If the child you sponsor tries to contact you on Facebook, other social media channels or via phone or email, please don’t respond.
Let us know about the contact by calling (800) 336-7676 or sending an email to [email protected].
Keeping communication within Compassion’s channels ensures we protect the safety and well-being of the children we serve.
We often get excited calls from child sponsors who’ve received messages from their sponsored children on social media platforms like Facebook. They ask questions like, “Can I talk to my sponsored child on social media?” and share thoughts like, “That seems much easier and faster than writing.”
While we understand the convenience of social media and how exciting it can feel to connect, our priority is protecting the children we serve and you. That’s why Compassion doesn’t allow communication outside of our processes.
Why We Don’t Allow Contact Outside of Compassion
We can’t appropriately protect your sponsored child if we don’t facilitate all correspondence. Here are some potential dangers we must avoid:
Exploitation: Some people don’t have children’s best interests at heart. For example, it’s not uncommon for someone who knows a sponsored child to create an account, pretend to be the child, contact the sponsor and ask for money. In some cases, they may even threaten the child’s well-being if money isn’t sent. Facilitating communication protects the child and you from exploitation.
Cultural sensitivities: Without being part of correspondence, we can’t ensure that sponsors don’t accidentally say something inappropriate or offensive to the child. This can be easy to do when speaking cross-culturally with the child you sponsor.
Discouragement: We must protect children’s hearts. You and the child you sponsor live very different lives. And it can be incredibly discouraging for the child to see the differences via social media.
To provide protection from these dangers, we monitor the sponsor-child communication process and require it to be carried out using only our channels: My Account, the MyCompassion app (Apple/Android) or mail.
What Do I Do If My Sponsored Child Tries to Contact Me?
If you’re contacted by the child you sponsor on social media (or even by email or phone), please don’t respond, even to say, “I’m sorry, but I can’t talk with you in this manner.” Please let us know about the contact by calling (800) 336-7676 or sending an email to [email protected].
At Compassion, the safety of the children we serve is our highest priority. By following our communication guidelines, you help us protect your sponsored child. Thank you for doing your part to ensure the child you sponsor is known, loved and protected.
