Compassion International

Just wondering if anyone on DG sponsors a child through Compassion International? My family sponsors two girls in Honduras.

Jody

I've been sponsoring a boy in Indonesia for ... gosh... about 14 years now. I love it!

~ Marylyn

I had always wanted to sponsor, but was afraid the companies weren't reputable. I found out about Compassion International two years ago, while at a Christian music festival in Oshkosh, WI. After sponsoring one of the girls for a year, we asked for another in the same project. If we are ever able to visit, we can visit them both. I didn't want to sponsor two kids, but only be able to visit one because of finances.

We sponsor two children, but through a different organization, World Vision. I really love sponsoring them, and I also am hoping to visit them someday. We sponsor a boy in Swaziland (bordering South Africa) and a younger girl in Ecuador. I've been to Ecuador, so we started sponsoring her after my trip there. I didn't visit her village, but it sounds very similar to places I did visit. I can't wait to go back! Also, I've always wanted to go to Africa, and that will be something to make our trip very special someday.

I've heard really good things about World Vision, too, danak. :-) I don't expect I'll ever make it to Indonesia to meet Widianto, "my" child, in person, but it would be fun. He is 20 now, so I expect he will be aging out of the program this year.

~ Marylyn :-)

Wow, that's neat Marylyn! We've only sponsored our children for a couple of years, but it will be neat to see them grow and make something of themselves.

World Vision, as its name sounds, works all around the world, but their main offices are local. I've known people who have worked there, and they're occasionally mentioned on the news in connection to their work in tsunami relief or in Iraq, for example. They are a great organization. :) My favorite thing is their gift catalog, where you can buy farm animals, garden kits, or medical supplies (for example) for families in need.

You all might want to check with the organizations you sponsor through. I didn't even think about Katrina and Rita affecting the kids that are sponsored by those living in the Gulf area; there are 2200 Compassion International sponsors from that area. Compassion has setup Hurricane Sponsorship Assistance at the following link: https://www.compassion.com/contribution/giving/Hurricane+Sponsorship+Assistance.htm


This message was edited Oct 5, 2005 10:27 PM

Hi, I'm glad this got bumped back up, I hadn't seen it before.

I used to sponsor through Compassion, but I stopped when my girl left the program. I now sponsor through Children International. I like it because I can write him as much as I want and I get replies to all of my letters. I like to write and receive letters! Now I have a little boy named Elvis in Guatemala.

Some of my first sponsorships were through AYA in Nairobi. I really love those kids even though I severed ties with AYA for reasons I won't go into, I certainly wouldn't recommend them. I continued to sponsor most of my kids there privately.

My sister and I eventually started a children's home in Nairobi for some of the orphans at the school we were in contact with. It is amazing how far money goes there. We don't do sponsorships, so I'm not begging for money or anything, lol, I just wanted to share 'our kids'. It is named Henry Lambert House in honor of our father who passed away in '95 at the age of 50. So, we pay for it ourselves for Daddy. This month marks our 2 year anniversary and we are thrilled! Here is a picture from the grand opening in '03 and our original kids:

Rachel






This message was edited Oct 7, 2005 1:26 AM

oops:

Wow, what a neat thing to do!! Thank you for sharing. :)

Rachel,

That is really great! How often do you get to visit? What kind of programs do you have for the kids?

I have a friend that has been wanting to do mission work in Africa for a few years. She has contacted several organizations, but the cost is incredible.

Jody

Thanks Dana:)

Hi Jody, I have never been able to visit HLH, doctor's orders. I am secretly jealous of the visits family and friends have made, but I really am glad they were able to go.

As far as programs, the children attend school locally and we don't have any programs. What type of programs do you mean? Rachel

I wondered if you provided their schooling in addition to providing a home. I'm sorry you can't visit. I think what you're doing is wonderful.

