Gift Guide | 2021-2022
Last year, the number of people living in poverty globally rose by 131 million. It’s hard to see the good. But we can choose to recognize every good gift we’ve been given and give good gifts to those who need it most.
Your good gifts matter in the fight against poverty.
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Choose your gift
Each gift is handpicked to help children and their families break free from poverty.
Give a card
Download or request a card in the mail for each gift purchased in honour of a loved one.
Empower children
Your gift helps children and their families break free from poverty.
Many families around the world continue to experience immense economic uncertainty due to the COVID-19 crisis and other crises and disasters. As a result, many caregivers are struggling to provide basic needs for their children—including shelter. This gift provides rent assistance to families who otherwise cannot stay in their homes.
When you give the gift of Rent Support, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Safety and Stability Fund.
Poverty increases a child’s risk of abuse, trafficking, child marriage, child labour and other forms of exploitation. During times of crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, these risks only increase. This gift enables Compassion centres to run child protection workshops for caregivers and community members, equipping them to ensure that children are known, loved and protected at home, at school and in the community.
When you give a Child Protection Workshop, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Safety and Stability Fund.
When you give to the Safety and Stability Fund, your gift provides vital essentials such as housing support and emergency food packs to families in need, particularly in the aftermath of crises or environmental disasters. Furthermore, through gifts like child protection workshops, you also ensure kids living in poverty are known, loved and protected. With your support, kids can just be kids, even in the face of poverty and crisis.
Learn more about Gifts of Compassion funds at compassion.ca/blog/goc-funds.
More than half of the global population does not have access to safe sanitation facilities. Access to a clean washroom is key to preventing the spread of deadly infectious diseases like cholera. Your gift will help to fund the construction of safe washrooms, giving dignity and protection from disease to hundreds of children.
When you give Washrooms, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Water and Sanitation Fund.
Waterborne diseases take the life of a child every 15 seconds. Your gift will provide a water filter to a family in need, giving children access to clean water at home and protecting them from deadly waterborne diseases.
When you give Water Filters, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Water and Sanitation Fund.
Staggeringly, hand washing could prevent more than a million unnecessary deaths for children under five every year. With the global reality of COVID-19, this has only compounded the urgent need for hand washing facilities. This gift will bring life-saving access to hand washing facilities in the communities of vulnerable children and their families.
When you give Hand Washing Stations, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Water and Sanitation Fund.
Water and sanitation is one of our most basic needs, and a lack of access to these can be deadly. With this gift, you will ensure that children around the world have clean water to drink, the ability to practise good hygiene, and protection from deadly diseases through things such as water filters, washrooms and hand washing stations.
Learn more about Gifts of Compassion funds at compassion.ca/blog/goc-funds.
Goats help provide a livelihood for families living in poverty by producing milk to both consume and sell. When goats reproduce, families can sell a goat to provide for other household needs. Families are also provided with the training and equipment needed to sustainably raise goats.
When you give a Goat, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Income Generation Fund.
Pigs are a practical gift that don’t require significant upkeep or a large plot of land. Pigs reproduce quickly and can be sold for a profit. Families who receive pigs also receive training on sustainable pig rearing.
When you give a Pig, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Income Generation Fund.
Growing your own food is a powerful way to combat food insecurity. This gift provides vegetable seeds and equipment to families living in poverty so they can start their own home gardens and have a sustainable source of food to both eat and sell.
When you give Vegetable Seeds, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Income Generation Fund.
The gift of Chickens helps a family combat malnutrition. Eggs act as a regular source of protein and can also be sold as a source of income. Families are also provided with the training and equipment needed to sustainably raise chickens.
When you give a Chicken, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Income Generation Fund.
The COVID-19 crisis served devastating blows to small businesses, destroying the livelihoods of millions around the world. Amongst the most affected were the world’s 2 billion informal economy workers, many of whom live in extreme poverty. This gift provides training, support and start-up or recovery capital to equip caregivers to earn a sustainable income now and for the future.
