Building a movement (1996–2005)

In 1992, while volunteering in Bolivia with street-connected children, 17-year-old Patrick McDonald from Denmark had a vision of pinpricks of light growing into bright hubs of light – a vision that spoke to the power of collaborating for at-risk children.

The idea of churches coming together was born when 18-year-old Patrick McDonald saw four church groups feeding street-connected children in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

Patrick travelled across Latin America by bus, visiting hundreds of Christian childcare projects and finding that everyone agreed working together was necessary, but it rarely happened.

Based in Oxford – using a phone box down the road where needed – an International gathering focused on Latin America was organised to be held in Miami.

The El Salvador Network took shape early in 1995, with Venezuela, Colombia and Perú – and others – quickly following.

Viva officially became a legal entity in England and Wales on 22 February 1996.

The World Weekend of Prayer, held annually in June, has united millions of people to pray for and with children at risk.

Research was carried out in India for the first time, and Viva India has brought churches and organisations together for children ever since.

The first in-person meeting was held in Ashburnham, Sussex, though Cutting Edge is now an online learning and collaboration platform.

Viva’s capacity-building tool, the Quality Improvement System, was developed to help churches and organisations go on a journey of improvement together in a network setting.

Patrick McDonald delivered this provocative message to Christian leaders at the 2004 Lausanne Forum for World Evangelisation because children were often left out. Viva still helps ensure children are part of the agenda.

Six African networks met in Nairobi, beginning a pan-African collaboration that continues today.

Developing the model (2006–2015)

Red Viva Bolivia launched its Good Treatment Campaign, which empowers children to speak up for their safety and wellbeing, while parents and carers pledge to treat children well.

The Hong Kong office was officially registered on 15 August 2011.

Since 2012, Viva Juntos por la Niñez Association, Guatemala, has helped register the births of 14,000 children - giving children a legal identity and access to services.

Seven men were convicted of running a child sexual exploitation ring in Oxford, and in response, Doorsteps was set up to address the needs of at-risk children in Oxford.

Through this 11-year project, Viva and the Children at Risk Action Network (CRANE) – a Ugandan network of churches, schools and organisations – helped over 10,000 marginalised girls overcome barriers to education.

Photo credit: CRANE

Christmas parties are used to bring churches and organisations together to run parties where children are welcomed and have fun while also learning key messages about safety and wellbeing.

Photo credit: Partner network in Myanmar

Multiplying what works (2016–2026)

Food for the Hungry, Transform Aid International, World Relief, and Tearfund commissioned Viva to capture learning across the Viva Network and produce the Children in Emergencies Toolkit.

Viva’s model is based on supporting networks of churches and organisations to connect, build capacity, run collective action programmes, and have citywide influence.

In 2018, independent research by the highly regarded Sagamore Institute confirmed that Viva’s model works.

When COVID-19 isolated vulnerable families around the world and increased the risk of abuse at home, phone mentoring was developed to bring hope.

The Philippine Children’s Ministries Network (PCMN) contributed to the landmark Anti-Online Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children law passed in 2022, strengthening protection for children nationwide.

The publication of God’s Heart for Children (2022) and God’s Heart for Child Protection and Safeguarding (2026) has brought theology and child-centred practice together.

Poverty, migration, family pressures and crises can push children out of education – and returning can be difficult. Learning Spaces run in Nepal – and other countries – address this.

Photo credit: CarNetNepal

Children have a right to be heard – and Viva believes they are not simply recipients of care, but participants with insights, ideas and contributions to make.

Photo credit: This was created by a child in a Listening to Children exercise conducted with World Vision.

Across Viva-supported networks in Latin America and the Caribbean, an integral intervention for at-risk children is church-based family and child learning centres (CAFIs), run in multiple networks that come together in a community of practice.

This programme is based on the belief that children and youth are not simply people to be protected and supported – they have ideas, abilities and the potential to be powerful agents of change.

Letting children fully participate is a key principle in Viva, and a learning review led by children attending a Learning Space run by Peace Team Cambodia shows how powerful this can be.

Photo credit: Peace Team Cambodia

A Network gathering in Paraguay celebrated 30 years of Viva and planned new ways to work together as a regional network of networks.

The newest network joins the Viva Network – Serve the City in Sierra Leone. We look forward to many more!

We’re not done yet (2026-

One of our current strategic priorities is inspiring more churches and organisations to form networks to multiply impact in the lives of children.

America Orellana’s path from a childhood marked by hardship to becoming a trailblazing female football referee is a testament to resilience, mentorship, and faith. Red Viva Bolivia once supported her - and now she is helping other children as a Global Ambassador for the Good Treatment Campaign.