Mobilizing sector partnerships to end child poverty
Compassion is a world leader in holistic child and youth development. Learn more about how our proven programs are transforming the lives of over 2.3 million children and youth, along with their families and communities around the world.
Our global impact
2,353,045 participants
in Compassion’s child and youth development program
1,158,690 girls
1,163,595 boys
30,760 participants in Compassion’s Survival program
One Survival program participant represents a pregnant mother or an infant and their caregiver
8,357 community-based local partners in 29 countries
“One of the things that we find so effective about this model is that these local partners were there before a crisis hits, whether it’s a global pandemic or food crisis. And they’ll be there long after because they’re planted and rooted in these communities.”
ALLISON ALLEY, PRESIDENT AND CEO, COMPASSION CANADA
How Compassion works
Compassion is a leading authority on holistic child and youth
development. Our proven and localized holistic child development
program is what makes us so effective in the many different contexts
where children in poverty find themselves around the world.
Everything we do is with the goal of seeing children not only survive,
but thrive.
SURVIVAL
Compassion’s Survival program promotes child and maternal health.
The Survival program provides infants, pregnant mothers and caregivers with:
Pre- and post-natal healthcare
Nutrition monitoring and support
Caregiver mentorship and workshops
Early childhood learning and development
Canada’s impact: 2,012 moms and babies benefitted in 2023
Project highlight: Survival in Mexico
Location: San Sebastián Río Hondo
17 moms and babies
Activities: entrepreneurship skills training, food kits, newborn care kits, early stimulation, healthcare and home visits
Read moreWATER, SANITATION AND HYGIENE
Water, sanitation and hygiene projects provide life-saving access to safe water and sanitation facilities, helping to prevent the spread of deadly disease.
In response to needs expressed by local leaders, Compassion partners local resources with funding from around the world to provide:
Wells and boreholes
Water filters
Rainwater harvesting systems
Safe washrooms
Hand-washing stations
Hygiene training
Canada’s impact: 34,154 children and youth benefitting from WaSH interventions in 2023
Project highlight: Washroom facilities in Burkina Faso
11 communities
3,166 children and youth
Activities: construction, hygiene training sessions and inauguration ceremonies
Read moreHEALTH
Without good health, children and youth can’t break free from poverty.
Compassion’s health interventions include both prevention and care, including:
Health and dental clinics
Disease prevention and awareness
Major medical interventions
Canada’s impact: 16,566 children and youth benefitting from Health interventions in 2023
Project highlight: Dental clinic in Brazil
Location: Santo Antonio, Brazil
264 children and youth
Activities: dental check-ups and cleaning, dental kits and hygiene training
Read moreEDUCATION
For many young people, education is the key to unlocking a future free from poverty. Compassion provides educational resources to communities and supports individual students in creating and executing a personalized education and career plan.
Around the world, Compassion’s education initiatives provide:
Computers, textbooks and learning centres
Vocational training programs
College and university scholarships
Canada’s impact: 2,752 children and youth benefitting from Education interventions in 2023
Project highlight: Scholarships in Indonesia
7 communities
20 students
Activities: nursing, mathematics, literature, hospitality, education, engineering, psychology, accounting, law, veterinary medicine and agriculture
Read moreDISASTER RELIEF
We know that in times of crisis and disaster, it’s children and people living in poverty who are the most vulnerable. Compassion’s disaster relief efforts are always led by our local partners who are a trusted and established presence in the lives and communities of the children we serve.
Our disaster relief interventions include:
Home reconstruction
Emergency food packs and hygiene kits
Trauma counselling
Disaster preparedness training
Project highlight: Safe shelters in Haiti
34 communities
12,000 families
Activities: Temporary shelters for families in the aftermath of the 2021 earthquake in Haiti
Read moreOur global network
Compassion Canada is part of Compassion International’s Global Partner Alliance, which is composed of 12 members who serve supporters in 31 countries to raise funds and support for Compassion’s program in 29 countries around the world. Founded in 1952, Compassion International has been serving children living in poverty for over 70 years. Compassion has been operating in Canada since 1964.
Compassion Canada operates independently from Compassion International, with independent finance and governance structures, while contributing to a shared purpose. The strength of this model is a shared investment into Compassion’s global programs, maximizing capacity, efficiency and impact for our 8,000+ community-based local partners who implement Compassion’s programs in highly localized and contextualized ways.
“The beauty of Compassion is that we have a long-term development perspective. That means sustainability for the children and their families is at the core of our program interventions.”
SIDNEY MUISYO, CHIEF PROGRAM OFFICER, COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL
Impact story: A different path
3-year project | £1 million grant
In 2020, Compassion UK partnered with the UK government’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) on a £1 million, three-year project in Togo to increase survival rates of children in the first year of their life.
Through the partnership, 23 Survival programs brought the knowledge and funding of the FCDO together with the contextualized experience of Compassion in Togo to serve 2,339 mothers and babies.
The project exceeded every one of its targets:
28%
more births attended by a skilled health professional
9%
more newborns born at a healthy birthweight
31%
more mothers exclusively breastfeeding for the first six months
“The first support I received was a food kit. I’ll never forget it. For the first time in months, we ate normally—we weren’t having to skip meals for days on end. Without the Survival program, my daughter and I would not have made it. The Survival staff and the other mothers in the program have become like my family. I’m so grateful to have their support.”
ADJOWA, MOTHER OF EYRAM, A PARTICIPANT IN A SURVIVAL PROGRAM FUNDED THROUGH COMPASSION UK’S PARTNERSHIP WITH THE FCDO
Stewarding your resources
Rated one of Canada’s Highest Rated Charities by Canada’s charity watchdog, Compassion Canada is committed to handling the finances entrusted to us with the utmost integrity. When you give, 83.4 per cent of funds are used for program activities benefiting the children we serve and 16.6 per cent are used for operating expenses to serve our supporters and invite more people in Canada to join the mission.
The cost of fundraising
Of every dollar we spend, just 9.8¢ is used for fundraising efforts.
This pays for our fundraising staff, print and media advertising, printing and distribution costs for our mailings, fundraising events and online activities. We take privacy, security and integrity seriously in all our operational activities, keeping donor information secure and ensuring all funds are spent in alignment with our high standards of financial integrity.
Networks and associations
Compassion Canada is proud to be a member or affiliate of the following networks and associations:
