Salvation Army World Service Office Sawso

Empowerment and livelihood programs:among the most effective ways to help those in need is to empower them to help themselves, and that is the primary aim of sawso's livelihoods programs. By teaching innovative agricultural practices, diversified income generation skills, and how to access finance opportunities, those who might otherwise struggle are given opportunities to lift themselves and their families out of poverty and, in some cases, become leaders in their communities, well-positioned to pass on what they have learned to others. During the reporting period, sawso actively supported livelihoods projects in many countries, benefitting over several thousands of participants and their families.a pilot project in angola concluded this year, which provided conservation agriculture training, seeds, and tools to farmers in the mbanza kongo region. The project doubled its target beneficiary goal. The project is awaiting evaluation results on how farming practices and yields have changed as a result of the intervention.a new project began in western kenya that works with local women in the communities to form village, savings, and loan associations, and improve their kitchen gardens for food security purposes. This project is the continuation of a long-standing and successful women's empowerment model that has been used by the salvation army throughout the country, and is hoping to spread to each corps that the salvation army works in.after many years of operating a women's empowerment project in india, the program began to pilot a sustainability model that would look to reduce the program's reliance on external funding and cover its own costs in the long run. This model includes both income generation activities, as well as charging for certain services that the project has offered in the past. Sawso will monitor closely the success of this model and see if and how it can be replicated in future projects.

Health programs:the salvation army serves the poor and vulnerable by implementing community-based health programs as well as providing care at salvation army-operated hospitals and clinics. Sawso works in partnership with local salvation army personnel to improve availability of services, enhance quality of care, and improve health conditions. Program focus areas are maternal, child and adolescent health, non-communicable diseases, community health and health facilities.outreach visits by staff from chikankata mission hospital to small, isolated clinics in an impoverished rural area in southern zambia continued on a reduced scale pending the development of a greatly expanded project. Upgrading the mission's aging, inefficient electrical system and rebuilding its water treatment and distribution systems was completed with donor funding. In sri lanka, a project to reduce illnesses such as chronic kidney disease by improving the quality of drinking water in rural villages is nearing completion and a second, expanded project has begun.in paraguay, a primary care clinic which also provides social and nutrition services to malnourished children and their families in a nearby barrio (informal settlement) was supported by sawso as it continues to work towards financial self-sufficiency. In india, sawso supports a project which works with impoverished aids widows to ensure that they receive adequate treatment and can access employment opportunities, education for their children and government benefits.

Education programs:in africa, the early childhood education program implemented in south africa has had a profound impact on the community. Firstly, it has significantly improved school readiness among young children, equipping them with essential cognitive and social skills. Secondly, parents and caregivers actively participate in their children's learning, fostering a collaborative educational environment. Thirdly, this initiative has broken the cycle of poverty by providing children with a strong foundation for future academic success. Fourthly, the program has influenced the wider community, leading to increased awareness and support for early childhood education. Lastly, the investment in early childhood education has informed the early childhood community of practice in africa, promoting knowledge sharing and collaborative efforts to enhance educational outcomes for young learners in different african countries and territories.the smart afterschool program operates in iasi and ploiesti romania, supporting disadvantaged children and ukrainian refugee families. The program provides meals, homework assistance, and a range of extracurricular activities to foster academic and personal development. Eash day begins with a nutritious meal, followed by structured homework sessions in small groups, with individualized support from teachers and volunteers. The afternoon ends with engaging games and activities that encourage social interaction and fun. The program has recorded a positive impact on the lives of vulnerable children in romania.in indonesia, some of the poorest communities are also the most isolated, which creates challenges to providing educational professionals with the latest training. With sawso's support, salvation army schools have developed teachers' training and coaching programs to support them in their professional development. Sawso also is supporting child reading programs in schools. Sawso has also supported a salvation army teacher training facility.in haiti, sawso is supporting the strengthening of school quality through professional development of teachers and provision of instructional materials. Sawso has also supported a country-wide assessment of a large number of salvation army schools for the purpose of identifying needs and strengthening the sustainability of schools. This work is being conducted in highly unstable security environments.in guatemala, sawso is supporting the strengthening of the quality of five primary schools through professional development of its teachers. These salvation army schools operate in areas of deep poverty where frequent gang activity in communities threatens the well-being of children. Sawso's work with the guatemala division salvation army brings much needed professional development opportunities to teachers and enables them to improve the quality of teaching and learning for their students.

