Unsponsored Children
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Improving the Welfare of the World's Children

Universal Children's Day is held annually on November 20 as a day of worldwide fraternity and understanding between young people. It is a day recognized around the world to advocate for children’s rights and improve children’s welfare.

When first established by a United Nations' (UN) Resolution in 1954, the UN General Assembly suggested, "Universal Children's Day be observed on the date and in the way each considers appropriate." Although every country doesn't celebrate Universal Children's Day on November 20 (an International Children's Day also exists in June), Universal Children's Day has been held on November 20 since 1956.

Helping assign the appropriate significance to November 20 as the date to honor children, the UN adopted the Declaration of the Rights of the Child on November 20, 1959. The Declaration set forth 10 principles to safeguard children and affirmed a responsibility to protect children before and after birth.

Children's Rights are Human Rights

On November 20, 1989, 30 years after adopting the Declaration of the Rights of the Child, the UN adopted the Convention of the Rights of the Child (CRC), the most rapidly and widely ratified international human rights treaty in history.

The CRC helped change the way children are viewed and treated. Children are no longer viewed as the property of their parents. They are not helpless, and they are not objects for charity. A child is a human being and is entitled to be treated as one.

"Children's rights are not special rights, but rather the fundamental rights inherent to the human dignity of all people." — UNICEF

The CRC also set out a number of specific children’s rights including:

a group of children and their teacher
  • the right to life
  • the right to health and health services
  • the right to a family
  • the right to education and play
  • the right not to be tortured or subjected to inhuman treatment or punishment
  • the right to be protected from exploitation, violence and abuse
  • the right to have a voice, to be heard
  • the right not to be discriminated against
  • the right to freedom of expression, thought, conscience and religion

By specifying a child's rights, the CRC is helping create a world in which every child is able develop to his or her fullest potential, which is precisely the business we're in.

Developing Children to Their Fullest Potential

a smiling boy stands next to a height measurement chart

We look after the welfare of impoverished children and help them develop holistically: mind, body and spirit.

Our focus and commitment is long-term and relational.

We invest our time for a lifetime, while providing personalized and individualized attention tailored to gender, health, age, cultures and family situations.

Our commitment to holistic child development of children in poverty is unique among child sponsorship organizations. Unlike many organizations that implement community-development programs, we are child-focused, and our programs run in partnership with thousands of local churches in the developing world.

A local church partner is always the implementer of child development work resourced through Compassion. This is due to our belief in the church’s Biblical mandate as salt and light in its community and our desire to equip the church to play its role. No matter how many NGOs come and go, the church will always remain.

Each church we partner with operates a child development center providing a minimum of four to eight hours of programming each week, for at least 48 weeks a year. At the centers, children receive:

a girl with her arms crossed stands in front of a group of children with their hands in the air
  • health care and training, which includes exercise, regular physical exams, dental care, vaccinations, instruction in physical and dental hygiene, preventative health care and help with advanced medical care, if needed
  • snacks, meals, clean water and supplemental nutrition support
  • educational assistance such as tuition to allow for school attendance or regular participation in alternative educational activities, as well as opportunities to learn income-generating and vocational skills
  • spiritual guidance and social and emotional support — learning basic social skills, teamwork, art, drama, dance, mentoring, etc.
  • materials and supplies including hygiene supplies (e.g., soap, toothbrushes, toothpaste), center supplies (e.g., paper, writing utensils, games, toys), fees or costs associated with field trips, camps, drama, art and dance activities
  • individualized care and attention: school progress reports, center attendance records, health records, home visits by social workers and adult supervision
  • access to special services such as surgeries and disaster relief assistance

It’s only through a careful blend of holistic care that children can mature fully and escape the cycle of poverty. And it’s only through our Child Sponsorship Program that children have experienced empirically validated improvements in their circumstances.

Child Sponsorship With Compassion Provides:

Heart icon
Love

that unlocks the potential within their heart

Education icon
Education

to defeat illiteracy and provide critical skills

Supplement icon
Supplements

to protect against malnutrition

Health Care icon
Health Care

to fight back against disease and sickness

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Christ-centered Guidance

through a local church to overcome fear and hopelessness

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Recreational Activities

to protect from crime, violence, and danger

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How We Help Unsponsored Children

Approximately 260,000 children are enrolled in Compassion programs while they wait for a sponsor. When we register a new child, it takes an average of three months to find a sponsor for that child. Because of the Unsponsored Children fund, these waiting children may receive some of the same benefits as sponsored children right away.

Your donation will speak hope into the hearts of many children by supplying critical resources and the opportunity to be included in a Compassion program while they wait for a sponsor. That’s what this fund is really all about – standing in the gap on behalf of children living in poverty.

Health Care icon of stethoscopeBasic Medical Care

Health assessments and nutritious meals to combat hunger

person reading book iconEducational Support

Reading, writing, and math lessons and training in proper hygiene

Bible iconChrist-Centered Guidance

An opportunity to hear about God’s love for them

600 Million
CHILDREN IN POVERTY
around the world

22,000
CHILDREN DIE EVERYDAY
because of poverty

3 Months
UNTIL CHILD SPONSORSHIP
for those registered

Sources: www.childinfo.org, www.crin.org, www.who.int, www.unaids.org, www.unicef.org

These Unsponsored Children are Waiting for Sponsors.

We'd love your help in releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name.

Will you nurture and cultivate hope within the heart of one of these children? Are you ready to sponsor a child?

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Give With Confidence

With Compassion, your donation is used wisely to help children around the world.

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Trusted Charity Since 1952

Have Questions About Compassion and How We Work?

Donating to a charity is an important decision. So when you’re passionate about a cause and want to make a difference, we encourage you to do your research. Compassion is 100% committed to financial integrity, stewardship and using each dollar wisely. If you have any questions about Compassion or exactly how your donation will be used, please don’t hesitate to contact us.

Questions?

Please call us at 800-336-7676, Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. MT, to speak with a Compassion representative.