Jody

We provide the building rent, clothes, food, school supplies, school fees if needed, household supplies, medical care and a housemother and father. The primary school is next door, so the little ones can come home for lunch. The man who runs it for us also runs the schools so he is able to keep an eye on them most of the time. The only exception is one boy who scored so high on his KCPE he was accepted at a nice boarding school. My sister pays his boarding school fees and he stays at HLH on school breaks.

I hope I can go next year, I just have to get my med problems under control first. Thank you Jody!

Rachel

If you ever hear of anything for my friend, please let me know. She really feels like mission work in Africa is something she is meant to do.

I hope you can go, too.

Jody

we sponsor a little girl in Africa. Same one last 5 years. That reminds me I need to write her a letter soon.

It's a very rewarding thing to sponsor a child.

My goal this year is to write at least one letter a month; even tho I only receive a few letters each year. Since my daughter is on mission for a year, I will be doing a lot of her writing too (we both sponsor girls in the same project in Honduras.) And that said, I need to write, also!

Jody

We sponsor 4 children through compassion international; 2 boys from Honduras, 1 boy from Bolivia, and 1 girl from Haiti. We have been sponsors for over two years and love the way that this organization operates. When we send birthday gifts of money (no more than $25 per child), we always receive a picture of each child with the presents they purchased witht the money we sent them. One year my youngest sponsored child purchased an entire bed with his birthday gift! I couldn't believe the $25 I sent could buy something so large and significant! I guess he was sleeping on the floor before he got his bed.

Heather,

Our girls are in the Amigo de Jesus project. What project are your boys in?

Jody

Hi, Jody. Our Honduras boys are in the Oasisi de Amor Student Center and the Centro de Desarrollo Infantil Promesas de Jesus projects. There must be several projects in Honduras. I wonder how many exist?

You gals have me now on a mission.

DH agrees that before I spend his last dime, there are kids out there that need our help.

Thank you so much.

hgurule - when we sponsored the second we specifically asked and waited for another child from the same project. We are hoping to visit someday when we have the money; I doubt it would be possible for us to afford to go to different places.

knot - be sure to let us know if you do sponsor a child! If you would like to read about Compassion International their web address is www.compassion.com. Good luck - you'll love it!

Jody

Jody - That makes a lot of sense if you are planning to make a trip to visit your kids. How old are your sponsored children? Mine are 7, 9, 10, and 15 years old.

Knotimpaired - Let us know if you have any questions about sponsorship. My husband and I have enjoyed being sponsors so much that we are thinking about sponsoring a 5th child this year. These kids really don't have very much, and they are so greatful for anything that they receive. They love reading the letters that we send them, and they write back often. The project really takes good care of them and gets them involved. You can really make a difference in these kid's lives.

hg - both girls are eleven and in the fourth grade. I have been thinking about sponsoring a third child, but decided to wait until I can provide both girls families with a gift without straining my budget. Financially, I don't think I can take on another sponsorship.

Jody

Butter-
We sponsor a little girl through Children International too. We're quite poor ourselves, so I have it set up to be an automatic quarterly payment out of the checking account. I don't ever have to think about it, which actually means I never think about her, which is not great. She is in the Dominican Republic, so visiting her is not out of the question. [My DH works for an airline, so we usually fly free! It's the time off and the $$ to live while we're gone that's missing!]

xxx Carrie

Carrie,

I haven't been great about correspondence the entire time, but my goal now is to write once a month; I'm doing pretty good. I just emailed a letter to each of the girls. Maybe we can all keep each other on track with our letter writing. Estefany and Rosa love getting letters from us as much as we love getting letters from them. I often send letters for them by email through Compassion International, but when I send snail mail I include coloring pages, paper dolls, photos, etc. They love getting photos! I always send money for gifts for their birthdays, Christmas, and Easter, and this year I will try to send a family gift for both families. Sometimes our Sunday School offerings are sent to the program/project they attend.