Anti-human trafficking:globally, there are an estimated 50 million men, women, and children impacted by modern slavery/human trafficking, including forced labor, commercial sexual exploitation, forced marriage, and other forms of exploitation. Trafficking in persons, commonly called human trafficking, is a criminal enterprise globally worth approximately $236 billion per annum, second only to drug trafficking but thought to be the fastest growing. The estimated numbers have increased approximately 20% in the last five years, driven by a number of adverse factors, including various humanitarian crises, and the economic and social distress generated by the covid-19 pandemic, especially for vulnerable and marginalized communities.the salvation army world service office responds to these needs through projects focused on direct services to people with lived experience of modem slavery /human trafficking, safeguarding the children of people involved in survival sex, and other prevention efforts to raise awareness and reduce vulnerabilities related to human trafficking.in the middle east, the salvation army has provided direct assistance to women who have been trafficked to two gulf states through provision of safe shelter, medical and emotional care, and assistance with repatriation for return to their countries of origin. The majority of survivors within these salvation army projects are women who have been trafficked from east africa and south asia. While the purpose of exploitation is predominantly for domestic servitude, their vulnerability is multi-dimensional and magnified by being in the house and, therefore, at the mercy of the house owners. Our programs help to ensure their ongoing protection and recovery.in india, the salvation army also provides direct support to women and children within one of the largest red-light districts in mumbai, india. With more than 2,000 women and over 500 children living in the red-light district and vulnerable to exploitation and abuse, the salvation army runs safe drop-in center where children can access educational and spiritual support, health support, healthy and nutritious food, and life skills toward long-term safety. Women are provided skills training, literacy training, income generating activities, and emotional support for safe livelihood alternatives, and holistic care and support to safe futures. There is also a children's home which provides safe accommodation for children who otherwise would be without adult supervision outside and at night, while their mothers worked in the red-light district. This is seen as important protection in the immediate term and also an important preventive measure to intervene in the trajectory that could otherwise lead the children to also working in the red-light district.in indonesia, the salvation army is operating a project which works with salvation army children's homes to expand the options for child protection and child safeguarding. Through partnership with local organizations, the salvation army is working to find family-based care, including kinship and foster care or family reunification where that is possible, safe, and in the best interests of the child. The salvation army continues to provide residential care for those who continue to need that level of support. Working with the children whether in family-based care or in the children's home continues to focus on their long-term emotional and physical care.the magnitude of modern slavery /human trafficking globally necessitates a coordinated and comprehensive response. The salvation army world service office is supporting modem slavery/human trafficking response (mshtr) zonal response projects in the south asia zone and the south pacific and east asia zone. These mshtr zonal response projects are strategic investments in the continued awareness raising and building the internal capacity of the salvation army to mobilize and address human trafficking on a larger scope and with coordination within the geographic zones. These projects are instrumental for implementing the salvation army's global strategy to respond to these atrocities.the mshtr zonal response projects work to optimize the strengths that are available within the salvation army and ready to be mobilized. They provide awareness and education around modem slavery /human trafficking to empower people within the salvation army to be able to recognize and respond to the issues of msht in their communities. The existing work of the salvation army at the grassroots level which reduce economic and social vulnerabilities are important for prevention of trafficking. Therefore, the mshtr zonal response projects work to integrate awareness and knowledge about trafficking into existing ministry units, including disaster response and social services.the geographic reach of the salvation army also makes it well suited to respond to the challenges of human trafficking. Trafficking does not necessarily involve travel across large distances (either internal to a country or across borders) but it frequently does. The mshtr zonal response projects create a network among different salvation army locations which is crucial to facilitate care and support for a survivor of trafficking along the journey from first point of contact through to repatriation and reintegration if they return home.

Business and economic development:sawso's international business and economic development (ibed) team continues to work with salvation army local commands around the world to help them discover, evaluate, test, and launch their own initiatives to generate local resources to support their work. By establishing new social enterprises or fundraising activities, on-the-ground implementers can build the operational support and sustainability to better meet the daily needs of their community with rapidness and relevance.in guatemala, moldova, and brazil (among many other global locations) the ibed team invests in the installation of solar panel systems to reduce the energy costs for salvation army institutions. As the price of electricity rises around the world, more vulnerable social programs have to make difficult choices in how to maintain their care and quality for beneficiaries. With rolling 12-hour blackouts, this can often become impossible. And even when power is available, the monthly costs can rise by more than 150% year-on-year. Sawso's ibed team evaluates each opportunity to determine the optimal number of panels based on expected generation and use, and how to store the energy either through batteries or net metering. The selected salvation army institution receives immediate budget relief upon installation, sometimes up to as much as 95% of their monthly bill reduced. However, in the pursuit of true sustainability, the approved partners commit to using a percentage of those savings to repay a set amount each month to a reserved fund that can be used to purchase new solar panels for other locations or to replace their own in 10-12 years. The goal is not only to reduce costs and improve sustainability now, but to have the resources in place to do so again in the future.in cuba, working through our microloan program, sawso was able to import electric mototaxis from panama that could enter the underserved market for daily rides around the cities. With a relatively small investment, the local salvation army created a storage location and hired a driver who can offer services throughout the day to the general public and pay a percentage of all earnings to support the local mission. With some simple start-up capital, the salvation army in cuba is now creating employment, serving an under-met need in the market, and generating income to further their programs.in indonesia and zambia, the salvation army owns and operates major hospitals providing critical care to underserved populations. The health programs are excellent but often the physical infrastructures need significant repair, remodeling and occasionally new construction. Ibed's technical advisor for construction and real estate development has been leading the ongoing construction administration efforts on projects to ensure that local contractors are supported and held accountable to their time and cost budgeting, thereby protecting the local mission providers and offering a much needed technical support around the world.

Capacity building and project management:the capacity building and project management sector aims to enhance the capabilities of the salvation army development offices across various countries, enabling them to develop and deliver efficient and effective community programs.the integrated community development program in the philippines fosters inclusive and empowered communities capable of self-sustaining through economic empowerment. This includes creating sources of livelihoods, increasing family incomes, and promoting a collaborative mindset within the community. This program provides the salvation army staff with hands-on experience in community engagement, transforming ideas into mini-project proposals, and implementing them alongside the community, followed by report writing. Additionally, specialized shelters in metro manila offer a safe and nurturing environment for vulnerable children, supporting their education, and helping them reach their full potential.in mexico, with support from sawso, the salvation army has established children's homes that serve vulnerable children throughout the country. These homes offer a decent, safe, and functional living space, providing a healthy environment conducive to their developmental and educational needs. This includes access to nutritious food, psychological support, and special training/ classes that enhance their educational performance in schools.in angola, sawso supported a series of training sessions and workshops focused on community engagement, capacity building, and partnership development across the country. These efforts enabled the salvation army angola to unite as a team and develop a comprehensive community development strategy. The hands-on training/ workshops aimed to increase understanding of community development and project management, preparing them to engage in implementing community development programs effectively.