Child Sponsorship Fact Sheet

At Compassion, it’s our mission to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name. We do just that through child sponsorship. For media inquiries, reach out to Tim Glenn at [email protected]. For all non-media related inquiries, call (800) 336-7676, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. MT. 

A group of girls sit on the floor in an outdoor classroom.
Photo by: Ben Adams

What's Inside the Child Sponsorship Fact Sheet

Compassion International’s child sponsorship program provides critical love and care to children living in desperate need. Here, you’ll learn what child sponsorship is, how it works and its impact on children in poverty. You’ll also find common media inquiries below. 

What Is Child Sponsorship? 

Child sponsorship means encouraging a child and donating $43 to them monthly. This consistent, ongoing support empowers a local church to care for a child’s immediate needs, introduce them to the hope of the gospel and prepare them for a brighter future beyond poverty. 

Partnering With the Local Church 

Compassion works in partnership with local churches already established in impoverished communities. These churches best know the needs of the children they serve. This enables churches to fulfill their role as sources of light and hope, representing Christ and making disciples in their communities. 

How Are Children Cared for Through Sponsorship? 

Through child sponsorship, every child sponsored receives: 

  • An introduction to the gospel. 

  • Education. 

  • Medical care, such as regular checkups. 

  • Safe community. 

  • Protection from abuse. 

  • Nutrition support, such as malnutrition monitoring. 

  • Disaster relief. 

Sponsorship provides the consistent spiritual, physical, emotional and mental care children need to reach their full potential. This includes meeting their right-now needs, such as nutrition, and preparing them for the future by offering education and mentorship. 

With this care, children become thriving followers of Jesus, empowered to overcome poverty and help others do the same. 

Does Child Sponsorship Work?

In 2008, Dr. Bruce Wydick, a professor of economics and international studies at the University of San Francisco, along with two colleagues, conducted research on Compassion’s child sponsorship program. 

The goal of the study was to determine sponsorship’s impact on the adult life outcomes of formerly sponsored children against those of children who were not part of the program.  

Their research found that Compassion sponsored children: 

  • Stayed in school one to 1.5 years longer than their non-sponsored peers. 

  • Were 27-40 percent more likely to finish secondary education and 50-80 percent more likely to complete a university education. 

  • Were 14-18 percent more likely to have salaried employment and roughly 35 percent more likely to secure white-collar employment. 

  • Were 30-75 percent more likely to become community leaders, 40-70 percent more likely to become church leaders, and 63 percent more likely to become a teacher. 

  • Had higher levels of happiness, optimism, self-efficacy and hope than their non-sponsored peers. 

Media FAQs

Get answers to the most frequently received media inquiries below. 

Please email Tim Glenn at [email protected] for general media inquiries.