What is World In Need? Why this? We have all been moved to create something bigger than ourselves. We all want to do something worthwhile, work with purpose and passion. This means combining all of our loves: our love of people, our love of travel, our love of diverse cultures, and our love of caring for others. What better way to do this than to create a non-profit with its purpose being to connect those able to help with those in need. When WIN NOW turns its laser like focus on an area in Latin America, it will create an enormous change to a specific area whether it’s social, economic and/or environmental.

Have you ever felt that moment of epiphany – that split second of awakening coupled with an incredibly intense drive to help the world?  Most of us have.  Most of us can relate.  And the three of us are no different. That pivotal, almost sacred, moment proved to be the inception of World In Need Now and happened in the middle of Sara Blakely’s Give a Damn party in October 2006 announcing her foundation for young women in South Africa. We decided that night that we were going to network people and charities to help our neighbors in Latin America.

We all have our stories that have driven us to this point. For Jolluck, it was being caught in 2005 in the middle of Hurricane Stan in Guatemala. She experienced with her own eyes the devastation that the hurricane caused; mud slides buried 1500 people and displaced over 300,000. She was profoundly affected and knew that she had to do something to help. Escaping with a Guatemalan army escort, Stephanie had to hike through the mud slides five kilometers up a mountain through a continuous down pour to the next village to get a shuttle to Guatemala City to be able to return to Atlanta. Once she arrived, she quickly raised $10,000 from clients, friends and family and returned to Guatemala within three weeks along with the donations to disperse. She realized then what a substantial difference one person could make and knew that with collaboration her impact could be huge.

When Servy heard this story, it brought memories of her deeply moving experience in war torn Serbia. While visiting her then husband’s family, she experienced the refugees, the tremendous sadness, fear of the unknown, anger over the unnecessary deaths and the displacement caused by the war. Because of this she always wanted to help those in need and wasn’t sure how or where to start.

Philip knew that he could use his photography to open windows, show extreme poverty, and essential needs of the Latin American people to concerned individuals.

Through a reconnection at a charity event, they realized that they all shared a similar goal and W.I.N NOW was born.