Pictures tell a thousand words. 

This summer World Renew offers a gallery of images from nine countries, giving you a close up look at communities engaged in the work of renewal and building resilience.

Women in Sierra Leone do not have a stable source of income, and as such they borrow money from local traders with high interest rate to pay school fees, medical bills, and provide clothing and others. The community, together with the Village Development Committee (VDC) members, selected thirty members (20 women & 10 men) from the community for the VSL project. 

This VSL project needed $160 (USD) and were prepared to buy a metal box, padlocks, and a ledger for the secretary of the group for entering financial records of group. After 11 months they saved enough to repay the $160 (USD) received from CES/World Renew and the group is seen here handing back the borrowed money. 

Since February 2015, the Ebola outbreak is thankfully stabilizing, but there are still a few cases being reported each day. Ebola indirectly affects household well-being in rural areas. The outbreak, as well as the prevention and containment measures, disrupt the local economy. 

By providing much needed loans to small business owners like the one above, World Renew and partner CES can offer families and communities in the areas worst-hit by Ebola an economic support to help them restart their income earning activities. The loans help business owners take the first steps toward rebuilding their lives, whether that involves buying and selling chickens, hiring labor to work in the fields, or processing food to sell.

Madam Jalloh’s (green shirt) widowhood and responsibility for grandchildren qualified her to participate in the Sustainable Agriculture and Food Secuity program. Madam Jalloh was chosen to lead a group of 30 women. The group began swamp and rice farming as their primary economic activity. The program has helped women increase their annual rice yields and their personal income.

Madam Jalloh has also started a savings project with some of the women in the village. So far the group savings component totals of $119 US. She can feed and better educate her children. She pays her district taxes and participates in local government meetings.

A couple of the vulnerable women that benefited World Renew's Sustainable Agriculture and Food Security (SAFS) project in the community. 

Rice mills are being installed in communities that are involved in the Sustainable Agriculture & Food Security (SAFS) Project to add value to their produce and earn better income.

Training and sensitization on Ebola prevention in Kombadugu for Bassaia and Konkoronbaia. Thankful to God that in recent weeks, the decline in case incidence and the contraction of the Ebola virus disease has stalled. The weekly number of reported new cases continues to decrease. The continuation of cases continues to be on our minds and in our prayers. 

Yirafilia-Badala is one of the communities that was affected by the civil war in Sierra Leone. The main sources of drinking water in Yirafilia-Badala are the nearby river and a natural spring in the hills, and the community has few pit latrines that are in need of some improvements. There is no health outpost in the area. The nearest clinic is about eight miles from the village. As a result, illnesses such as malaria, worms, diarrhea, skin diseases, and other tropical diseases are common.

Christian Extension Services (CES), a World Renew partner in Sierra Leone, is the only international organization working there because it is isolated and remote. In 2012, CES conducted a needs assessment in Yirafilia-Badala, and the participants identified their three highest priority needs as a school building, a clean water supply, and a grain storehouse.

And here you see the new, gravity-fed water system brings water almost to their door steps. It provides for a vital source of safe, fresh, clean drinking water to the whole community, and the children are no longer sick from drinking contaminated water.

The new gravity-fed water system brings water. Finally this remote, isolated community can have good drinking water, free from contaminants.