When you give the gift of Small Business Support, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Income Generation Fund.
Many families stay trapped in poverty because caregivers lack primary education and are vulnerable to being cheated or trapped in crippling debt. Financial literacy training is a powerful way to combat this and further equips caregivers for entrepreneurship or the workforce. This gift provides Compassion centres with the resources to run financial literacy workshops for caregivers in their community.
When you give the gift of Financial Literacy Training, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Income Generation Fund.
When you give to the Income Generation Fund, your gift provides families living in poverty with resources to earn an income: things like livestock, seeds, financial literacy training, small business support and more. Globally, one in two people saw their earnings drop during the COVID-19 pandemic, and people living in poverty took the hardest hits. Nearly two years since the onset of the pandemic, your gift is vital to helping families recover from the crisis and build resiliency for the future.
Learn more about Gifts of Compassion funds at compassion.ca/blog/goc-funds.
In the face of rising food insecurity, giving families the resources for a backyard farm is a transformative way to help them build resiliency for the future. This gift provides livestock and seeds to families in poverty, equipping them with a sustainable source of food and income.
When you give the gift of Fill the Yard, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Income Generation Fund.
During the pandemic, children and youth have had their lives dramatically turned upside down. Isolation, fear, depression and anxiety have increased for everyone and many children in poverty don’t have access to the support they need during this uncertain time. This gift provides children and youth with the resources to support their mental health such as counselling, mental health services and other tools that will have a significant impact in helping them cope with the continued stress and uncertainty.
When you give the gift of Mental Health Support, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Health and Wellness Fund.
Learn more about the impact of Mental Health Support on our blog.
Did you know that diseases carried by mosquitos, like malaria, dengue and Zika, cause millions of deaths every year? These diseases are preventable. Help protect vulnerable children from mosquito-borne diseases with the gift of a mosquito net and preventative education.
When you give Mosquito Nets, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Health and Wellness Fund.
Most low- and middle-income countries are unable to provide services to prevent and treat oral health conditions. This can have devastating effects on the lives of children because common oral health issues only become more severe when left alone. Your gift will provide children with immediate dental treatment, toothbrushes and oral health workshops to keep their teeth healthy for a lifetime.
When you give Dental Kits, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Health and Wellness Fund.
For a child living in extreme poverty, a diet lacking in protein, fruits and vegetables is all too common. Help fight malnutrition in the life a child by providing supplemental, protein-rich food, vitamins and medical care to help them grow healthy and strong.
When you give the gift of Food for Malnourished Children, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Health and Wellness Fund.
Help provide vulnerable families in Compassion’s care with desperately needed hygiene items to stay healthy and stop the spread of COVID-19. Kits include face masks, gloves, soap, disinfectant, cleaning products and sanitary items for women.
When you give Hygiene Kits, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Health and Wellness Fund.
Felicia is a 5-year-old girl from Ghana who has been diagnosed with Tetralogy of Fallot which is a combination of four congenital heart defects. This has significantly impacted Felicia’s health and development as she is very weak, often ill and sometimes loses consciousness. With your gift, you can help Felicia have the heart surgery as well as the pre- and post-surgery care she needs to save her life and to thrive as a healthy, growing little girl.
When you give to the Health and Wellness Fund, your gift provides children and their families with the resources that meet their most critical health needs. The impact of COVID-19 has made preventative health initiatives more important than ever. This fund covers things such as mental health support, mosquito nets, dental kits, food for malnourished children and hygiene kits which help prevent health crises for vulnerable children and their families.
Learn more about Gifts of Compassion funds at compassion.ca/blog/goc-funds/blog/goc-funds.
For a student living in poverty, tuition fees can be the difference between being trapped or breaking free from the cycle of poverty. This gift covers tuition for 18 students in Indonesia who are completing three- or four-year college programs in midwifery, marketing, accounting or agriculture. With the support of their local Compassion centre, these students are pursuing their ambitions and being equipped not only for the workforce, but also as leaders in their community.