Jody

I just looked at the Children International website (www.children.org). Wow! What a difference in the monthly sponsorship! Do you know how much of your sponsorship money goes to the sponsored childs care? Compassion International sponsorship is $32 per month. I wonder what Comp Internat'l offers that Child Internat'l doesn't.

Edited to add...I did find on the Children Int'l site about 80% goes to the children (same as Comp Int'l.)

Jody

This message was edited Oct 14, 2005 7:49 AM

I am glad that you are going to give a gift to the families of these two children, Jody. We did this for the first time last year, and the families were able to buy a lot of necessary items with just $125/family. They bought things like clothes, a dining table and chairs, beds, and other items that we take for granted in the U.S.

I contacted Compassion International regarding some of the questions about the cost of sponsorship and services provided compared to those of Children International. I am pasting their response below so that others may gain a better understanding of how they operate. This gave me broader comprehension of their philosophy and how money is distributed:

"Because our program is child focused, not community focused, the program tends to be slightly more expensive than some other programs out there. We focus on long-term child development which takes much longer than community assistance and relief efforts. Our program is holistic, encompassing mental, emotional, spiritual, economical, social and physical needs. I took a look at Children International and see that they are both sponsorship and community relief focused, they have 18 sponsorship projects worldwide in 11 countries. Compassion has over 3,000 in 24 countries. I was unable to find specific benefits that they provide the children (not community) so I'm not able to compare apples to apples. I did see, however, that sponsorship is a small part of what they do. At Compassion, it is our main focus and program. We are thankful that there are so many organizations answering the call to address poverty and to help children break that cycle. We know that these other organizations do good work. We just have a different philosophy in how to go about it. Most other organizations work out of the "trickle down' philosophy. Give help to the community and the children will benefit. This sometimes happens, but often, it's not enough. That is why Compassion works from a "bubble up" viewpoint. Help the child, teach the child and introduce them to the Good New of Jesus, and they can be the one that changes their community. We've been doing our work this way for over 50 years and have seen countries change because of it. Our first country was South Korea. After years of working and investing in Korean children, the country no longer needed our help. We pulled out in the early 1990's. In 2002 South Korea became our newest partner country, where it's citizens now sponsor children in other countries. That is our goal and hope for every nation we work in. Yes, it took 50 years, but it is far more effective than building a bridge, paving a road or opening a school.

Children usually come to the project several times a week (usually 3 times a week) and will have a time of instruction, Bible time, play time, snack or meal time and homework time. Depending on what the specific needs of the community are these may look different in each project but each project works holistically to minister to the children. Programs include the following:

Education. In some cases, the cost of school fees, clothing and supplies are provided. In other cases, it means providing tutoring, help with homework, encouragement and, if necessary, participation in a literacy program outside the classroom. Children also learn a vocation that can later provide them employment.

Health. Children are taught about hygiene and how to maintain personal health; care is given as needed. Some Compassion assisted children also receive supplementary food.

Physical Activity. Children participate in sports and exercise where they can develop their gross and fine motor movement skills. In some places, children have the opportunity to receive evaluations from professionals.

Self-confidence and social skills. We link each child to a local church-based program where Christian adults offer love, guidance, personal attention, guided recreation and safety. Children also learn life skills.

The opportunity to hear the gospel and learn about Jesus. Children receive regular Bible training and encouragement through a local church committed to Jesus Christ and the children in its community. This is perhaps the greatest benefit that we offer each Compassion assisted child."

- Sara, Sponsor Relations

My husband and I were satisfied with the response that Compassion International sent us and have decided to sponsor a 5th child. Seeing the difference that this organization has made in the 4 children we have sponsored for the past two years, we feel that it is one of the most important investments we could make in our lifetimes.

-Heather

Heather,

Thanks for taking the time to get that information from Compassion. I was really surprised when I saw the difference in monthly sponsorship, but I have been so please with the Compassion International I wouldn't have considered leaving. Especially since I feel such a commitment to Estefany and Rosa.

