Who is Compassion International?
Compassion International is a child-advocacy ministry that pairs compassionate people with those who are suffering from poverty. The ministry releases children from spiritual, economic, social, and physical poverty. The goal is for each child to become a responsible and fulfilled adult.
Compassion’s work has grown from modest beginnings in South Korea in 1952 when American evangelist Rev. Everett Swanson felt compelled to help 35 children orphaned by the Korean conflict. Today it is a worldwide ministry where millions of children are now reaping the benefits of one man’s clear, God-given vision.
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- MORE THAN 70 YEARS SERVING CHILDREN IN JESUS’ NAME
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- MORE THAN 2.2 MILLION REGISTERED CHILDREN
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- MORE THAN 8,200 CHURCH-DRIVEN CENTERS
What We Do
Holistic Child Development Through Sponsorship
We are the world’s leading authority in holistic child development through sponsorship. We work in 27 countries in three regions: Latin America, Africa and Asia.
Holistic child development means we begin, in some cases, with prenatal care and go all the way through post-secondary education for qualified young adults. It means we take a long-term approach to what we do and go beyond simple involvement in the lives of the children and families we serve.
All of our child development programs provide opportunities that encourage healthy development in four areas — spiritual, physical, social and economic.
And when it specifically comes to child sponsorship, our Child Sponsorship Program is the only child sponsorship program validated as effective through independent, empirical research.
Meeting Critical Needs Beyond Sponsorship
We launch a new child development center every day, and Lord willing, we will continue to do this in the years to come. A new child development center registers an average of 175 children that are new to Compassion. Compassion quickly works to find a sponsor for them. They soon will be known, loved and protected by the amazing church partner and center staff members who create a relationship so that the gospel becomes tangible to the child and their family.
Here’s a video telling the story of launching a child development center.
On average, a child participates in the Compassion program for 11 years. Throughout this time it is possible for the church partner to experience road blocks in releasing the greatest potential in each child. That’s where Compassion continues to empower the local church by helping to seek appropriate solutions and funding for sanitation facilities and hygiene training, malaria nets, safe water, vocational skills training, university fees and a host of other mission critical needs.
Compassion partners with individuals, churches, businesses and foundations to respond to the needs of children as identified by the local church partner staff.
Compassion Works
Compassion’s mission is to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name. We accomplish this by inviting children in as early as possible and addressing their needs through a holistic development program that aims to help them grow spiritually, physically, socially and emotionally. By demonstrating God’s love, children learn that they are valued. They discover there is hope for a better future with a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Beneficiaries benefit from a comprehensive range of services and opportunities.
- Mother and Baby Survival – Focusing on infant mortality by serving moms who are pregnant and their children through age one.
- Youth Development – Enabling our adolescent students to live out their “My Plan for Tomorrow” through years of education beyond secondary school.
- Critical Interventions – Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WaSH); Disaster Relief; Family reinforcement or foster care; Medical care and many other interventions
As a result, Compassion supported children are up to:
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- 40% MORE LIKELY TO FINISH SECONDARY EDUCATION + 80% MORE LIKELY TO GRADUATE COLLEGE
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- 18% MORE LIKELY TO HAVE SALARIED EMPLOYMENT IN THEIR ADULT YEARS + 35% MORE LIKELY TO SECURE WHITE COLLAR EMPLOYMENT
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- 75% MORE LIKELY TO BECOME LEADERS IN THEIR COMMUNITIES + 70% MORE LIKELY TO BE LEADERS IN THEIR CHURCH
How do we know?
Dr. Bruce Wydick, a professor of economics and international studies at the University of San Francisco, along with two colleagues, conducted a study of Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program to determine its impact on the adult life outcomes of formerly sponsored children against those of children who were not part of the ministry’s programs. Learn more here.