How We Work
Compassion’s economic development model equips children, youth and often caregivers with customized education according to their own unique God-given gifts. Our model also provides critical financial training that teaches participants healthy savings habits.
By helping participants access education and financial tools, we give them the support they need to improve their livelihoods and rise out of poverty.
Our economic development model works by promoting local assets, providing access to sustainable livelihoods and protecting household livelihoods from shocks and stresses.
Providing Vocational and Business Training
Amplifying the impact of savings groups, Compassion assists church partners in delivering vocational and business training to participants, which increase their employability and income-generating opportunities.
Partnering With Savings Groups and Ensuring Financial Inclusion
These are two of the pillars of Compassion’s work in 15 countries, with technical assistance provided by strategic partners like HOPE International, The Chalmers Center and Sinapsis.
In Tanzania, Kenya, Rwanda, Indonesia and Thailand, 595 local church partners support 1,970 savings groups, totaling more than 45,000 participants in those five countries.
Supporting Households That Lack Key Financial Tools
Compassion and its church partners support households that lack access to banks and other financial services.
Our economic model improves household savings capabilities by enhancing participant-driven initiatives such as women’s savings groups, youth savings groups, table banking, community-based savings cooperatives and community self-help groups. The goal is to increase the household incomes of participants.
Focusing on Youth-Based Savings Groups
Compassion is piloting youth savings groups in El Salvador and plans to develop a youth focus that is based on research that shows the efficacy of early behavior change in saving money.
Improving Livelihoods for Women
The Women’s Education for Advancement and Empowerment in Thailand assists dozens of women’s self-help groups to build livelihoods through plant cultivation, pig farming, tailoring and other areas.
Supporting Families Fleeing Violence
The Rohingya tea farmer intervention on the Thai border with Myanmar is enabling as much as $1,000 USD per year of income per family fleeing violence in their country.