Child sponsorship means encouraging a child and donating to them monthly to meet their critical needs and help them leave poverty behind.
Child sponsorship introduces children to the gospel, provides education, delivers medical care and many other benefits.
Through the consistent care child sponsorship provides, children grow into thriving followers of Jesus, transforming their families, communities and nations.
Did you know: When we surveyed Compassion program alumni in the Dominican Republic, 97% surveyed said they were released from poverty in Jesus’ name through child sponsorship. Incredible, right?
Child sponsorship is changing lives around the world. But how? Let’s dive into the benefits.
What Is Child Sponsorship?
Child sponsorship means encouraging a child and donating to them monthly. This consistent support empowers a local church to care for a child’s immediate needs (like medical care and education), introduce them to the hope of the gospel and prepare them for a brighter future.
Compassion partners with local churches in 29 countries (and counting) to deliver this love and care to children in need. Through sponsorship, supporters like you equip these local churches with the resources they need to do so.
8 Benefits of Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program
1. Sponsorship Introduces Children to the Gospel
“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” — John 16:33, NIV
Jesus [blog/how-to-explain-jesus-to-a-child] tells us that in this world there will be trouble. There will be pain, and there will be poverty. But even in the darkest of circumstances, there’s bright hope to be found in him. That’s why we introduce every child we serve to the gospel.
Through sponsorship, children encounter Jesus’ love for them through the love and care of pastors, tutors, volunteers and sponsors. And just like Jesus does for us all, this community walks alongside children as they heal and grow into thriving disciples equipped to leave the darkness of poverty behind.
2. Sponsorship Provides Education
Education is often an unaffordable luxury for children living in poverty. And sadly, a lack of education creates a lack of options as they grow. For example, without education, children experience a lack of income opportunities when they become adults, keeping them trapped in poverty.
Through sponsorship, children receive quality educations. While education may look different depending on a child’s unique needs, sponsorship offers a wide range of support, including:
School fees and tuition costs.
Clothing and school supplies.
Tutoring and help with homework.
Vocational training and secondary education opportunities.
Job skills training.
3. Sponsorship Delivers Medical & Nutrition Care
Children living in poverty must go without life essentials like medical care and nutritious food. This leaves them susceptible to preventable illnesses and malnutrition and keeps them from developing as God intended.
Through sponsorship, children receive a yearly medical checkup as well as the interventions they may need for their health, from vaccinations to wheelchairs. Children are also monitored for malnutrition and given support such as therapeutic feeding when necessary.
With healthy bodies, children can go to school, play with their friends and reach for their dreams. And all of this is critical for release from poverty.
4. Sponsorship Ensures Safety & Protection
Sadly, abuse, violence, child labor and exploitation are the reality for many children living in impoverished communities. However, protecting these vulnerable little ones is central to God’s heart and our own. That’s why we prioritize child protection, keeping the children we serve safe.
At Compassion, we protect children by:
Teaching every child and youth in our programs how to advocate for themselves and their rights.
Training those caring for children in how to protect children and prevent child abuse.
Training staff members, leaders and volunteers at local churches to protect, practice safety and respond quickly to concerning reports.
Training and holding all Compassion staff accountable through our global Code of Conduct regarding children.
Conducting background checks for everyone who interacts with a child in our programs.
Regularly screening child sponsors against publicly available sex offender registry data and removing those records.
Removing personal information that could be used to identify and locate children in our programs.
5. Sponsorship Supplies Disaster Relief
Many children in the countries we serve suffer frequent disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, severe floods and conflict. Unfortunately, many families lose what little resources they do have when disaster strikes, making bouncing back an impossibility and driving them further into poverty.
At Compassion, we ensure the children we serve receive much-needed relief whenever disasters occur.
Through the local church, we provide emergency medical care, food, clean water and other essentials. We also offer trauma counseling, ensuring children receive comfort and hope during dark circumstances.
6. Sponsorship Encourages Children When They Need It Most
“It was beautiful to feel loved and feel that other people cared about me. More than sponsors, they were an essential part of my life and family.” — Diana, Compassion program participant
Diana is one of millions of children who have been encouraged through child sponsorship. As a sponsor, you can communicate with the child you sponsor through messages. These messages become constant reminders of just how much they’re loved. And when living in poverty, those reminders are life-changing.
Poverty lies to children. It tells them they’re worthless and unloved. It tells them that things will never get better. But through sponsorship, you provide ongoing encouragement to a child in need, speaking God’s truth into their heart.
7. Sponsorship Provides Consistent Care
Release from poverty doesn’t happen overnight. For children to experience brighter futures, they need consistent physical, mental, emotional and spiritual care as they grow. And as you can see from the above benefits, that’s exactly what sponsorship provides.
Child sponsorship meets a child’s right-now needs, such as nutrition, medical care and knowing God’s love, and prepares them for the future by offering education and mentorship.
Compassion doesn’t deliver aid to children and then leave. Through the local church, we stay as consistent sources of love, hope and support, cheering children on and caring for their needs as they leave poverty behind.
8. Sponsorship Changes More Lives Than One
Through the consistent care child sponsorship provides, children grow into thriving followers of Jesus, transforming their families, communities and nations. Many Compassion program participants move on to become teachers, pastors, mentors and even members of Parliament.
When one child is released from the chains of poverty through sponsorship, we create a ripple effect that transforms the lives of many more children. And that’s the true power of child sponsorship.
Child Sponsorship: Justine’s Story of Life Change
Compassion has been blessed to serve 2.3 million children (and counting) through child sponsorship. And day after day we witness incredible stories of life transformation. One of those stories belongs to Justine.
When Justine was a little girl, she experienced violence at the hands of her father. After he abandoned the family, Justine’s mother was left as the sole provider. Hunger was a constant threat and poverty made it nearly impossible for Justine’s mother to meet the family’s needs.
One day, Justine was registered through the local Compassion center. There, Justine received the immediate care she needed, including nutritious meals and medical care. But perhaps the most life-changing gift Justine received was her education.
“Education is the key. When you’re educated, there are lots of things that happen to your life.” — Justine
With the help of Compassion, Justine graduated primary school, flew through secondary school and then graduated with her bachelor’s degree in business administration. And currently, she’s pursuing a postgraduate diploma in education.
Looking back on her childhood, Justine desired to give back. Now, she works with a non-profit organization focused on helping disadvantaged young people access Christ-centered education.
As a teacher, she mentors children with the same story of poverty, helping them achieve brighter futures beyond it.
