Compassion is Distinctly Christian
Compassion’s ministry is distinctly Christian. Our child development programs are unique in that they are:
We believes that it is not enough to simply feed the poor without introducing them to the source of life – Jesus Christ.
We provide for the spiritual needs of children, as well as their economic, social, and physical needs. Providing for external needs alone cannot transform a person’s heart. Only the gospel of Jesus has the power to transform a person’s heart – and end the cycle of poverty.
Christ-centred
At Compassion, we seek to keep Christ at the centre of all we do and seek God’s guidance on our plans and decisions. Compassion’s ministry is dedicated to caring for the poor and giving hope to the hopeless by spreading the good news of the gospel. We operate internationally as followers of God’s Word in response to The Great Commission, by presenting the life-changing gospel to every child in an age-appropriate, culturally relevant and non-coercive way.
Child-focused
Compassion’s ministry engages each child as a complete person. We care for our assisted children as if they were our own. God’s heart for children compels us to act on their behalf. By working holistically with individual children to address their spiritual, economic, social and physical needs, we afford them an opportunity to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults. We believe that when children see themselves as Jesus sees them and when they realise their worth and identity in Christ, then they begin to flourish, grow and develop in other areas of their lives.
Church-based
Compassion works exclusively with churches in developing nations to deliver our comprehensive holistic child development model to children living in desperate poverty.
The church is God’s chosen instrument to fulfill The Great Commission and to bring justice to the poor and oppressed. The local church is uniquely placed to understand and meet the real needs of the people in the community.
Our experience has also shown that the local church fosters an environment of unparalleled stability, giving children the opportunity to experience God’s love and acceptance.
Compassion equips, trains and provides resources to these local churches so that they may realize their vision of changing their communities for the better by helping the children they serve to grow and reach their God-given potential.
Compassion takes Stewardship seriously
At Compassion we take stewardship seriously, not only in our finances, but also in our child development program delivery. More than 80 percent of all our expenditures go to program activities for the children we serve. We conduct annual financial audits to show exactly how income is used and regular audits of each of our country and area offices. In addition, we conduct program audits to evaluate the effectiveness of our programs in the lives of the children we serve. Compassion is acknowledged as a charity with outstanding financial integrity by numerous publications and financial accountability groups. We are one of the few charities to consistently receive a four-star rating from Charity Navigator, while The American Institute of Philanthropy recognizes Compassion as one of its “Top Rated Charities.” By keeping accountability and integrity at the forefront of Compassion’s ministry, we make the most of the sponsorship money and gifts that we receive.
Compassion is committed to Integrity.
Compassion is committed to Christian morals and integrity in our work. We will never engage in bribery with corrupt local officials in the areas where we work. We also reject the practice of “double sponsorship,” where more than one sponsor is led to believe he or she is the only sponsor of a given child.
In our marketing and communications we always strive to reflect accurately the effect Compassion-assisted child development centres have on the lives of individual children, their families and throughout their communities.
When communicating the needs of children, we place great importance on preserving their dignity. We refuse to engage in “the pornography of poverty.” While we believe in being honest about the challenges that children face, we always seek to portray them in ways that show hope and the promise of a positive future.
