributions, the group did not hesitate to grant Vaileth a loan from the social fund, which provides interest-free financial assistance to meet urgent needs. Vaileth received enough to buy a clean delivery kit, baby clothes, soap, and nutritious food to keep her healthy for her children.

As she held her newborn, Vaileth felt deep gratitude. “I never imagined that the mothers’ support group would come to my aid during such a difficult time,” she shares.

“I always thought I was saving only for the future, but now I see that this group is more than a financial safety net—it’s a lifeline for mothers like me.”

Vaileth repaid her loan and remains an active member of the mothers’ support group. Today, she is determined to uplift other women facing hardship. Her journey from despair to hope is a testimony to the power of women supporting each other.

Prayer Requests

BY THE EAST AND SOUTHERN AFRICA MINISTRY TEAM •

Please continue to pray for the East and Southern Africa Ministry Team during the restructuring of the region and for the recruitment of the new regional director.

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We praise God that enough rain came this season for many farmers to expect a bumper harvest, but we pray for some communities impacted by flooding.

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Following the recent elections in Uganda and Tanzania, violence and unrest have occurred; please pray for stability, peace, and wise leadership.

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Haiti

Building stability, renewing hope

BY WORLD RENEW HAITI ELINISE LIVES in a rural community in southwestern Haiti where World Renew and a local partner, Productive Cooperatives Haiti, have been implementing a project focused on improving the food security of vulnerable families. At 69 years old, she has raised eight children, and today she shares her home with six family members.

Throughout her life, Elinise struggled with food insecurity, but in recent years, something new has taken root—hope, growing slowly and steadily.

Through the project, Elinise had the opportunity to join a Village Savings and Loan Association (VSLA). She and the other VSLA members began meeting regularly to contribute to a group savings fund. In 2022, when Elinise joined, members contributed 60 gourdes ($0.62 CAD) at each meeting—a small but regular commitment that helped them build a habit of saving. By 2025, confident in their ability to save, they increased their contribution to 250 gourdes ($2.58 CAD).

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In 2025, 187 new small businesses were formed in Nicaragua, strengthening families’ ability to earn income—thanks to generous‑hearted people like you.

As the group’s savings grew, members were able to access small, low-interest loans to address personal needs, including starting small businesses, paying school fees, and managing emergencies.

Before joining the VSLA, Elinise often had to buy food on credit from local shopkeepers. Some weeks she could not pay her debts, and the stress weighed heavily on her. But today, things are different.

The first time Elinise borrowed from the VSLA, she received 10,000 gourdes ($103 CAD), enough to start a small business selling food products. She invested carefully and repaid her loan on time— something that filled her with pride.

Encouraged by her success, Elinise later borrowed 50,000 gourdes ($515 CAD) to expand the business. Her leadership within the group, her repayment history, and her growing confidence have now made her eligible to borrow 75,000 gourdes ($774 CAD). “The business keeps me young. I feel at ease because I have an activity and I'm not stressed,” she shares.

Through her growing business and careful budgeting, Elinise no longer depends on credit to feed her family. With profits from her VSLA participation, she recently bought a sheep, which is now pregnant.

For Elinise, the sheep represents more than future income; it stands as proof that a person can build stability through discipline, community support, and opportunities that honour their dignity.

Prayer Requests

BY THE LATIN AMERICA MINISTRY TEAM •

Pray for God’s provision for families in Latin America’s Dry Corridor where extreme weather has resulted in repeated crop losses and rising malnutrition.

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Pray for protection and relief for Haitian families facing gang violence, displacement, and severe humanitarian needs.

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Pray for wisdom and encouragement for World Renew staff and partners as they serve vulnerable communities, fostering hope and resilience in challenging contexts.

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Nigeria

Pursuing dreams through the gift of mobility

BY WORLD RENEW NIGERIA AUGUSTINE JOSHUA, 15, is a bright and determined boy from Nigeria. He was born with Cerebral palsy and lives with a physical disability. Growing up, Augustine always had a simple yet profound dream: to go to school like every other child. But for many years, that dream remained out of reach.

The nearest school is far from Augustine’s home, and with limited financial resources, his family could neither afford a daily commute nor physically carry him the long distance each day. As he grew older and heavier, even the little support they could offer became more difficult. While other children eagerly walked to school, Augustine stayed at home, watching the world of education pass him by.

His mother expressed the deep emotional weight she carried, knowing her son’s potential was held back simply because he had no means of getting to school. "It’s been

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In one country where we work in West Africa*, 377 people benefitted from a program that improves women’s health and protects against abuse, thanks to gifts like yours. *Name withheld for security reasons

painful," she shared. "We’ve watched him grow but felt powerless to help him grow with his peers."

But everything changed the day Augustine received the gift of a tricycle wheelchair from World Renew's local partner, Beautiful Gate Handicapped People Centre. For the first time, Augustine could move independently, and with that came a new possibility: going to school.

With tears of joy, Augustine's mother shared her heartfelt gratitude: “Now that he has a tricycle, we will enroll him in school. This is an answer to our prayers.

May God bless Beautiful Gate and everyone who made this happen.”

The wheelchair for Augustine did more than provide mobility—it helped restore dignity, opened doors to education, and renewed hope for a family. Thanks to your support, more people like Augustine can remove barriers and pursue their dreams.

Prayer Requests

BY THE WEST AFRICA MINISTRY TEAM •

As conflict and security concerns persist in some areas of West Africa, please pray for peace and safety for our staff and partners in the region.

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In recent years, frequent and longer-lasting droughts in Nigeria have made it challenging for farmers to grow crops; pray for adequate rain and bountiful harvests.

