FAQs

  • Where do you get the animals and how do you get them to the people that need them most?
  • What translation do you use for the Bibles?
  • What is the purpose of a solar audio Bible? Why not a printed Bible?
  • How can it only cost $50 to keep a child in school for a whole year?
  • What is more valuable about the sheep in the Global Gift Guide this year?
  • How does a savings group work?
  • If my gift is doubled, does that mean that two people will receive my gift?
  • Who builds the churches, schools, and emergency shelters?

  • All the animals in the Global Gift Guide are bred and purchased locally, contributing to the local economy and spreading the impact of your gift. We identify which families in the community are in greatest need of these animals and distribute the animals to families through community livestock fairs.

    In many communities the children who receive goats will give the first offspring back to the program so that a goat can then be given to another child in need. In this way, your gift has the potential to continue impacting multiple families for years to come.

  • All of our Bibles are sourced locally within the country in which they are given and have been translated into the local language. In some regions there are many dialects, and we do our best to distribute Bibles into each of these dialects so that everyone can have the opportunity to understand and read the Word of God.

  • Audio Bibles are a crucial way to share God’s Word and spread the gospel in remote, hard to reach areas where many in the local community cannot read or write. Only a few audio Bibles can help bring a whole village to Christ through listening groups, Bible studies, and Sunday School groups. These Bibles are sourced locally within the country in which they are distributed and are charged by the sun, so they don’t require electricity and can last for years to come.

  • In many developing countries, children have to pay school fees, buy supplies, and provide their own uniform in order to attend school. In many areas, these fees are subsidized by the government making their annual school fees inexpensive by our standards. However, for families surviving on as little as a dollar a day, school can still be out of reach. This gift to keep their child in school will transform the life of that child and their family!

  • The sheep we are providing this year are called Dorper sheep. Dorper sheep are a breed of sheep originating in South Africa that are extremely adaptable, thick skinned, and able to flourish in drought prone areas. Due to their high value, these sheep provide an exponentially larger income to families than smaller breeds of sheep.

  • Savings groups are one of the most cost effective, high impact ways that families and communities are transformed! A savings group is like a mini credit union, where members are taught how to save money and work together to give and repay loans, transforming their community. The box, which contains three locks, can only be opened in a group setting with each of the three key holders present. This means there is accountability every time the box is opened and a loan is either given or repaid. We have seen so much success through these savings groups that we have seen smaller groups form and even village banks emerge as a result of these savings groups within the community. Through your gift, you will provide the cash box, locks, passbooks, and a ledger.

  • Special matching grants allow us to double (or triple) your gift, meaning that your gift is multiplied in impact! If your gift is tangible, then your physical donation will double. For example, two goats would be given to two different families in need. These multiplied gifts allow you to transform the lives of even more people!

  • The churches and schools are primarily built by those within the local community. Overall, this is their project, and World Concern helps support by providing expertise, training, and some materials. Often, the community also contributes materials, depending on local resources and needs. This way, the community is not only provided with a building, but also with valuable skills.

    When we build an emergency shelter, we work with partners. These partners are engineers who are experts at earthquake and stormproof construction practices, they are the ones doing much of the engineering, design, and structural work. On these projects, World Concern facilitates and works to ensure the community is involved and invested, creating a sense of ownership of the shelter and the disaster preparedness planning that goes with it.