About Compassion
Releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name
Over the last 70 years, Compassion revolutionized the fight against global poverty by partnering with local churches to meet the unique and urgent needs of children living in poverty.
Today, Compassion partners with over 8,000 local churches in 29 countries to deliver our proven holistic child development program to more than 2 million infants, children and youth. Around the world, children, families and entire communities are being empowered to overcome poverty and thrive both now and into the future.
Rated as one of Canada’s best charities for financial integrity
Where we work
Compassion delivers programs in 29 countries in Africa, Asia, Central America and the Caribbean, and South America. Compassion’s programs are fuelled by our Global Partner Alliance, which is composed of Compassion offices in 12 supporting countries in Asia, Europe, North America and Oceania.
Africa
- Burkina Faso
- Ethiopia
- Ghana
- Malawi*
- Kenya
- Rwanda
- Tanzania
- Togo
- Uganda
- Zambia*
Asia
- Bangladesh
- Cambodia*
- Indonesia
- Myanmar*
- Philippines
- Sri Lanka
- Thailand
Central America and the Caribbean
- Dominican Republic
- El Salvador
- Guatemala
- Haiti
- Honduras
- Mexico
- Nicaragua
South America
- Bolivia
- Brazil
- Colombia
- Ecuador
- Peru
*Program expansion countries
Australia • Canada • France • Germany • Italy/Spain • South Korea • Netherlands • New Zealand • Nordic (Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden) • Switzerland • United Kingdom/Ireland • United States
How we work to transform lives: Holistic child development
If you could sum up our work in a phrase, it would be “holistic child development.” Holistic child development is what makes Compassion’s ministry so effective in the many different contexts where children in poverty find themselves around the world.
For children to thrive, it’s imperative to meet their needs in a holistic—or comprehensive—way. Every child has unique needs because of their unique context. Compassion responds to the unique needs of the children we serve in partnership with over 8,000 local churches worldwide.
Our programs meet each child’s unique needs in every area of their life:
Physical development cares for a child’s body through things like nutritional support and access to healthcare.
Cognitive development cares for a child’s mind through things like education and skills training.
Socio-emotional development cares for a child’s heart through things like mentorship and opportunities to build healthy relationships.
Spiritual development cares for a child’s soul through things like prayer and age-appropriate Christian teaching and discipleship.
Why holistic child development?
Holistic child development is a robust interdisciplinary approach that allows our global program teams to address child poverty with a comprehensive understanding of a child’s development and the promotion of their overall well-being.
The nature of holistic child development is that it is a long-term process. It means working with children through each stage of their lives to help them grow, learn and flourish. It requires that each child is personally known, loved and protected. And it requires a data-informed approach with measurable outcomes that helps our local partners implement programs as effectively as possible.
Holistic child development is the reason we can have a sustainable and long-lasting impact in the lives of more than 2 million children in 29 countries, helping them overcome poverty and live out their fullest potential.
Does it really make a difference in children’s lives?
You bet! According to independent research, Compassion kids are:
27–40 per cent more likely to finish secondary education
About 35 per cent more likely to have white collar employment as adults
40–70 per cent more likely to become church leaders
With results like this, holistic child development seems pretty exciting, doesn’t it?
How can I join the mission?
We’re so glad you asked! For children to gain the benefits of holistic child development, our local church partners must be resourced to meet their needs. Here’s how you can help:
Sponsor a child
Sponsorship connects you with a child in need in a unique relationship that has an incredible impact. Through letters, prayers and a monthly donation of $47/month, you help ensure a child can develop in all aspects of their life.
Every child in Compassion’s program receives the benefits of our holistic child development program in a way that meets their unique needs in their unique context at their specific age. All of this happens within the context of a community of caring people who want to see them thrive—including you, their sponsor!
Make a donation
Every child is impacted by needs in their family or community, such as food insecurity, poor infrastructure or lack of adequate sanitation. Compassion’s targeted response interventions meet these specific needs, ensuring there are no barriers to holistic child development.
Supporting these specific needs through regular or one-time donations is a vital contribution to the mission. When you give, your gifts are delivered within the context of Compassion’s proven holistic child development model, which means you can be confident in a sustainable impact that lasts.
Our foundations
While our child development efforts are multi-faceted and unique to the needs and context of the children we serve, these three distinctives are firmly at the core of everything we do:
Christ-centred
We believe in the power of the transformative love of Christ to change lives. We aim to serve our neighbours around the world the way Jesus did: meeting practical needs and sharing the tangible hope of the good news.
Child-focused
We strategically choose to focus on children, because we believe that an investment in the life of a child also impacts their family, community and nation. We provide kids and youth with the resources and relationships to overcome poverty.
Church-driven
We believe that local churches are uniquely positioned to meet the needs of their neighbours. That’s why we partner solely with local churches around the world, equipping them to lead and implement programs that spark life transformation in their communities.