Interesting title? Working for Compassion International over the past 8 years I have learned that most people think Child Sponsorship is a program that is the same across the board for all non-profits helping children in poverty. Meaning… if there are a number of non-profits helping kids and they do child sponsorship, then most times the general public think child sponsorship means all of these non-profits are giving these children the exact same benefits. The problem is that it’s not that way at all.
For Compassion International, the focus is Child Development. Once these children are enrolled into the Compassion program, they are mentored and educated by volunteers and teachers partnered with the local church whom Compassion has partnered with. Each child receives so much, including at least one meal a day and regular medical check ups. I could go on for days about what Compassion does for these children and their families when it comes to support and making sure every child is taught life long skills as well as the gospel along with the education they are getting. When you look at it all, again, it goes back to child DEVELOPMENT.
Compassion’s mission statement is… In response to the Great Commission, Compassion International exists as an advocate for children, to release them from their spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty and enable them to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults.
Did you see that last part? enable them to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults.
This last part of the sentence is the end result of child development. Does this all make sense?
So where does the child sponsorship part come in? Simple. There are two ways compassion funds what we do.
One is giving. Straight up donations. We don’t take government grants so there’s hold up of not being able to teach the Gospel to every child and their families.
The other way we fund what we do is the big one, child sponsorship. This is the vehicle by which we can fund the majority of what Compassion does for these kiddos. However, with child sponsorship comes great benefit to you as the sponsor and to your sponsor child.
As a sponsor, you are linked with one child and no one else is sponsoring your child. In addition, you get the opportunity to write your sponsor child and he or she will write you back. For the child, they are now tied to a sponsor who lives somewhere else in the world who is hopefully writing letters and developing a relationship over time that this child will NEVER forget.
Again….I could go on and on about the benefits of sponsoring a child, but since it was one my mind I thought I would try to bring a little more clarity to the subject. This way, when you see a couple of different organizations that have child sponsorship, you can ask the question… hmmm, I wonder what their program is offering that makes them a little different?
03/23/2009
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