Operation Christmas Child

When victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine cry out for help, Samaritan’s Purse is often the first to answer. We specialize in meeting critical needs for victims of war, disaster, famine, and epidemics in the world's most troubled regions, often working through ministry partners already on the scene of a crisis. In the U.S., we quickly respond when hurricanes, tornadoes, and other storms strike, mobilizing staff and volunteers to provide emergency aid to disaster victims.

When victims of war, poverty, natural disasters, disease, and famine cry out for help, Samaritan’s Purse is often the first to answer. We specialize in meeting critical needs for victims of war, disaster, famine, and epidemics in the world's most troubled regions, often working through ministry partners already on the scene of a crisis. In the U.S., we quickly respond when hurricanes, tornadoes, and other storms strike, mobilizing staff and volunteers to provide emergency aid to disaster victims.

Clean water flows freely from the taps in our homes, to quench our thirst, to wash dishes and clothing, for showers and baths. Sadly this isn’t the case for over one billion men, women, and children around the world who wake up in search for clean water every day. Samaritan’s Purse provides clean water for a thirsty world, while proclaiming the “living water” found in Jesus Christ.

It is estimated that 1.58 million people die each year from diarrheal diseases caused by unclean water, inadequate sanitation and poor hygiene habits. This is equivalent to one person dying every 20 seconds. The majority of these are children in developing countries.

Common ailments often go undetected in many developing countries and quickly become a matter of life or death. People who suffer major health issues such as heart defects or AIDS face the real threat of never receiving life-giving treatment. Samaritan’s Purse provides doctors, nurses, medical equipment, and other aid while administering hope through the healing power of the Great Physician.

Treatment from medical professionals, quality care at a hospital or clinic, modern equipment and medicine, and health education are some of the ways that Samaritan's Purse helps save lives in developing nations and areas that lack access to health care.

Hunger is a pervasive, crippling force in developing countries. In some cases, our work is in response to a natural disaster or wartime crisis, and focuses on blanket feeding of a large group of people. Other times, we address a chronic lack of food or nutrition brought on by famine and poverty.

Learning how to read and write or acquiring a trade or skill is invaluable for children and adults struggling to break the cycle of poverty caused by a lack of resources, access, and opportunity. Samaritan’s Purse is working to teach not only literacy and trades, but also the Gospel along with programs to help new believers grow in their faith. “Instruct the wise and they will be wiser still; teach the righteous and they will add to their learning”
 (Proverbs 9:8-10 NIV).

Samaritan's Purse helps to build communities by constructing houses, schools, hospitals, and churches. Our projects provide shelter for families who lost everything in disasters, education opportunities to help break the cycle of poverty, facilities for physical and spiritual healing, and places to build up the body of Christ.

Women and children all over the world face the dark reality of abandonment, exploitation, and abuse. Samaritan’s Purse works to reach the most vulnerable of these with the light of the Gospel. Among our many Christ-centered projects, we care for orphans, help prevent human trafficking, and provide other loving support to the helpless.

About 2.6 billion people around the world depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. Many of them produce just enough food to survive. Families engaged in subsistence farming often live in chronic poverty and malnutrition, lacking the skills to get the most out of their small patches of land. Others have seen their livelihoods wiped out by drought, disaster, or war.

Thousands of impoverished farmers, herders, and fishermen have received the resources and training they need to feed their families and even obtain a modest income that can be used for education, medical care, or other needs.

Since 1993, more than 100 million boys and girls in over 130 countries have experienced God’s love through the power of simple shoebox gifts from Operation Christmas Child. Samaritan’s Purse works with local churches and ministry partners to deliver the gifts and share the life-changing Good News of Jesus Christ.