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As we carry out our programs in West Africa, join us in asking God that our work will make a meaningful difference for those in need of hope.

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India

Bringing education closer to home

BY WORLD RENEW INDIA IN A SMALL VILLAGE nestled in the hills of rural India, many children have grown up without the opportunity to attend school.

“For years, the nearest government school was located far from our village,” explains Surja, President of the local Village Health, Sanitation, and Nutrition Committee (VHSNC).

The rugged terrain and long walking distance were so challenging that for most children, especially the younger ones, going to school was too difficult. The same was true for children in other nearby villages. “School was too far—and so were our children’s dreams,” Surja says.

As Surja attended the meetings to listen to the concerns of parents, this challenge kept coming up. Parents longed for a school closer to home.

Through the support of World Renew’s local partner*, the

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In the last year, thanks to gifts like yours, 4,062 people in Bangladesh received health education, equipping them to make changes to help improve their well-being. committee started to take action. They invited members from other villages to help draft a request to the Block Education Officer (BEO). Their efforts bore fruit.

The BEO issued a memo to the appointed teacher who had taught at the distant school, but who had long been absent because of the lack of students.

With this intervention, a new arrangement was made so that the teacher would begin conducting classes in the community itself, even without a formal school building.

Community members set up a small tin shed for the classes and gathered the children. On May 7, 2025, the first classes began. At first, there were only ten children. Eventually, however, more than 50 children from the village and two nearby villages started to attend regularly.

Prayer Requests

BY THE ASIA MINISTRY TEAM •

to climate‑driven disasters—floods, cyclones, and landslides— as vulnerable communities across Asia face these ongoing challenges.

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*Due to safety concerns, name has been withheld

Pray for peace along the Cambodia–Thailand

“A shed may not be much, but to us, it’s a temple of learning,” Surja says. “As VHSNC members, we take turns visiting the classes, ensuring that the teacher is present and the children are attending. The joy on the children’s faces is the greatest reward for our effort.”

For these children and community members, change didn’t happen overnight. It took unity, persistence, and determination. “We’re proud not just because a teacher now comes to our village, but because we, the people of this village, made it happen,” Surja shares. “We brought education back step by step, word by word.”

Pray for greater resilience

border, where thousands remain displaced and in need of safety and essential services.

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Pray for World Renew Asia and our partners as we work to support communities rebuilding after disasters and seeking long‑term resilience, equity, and restored livelihoods.

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Hope in the midst of a refugee crisis

BY WORLD RENEW IDR TEAM BANGLADESH has a refugee population of over one million, and in communities where refugees have settled, the strain on resources is making life increasingly challenging for vulnerable families.

World Renew and our local partner have been working to support families through a project focused on improving food security by building the capacity of local groups, making links with government services, supporting peer farmer groups, strengthening local markets, and improving sustainable livelihood opportunities.

In the village of Teknaf Upazila, Ismat Ara, 17, has persevered through struggles since her father left her mother in 2020. Without his income, the family had to move back into her grandfather’s house. The next two years were challenging as Ismat and her siblings lived hand to mouth, dependent on their mother’s income as a day labourer. Ismat had to drop out of school and begin working with her mother to help support her family, but the life of a day labourer was too

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Thanks to generosity like yours, over 700 families experiencing extreme food insecurity in Haiti are receiving four months of cash assistance to help address their food and nutrition needs. much for the teen and she longed for a way out.

In June 2022, at the encouragement of her friends, Ismat enrolled in the Chorui Youth Group, an economic development program initiated by World Renew’s partner. There she started saving 10 taka ($0.11 CAD) each week and continues to be committed to saving. She was eventually selected for a poultry-rearing training course offered by the group.

Upon completing the three-day course, she received five chickens to help her start rearing on her own.

In three months, her hens laid 52 eggs. From there, she sold 20 chickens, earning her 10,000 taka ($111.40 CAD), while keeping eight chickens and their eggs for her family. She now has 25 chickens. As her livestock grew, she repaired her bamboo chicken house and expanded so she could also start rearing ducks.

Ismat is now interested in expanding her poultryrearing project and encourages her friends to start their own, driving project engagement in her community. She dreams that, in two years, she will develop her poultry farm into her own business. She and her mother are very thankful for the project and all the ways they have learned and grown from it.

Prayer Requests

BY THE WORLD RENEW INTERNATIONAL DISASTER RESPONSE TEAM •

Praise God for peaceful elections in Bangladesh; pray for stability and calm as the country transitions to a new government.

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Pray for God’s protection over the people of Sudan and South Sudan, his provision for families in crisis, and for lasting peace to take root in both nations.

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Pray for lasting peace in the Middle East, where escalating violence has led to loss of life, mass displacement, and suffering; pray too for God’s protection and provision for all civilians caught in the crossfires of conflict.

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In this time of uncertainty, may we be faithful stewards who lean on each other, support each other, and work together to build unity, equity, and a shared desire to protect the earth’s resources.

To learn more about World Renew’s community building work, visit: worldrenew.ca/ resilient-communities

WORLD RENEW 3475 Mainway PO Box 5070, STN LCD 1 Burlington, ON L7R 3Y8

Today, our world faces heightened tensions from global conflicts, natural disasters, and evolving technology. We are also experiencing an unprecedented breakdown in international cooperation. As God’s people, we are called to care for each other and for the earth. Scripture reminds us that we are part of one human family, called to love our neighbours, seek the good of all, and help one another thrive in the world God has made. 1 Peter 4:10 says, “Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.”

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