Sponsorship Basics
Who is a Compassion Sponsor?
A Compassion sponsor is a person like you – someone who has made the decision to invest personally in the life of a child in need. Your monthly support of $35 CAN provides the opportunity for your sponsored child to participate in a church-based program that offers life-changing opportunities.
Why is Sponsorship with Compassion Effective?
Compassion’s child development program focuses on helping the most vulnerable members of society — children.
It provides opportunities that are simply not available to most of the world's poorest children, such as schooling, health care, social benefits and Christian discipleship.
Compassion’s commitment also stays for the long haul, continually investing in the lives of children and their families.
The result? Changed children, changed families and changed communities.
How do Children Benefit from Child Sponsorship?
All of Compassion’s Child Development Sponsorship Programs (CDSP) are designed to meet the unique needs of sponsored children. Through sponsorship Compassion adds tremendous value in the life of a child living in poverty. Here are just a few of the key benefits Compassion’s child development ministry.
- Sponsorship develops a one-on-one relationship
Compassion is and will always be committed to true one-on-one sponsorship. The child you help will have just one sponsor — you. Through letters, pictures, and prayers, you develop a personal relationship with your child. He or she benefits tremendously from having you take an active interest in his or her life.
- Sponsorship fulfils God's Word
Sponsorship provides regular Bible training and Christian discipleship. In Matthew 10:42, the Bible says: "And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is my disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward." Sponsorship is part of the work Jesus Christ has given us to accomplish on earth: To love God and our neighbour as ourselves.
- Sponsorship nurtures personal growth
Why? Well-educated, healthy citizens are self-sustaining. Sponsorship provides educational opportunities, nutrition and medical care for sponsored children. Each sponsored child is part of a church-based program where Christian adults offer love, guidance, personal attention and recreation in a safe environment. Programs give instruction in trades and alternative educational activities as well as opportunities to learn life skills, depending on their country's unique design.
- Sponsorship targets the root causes of poverty
By and large, the root causes of poverty lie in a lack of choices rather than in a shortage of money. Compassion's programs centre on giving children opportunities to develop in four strategic areas: spiritual, social, physical and economic. Children who have choices gain the power to direct their own lives, achieve autonomy and break the bondage of poverty.
What Distinguishes Compassion from other Sponsorship Organizations?
We are Christ-centred
Compassion believes the most loving thing we can do for children is to introduce them to Jesus Christ. Nothing is more important than giving children an opportunity to know Jesus and learn the Word of God.
We are Child-focused
Rather than placing our ministry focus on community development, we put the needs of children first! We believe that the best way to benefit a community is to develop its people. When the children in our programs grow into powerful Christian leaders, they help transform their communities. Building up children first, with the help of parents, churches, schools and communities, is an excellent strategy to bring lasting change.
Children in the Compassion program participate in activities with the intention upon graduation they will become responsible, fulfilled Christian adults who will:
- Be Christian in faith and deed; committed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
- Maintain good health practices for their physical well-being.
- Exhibit the motivation and skills to support themselves and share with others in need.
- Be responsible members of their families, churches, communities, and nations.
We are Church-based
Every Compassion project is run in partnership exclusively through a local church and Christian fellowship. Church partners receive curriculum support from Compassion, but they contextualize the interventions they provide the children they serve.
Our Compassion staff, members and partners are committed to the Lordship of Jesus Christ and dedicated to extend His kingdom worldwide. Long after sponsorship has ended, churches still continue to work as agents of change amidst their people.