Jody

Congratulations on your new sponsorship! I hope it brings you years of joy and friendship.

I have always kept them straight in my head as:
Compassion is individually centered
Children Inc is part individual, part community
Childreach is entirely community oriented

They all do wonderful work and so I guess it is a personal choice on how you want your sponsorship dollars spent.
http://www.charitynavigator.org/index.cfm/bay/search.summary/orgid/3555.htm
There is an interesting link for you to do nonbiased comparison. Compassion is 4 stars and Children Inc is 3, based on many factors.

Wow, I have to say that it seems they are single handedly taking credit for reforming South Korea, that is pretty ambitious. "Yes, it took 50 years, but it is far more effective than building a bridge, paving a road or opening a school." That is snobby, rude, and debatable. I hope that these are Sara's opinions and not a standard reply. I would be disappointed if the entire organization had this attitude. Afterall, the children would be hard pressed to participate in Compassion's programs without bridges and roads to get them there. And you can't help a child with their homework if they have no school to attend.

Have to run to work, have a great day everyone.

Rachel

butterqueen, I'd like to add World Vision to your list. I looked them up on the website you linked to and they are also four stars, with even a higher amount of their budget dedicated toward their programs. They are both child and community oriented. We sponsor two children and are also satisfied because we know that other people in the community benefit from our sponsorship, even other children who may not be sponsored yet. We have been very happy with them.

Dana

Hi Dana, I'm sorry, I wasn't making a comprehensive list, just the way I differentiate the three C ones I have sponsored through. My sister sponsors through WV and she has been very happy with them as well. I have also heard great things about CCF, PLAN, and Pearl S. Buck.

I get most of my info from the online sponsorship groups I belong to and the Charity Navigator site. I love sponsorship so much and find it so rewarding, sometimes I get carried away and sound preachy. I'm so sorry, I'm just enthusiastic about it. I know I'm not an expert and have much to learn.

I hope you get to go to Equador and Swaziland and visit them someday. It is a dream of mine to visit also.

Rachel

We sponsored a little girl from Ecuador through Compassion International from 1993 until this year, when she turned 18 and graduated from school and was no longer eligible for sponsorship. Her name is Gabriela and I'm sad that we are not able to keep in touch now, but I do understand why they have the rules they do.

I had the joy and pure pleasure of getting to meet Gabriela when she was 7, in 1994. We had had an exchange student from Ecuador and I had flown down there to visit her. Karina's family was kind enough to drive down to Guayaquil from their home in Quito, so that I could meet Gabriela. That was an 8-hour drive down there.

I cannot describe the feeling I had when that little girl saw me walk in and ran to me and put her arms around me. And then when she said she wanted to sing me a song, and I realized it was "Jesus Loves Me" in Spanish, and I told her I knew that song, too, and we sang it together, each in our own language......I was crying, it was so neat. I have it on video, too. What a wonderful moment!

It really makes it real when you see them in person, meet their family, and see where they live. I wouldn't trade that experience for anything. Here is a picture of us from that meeting in December 1994:

Kylee,

Isn't there any way to keep in touch with her now?

Jody

I don't think so. I have to contact them so I can get a final message to her and they said I would be receiving a final message from her, too, but I've not gotten anything yet.

Kylee, that is a great picture! What a wonderful memory for you both.
Does she have any younger siblings? You could request to sponsor one and then you could still keep in touch with the family and hear how Gabriela is doing maybe?

Rachel

Maybe you will be able to mail letters directly to her now. I would hate to lose contact with my kids after all that time.

Jody

I think she is the youngest. I'm going to contact CI and see what I can do.

It would be great to be able to stay in contact. I don't understand why they would say that you cannot!? Are they afraid they are going to lose more sponsorships cuz you will keep sending to those you had? I think they should realize that peo don't want to get attached to kids and then lose those, so then they drop out of program and not sponsor any kids more... ~ Suzi :)