Give a Christmas Gift to a Child in Poverty

Gifts can vary from something specific for the child and/or needs they may have such as food, medicine, school supplies and clothing.

How many kids would you like to give a gift to?

Odalis knows the value of a Christmas Gift.

The daughter of waste recyclers in one of the poorest slums in Honduras, this precious girl felt grateful on the rare days when her family had enough food to eat. Her parents could not afford to buy gifts or new clothes for their loved ones when they could barely afford to feed their family.

Because she is enrolled at a Compassion-assisted center, Odalis was able to participate in her first Christmas celebration. Thanks to the generosity of donors like you, Odalis also received her very first holiday gift!

That gift was not only something she desperately needed but also the desire of her heart. Odalis recalls, "I got a beautiful, colorful blouse, a pair of blue jeans and a pair of new shoes. Tears of joy filled my eyes and I could not believe I was granted what I most wanted."

Make sure a child's Christmas wish is granted. Donate to the Christmas Gift Fund today!

Odalis holds a white shirt with colorful kittens on it
Odalis holds the shirt that she received as a Christmas gift
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What exactly is a “Christmas Gift”?

When you make a donation to the Christmas Fund, your charitable gift is combined with gifts from other donors to purchase gifts of equal value for every Compassion-assisted child. That way, no child is left out. Staff members at each child development center, who know the children personally, make the purchases, so every registered child receives Christmas gifts that are appropriate, personally meaningful and useful.

Gifts also help provide essential needs, and may include these items, as well as toys:

  • Food
  • Medicine
  • Hygiene supplies
  • School supplies
  • Clothing
  • Shoes

Help make this holiday season a lot brighter for children living in poverty.
Give to the Christmas Gift Fund today!

Ivis' granmother receiving groceries
Ivis’ grandmother cries as she receives groceries from the Honduran Disaster Response Team
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Story from the Field

Until March 15, life was normal for Honduras. But that night, with the announcement of the first confirmed case of COVID-19, life as they knew it changed.

The government completely shut down school, churches, public transportation and more than 200 Compassion child development centers. Normally, these centers are where children receive food, education, medical help and access to the gospel message. For many of these children, it’s their only promised meal.

This picture captures the moment the Honduran Disaster Response Team showed up to Ivis’ grandma’s house. Her reaction says it all. Compassion staff captured the moment she received a week’s worth of groceries.

One staff member said, “Im happy that along with my team we were able to visit the children’s home not only to leave them food groceries but to pray for the. We let themm know that God is in control, and we look forward to seeing the kids back in the center soon.”

 
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Families in poverty have no safety net in times of crisis. Help provide food, medical care and support during this pandemic.

The Global Church Responds

As the community asks for help with signs reading “Please give us change, we have nothing to eat,” the Promised Land Baptist Church steps up to help. Serving the needy “dumpsite” community of Payatas, which has become further impoverished since the COVID quarantine, Pastor Ganiban can’t resist distributing food. Using church funds and his own money, even his family’s own sack of rice, he is able to give aid to those in need.

Pastor Ganiban gives money and rice to assist those in need
Pastor Ganiban gives money and rice to assist those in need
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Your Questions Answered

Our hearts break with the knowledge that some persons in the global Compassion family have succumbed to COVID-19. This pandemic has brought death to the doors of our frontline and supporting church partners, ministry partners, volunteers, and even our children and their loved ones. Please continue to pray for those who are impacted directly by this pandemic. Medical professionals predict the worst may be yet to come for the developing world, which is far more underprepared for testing and caring for COVID-19 patients than we have been in more developed nations. This means tracking the full impact on our ministry, the children and their families will be increasingly difficult in the weeks and months to come. We are doing our best to keep you informed of the effect this crisis is having on our ministry but always while respecting the privacy of those who serve alongside us. Thank you for your continued support and prayers.

In some cases, where visits are permitted and staff can do so without putting themselves or others in harm’s way, local church staff members are visiting homes to check on the welfare of children and their families. When/where they cannot make personal home visits, they are using cell phones, texting and messaging apps to conduct regular welfare checkups.

Compassion staff are taking every precaution to protect the children in our program. We have suspended all international travel to our national offices and our frontline church partners through at least the end of the year. This means we will not be permitting any international visitors to meet sponsored children, visit Compassion child development centers, or visit national offices.

We will be reassessing our travel policy regularly and may extend this travel suspension depending on the situation. As a regular part of our program, we also continue to teach hygiene to children in our program (and moms in our survival program), which reduces the spread of illness.

Thank you for your heart and willingness to help. Our local church workers around the world are courageously delivering essential items to desperate children and families. You can help provide additional resources for physical and medical support by giving toward Compassion’s Disaster Relief Fund.