Throughout 2023, we continued our work in war-torn Ukraine with church partners, providing shelter, clean water, and over 108 million kilos of food to families in need. We set up hospitality centres for warmth, meals, and safety during bombings, and repaired homes using some of the 453,500 kilos of relief supplies we delivered since the conflict began.

In February 2023, after devastating earthquakes in the Middle East, we airlifted an Emergency Field Hospital, treating over 3,000 patients, and supplied weatherproof tents and tarps for emergency shelter.

In September 2023, after a deadly petrol explosion in Armenia, our medical teams treated burn victims and provided postoperative care. We also delivered emergency supplies like blankets and solar lights.

In October 2023, we responded to the Israel-Hamas conflict by deploying a Disaster Assistance Response Team. We supported local partners with hygiene kits, food vouchers, and hot meals, and replaced 22 ambulances, dedicating 14 to the memory of medical personnel who were killed.

 

Throughout 2023, Samaritan’s Purse Australian Disaster Relief teams assisted residents in Australia’s east coast and New Zealand’s North Island. Following severe flooding and Cyclone Gabrielle, teams helped churches provide food, essentials, lodging, and equipment.

In Australia, 187 volunteers aided recovery in Lismore, NSW, and Rochester, VIC, helping over 280 families a year after historic floods.

On Christmas day, 2023, a tornado hit Queensland’s Gold Coast, causing widespread destruction. Suane’s home was severely damaged, leaving her without power and resources. Samaritan’s Purse volunteers restored her home and property, reinforcing windows, removing debris, and making it habitable again.

Over five weeks, 121 volunteers helped over 100 families recover from the storm, providing crucial support and enabling further repairs.

 

Last year, Samaritan’s Purse Australia and New Zealand built three schools in Cambodia as part of the School For Kids (SFK) project, totalling 46 schools built over the past decade. These new schools will provide 1,072 children with safe, quality classrooms to help break the cycle of poverty.

Twelve-year-old Nisa, a grade three student at Kcheay Primary School in Banteay Meanchey province, expressed her joy at the renovated school. Previously, the building was unsafe, causing fear among students and the community. Through SFK, Samaritan’s Purse fixed the foundation, walls, and floors, built a new ramp, and repainted the school, making it safe and welcoming.

Additionally, the ‘We Can Read We Can Write’ project improved learning environments, provided educational resources, and enhanced community engagement. Schools received storybooks, reading and numeracy toolkits, tablets with reading games, and more. Last year, 36 teachers were trained, 3,567 children received education, and 632 parents were trained on the importance of education.

 

Through the Genesis 41 Project in Vietnam, Samaritan’s Purse and the Water Centre installed pipelines for 250 households, provided 100 households with 1,000L water storage tanks, and equipped 40 houses with sanitary latrines. The project also trained 60 people to educate 1,200 community members on hygiene and sanitation, and 30 people to teach 600 members about safe menstrual hygiene, benefiting a total of 3,780 people.

The Water For Families project in Cambodia supplied 2,205 BioSand Water Filters to households in Sala Krau districts, rebuilt three water distribution networks, and drilled six boreholes, ensuring clean water for entire villages. Additionally, 391 households received subsidised latrines, and local entrepreneurs in 15 villages were supported to improve sanitation marketing and build latrine rings, benefiting approximately 12,040 people.

 

In 2023, Samaritan’s Purse Australia and New Zealand trained hundreds in Vietnam and Mongolia on livestock sustainability.

The CALF Project in Vietnam benefited 279 people in Duyen Hai District, Tra Vinh Province. Seventy households received cows, training in cattle husbandry, financial management, and agricultural assets to promote sustainability.

In Tra Vinh, the Beekeeping program provided 126 beehives, beekeeping materials, and training, helping families increase their income by selling honey.

In Mongolia, the Winter Disaster Recovery program supported 40 families in Arkhangai and Bayankhongor Provinces with yaks or sheep, winter resilience training, and agricultural supplies, aiding 200 individuals in achieving sustainable livelihoods.

 

In 2023, 11.3 million shoebox gifts were packed for children worldwide by people from 11 countries. Since 1993, over 220 million children in more than 170 countries have heard the Good News of Jesus Christ.

Our Pacific islands initiative has reached over 300,000 children on more than 1,000 islands with shoebox gifts and the message of God’s love. Ivanna’s story from Honduras highlights the impact of this ministry. Feeling alone and anxious due to family struggles, Ivanna attended an Operation Christmas Child event where she received a shoebox gift and heard about Jesus for the first time. She accepted Christ and now, three years later, continues to serve in her church.

We thank the 32,000 volunteers in Australia and New Zealand, the 381,000 ministry partner teams, and 3240,500 teachers involved worldwide. Our global network of over 18,000 year-round volunteers plays a vital role in this ministry.

In 2023, five million children participated in The Greatest Journey, with over 50 million discipled through this program and The Mailbox Club. We thank God for the 20 million shoebox recipients who have committed their lives to following Him as a result.

Princess, 13, from the Philippines, received an Operation Christmas Child shoebox and joined The Greatest Journey. Overwhelmed by God’s love, she accepted Christ and now shares her faith with her classmates, bringing them the same hope and peace she found in Jesus. She is one of the nearly three million children who made a decision for Christ through the program in 2023.