Globally, approximately one in five kids are not in school. But even for those in school, barriers like poverty can still be a factor in hindering their educational outcomes. In Brazil, 34 per cent of students who reach fifth grade are still unable to read. This gift enables a Compassion centre in Recife, Brazil to run a specialized literacy support program for 50 students ages 12 to 20. Each student will receive individualized support to help them achieve sufficient reading and writing skills, equipping them to succeed in their other educational endeavours, too!
This gift provides the learning materials and tuition fees for 400 students in Burkina Faso to complete a three-month vocational training program. These students will gain employable skills such as hairdressing, sewing, electrical work, welding, carpentry, plumbing, mechanics or IT support.
Learn more about the impact of vocational training on our blog.
As Compassion-sponsored youth near the end of their time in the Compassion program, ensuring that they graduate with skills to earn an income is a top priority. This gift enables 30 students to complete a one-year hospitality and culinary program run by a local 4-star resort and spa in Central Java, Indonesia. The program includes bilingual, in-class learning and a 6-month internship, equipping students for careers in the hospitality industry.
The large fishery industry in Indonesia offers great entrepreneurial opportunities for Compassion-sponsored youth. This gift provides materials, equipment and training to 30 students in North Sulawesi, Indonesia to help them learn fishery skills. These students will not only be supported as they pursue a goal of starting their own fishery businesses, but will also be encouraged to mentor younger students and become leaders in their communities.
Technology is a powerful tool in the fight against poverty. Computers are increasingly becoming a necessity for student success. This gift provides students with access to computers at their Compassion centre in a computer lab designed to help them achieve their educational goals!
When you give a Computer, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Education and Training Fund.
A lack of access to up-to-date textbooks and learning resources can negatively affect children’s motivation and academic performance. This gift provides children living in poverty with access to textbooks at their Compassion centre, in a library space designed to help them study and learn with excellence!
When you give Textbooks, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Education and Training Fund.
When you give to the Education and Training Fund, your gift provides kids and youth in poverty with access to learning resources and educational opportunities to equip them for futures free from poverty. This includes textbooks and computers, as well as materials and tuition for vocational training, college or university. Worldwide, one in five kids are not in school and approximately 1 billion kids fell behind due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Your gift will make a transformative difference in the face of this staggering need.
Learn more about Gifts of Compassion funds at compassion.ca/blog/goc-funds.
Support new parents and caregivers as they welcome their baby into the world by providing the basic supplies to properly care for a newborn such as blankets, soap, lotion and diapers. This hand-delivered gift from Compassion centre staff provides caregivers with the essentials for their baby and helps them know they are supported, loved and not alone.
When you give a Newborn Care Package, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Moms and Babies Fund.
The first year of a child’s life is critical. COVID-19 has only made it harder for new parents to receive proper medical care for their newborns. With this gift, you can help ensure that new parents living in poverty have access to basic medical services for their baby in those crucial first 12 months.
When you give the gift of Baby Medical Care, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Moms and Babies Fund.
Proper nutrition is a critical need for moms and babies who live in extreme poverty. With this gift, you will provide a mother and her baby with six-months’ worth of supplemental food and nutrition which is vital to ensure that moms and babies not only survive, but thrive.
When you give the gift of Food for Mom and Baby, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Moms and Babies Fund.
The risks for expectant mothers in poverty are significant and tragically, maternal mortality rates are unacceptably high in low-resource settings. When you give this gift, you provide an expecting mother with the resources to ensure a healthy pregnancy and delivery such as medical care and regular check-ups, proper nutrition and the education she needs to welcome a healthy baby into the world.
When you give the gift of Pre-Natal Healthcare, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Moms and Babies Fund.
When you give to the Moms and Babies Fund, your gift provides tangible care and life-saving support to moms and babies living in poverty during the most critical time of life. This includes pre-natal healthcare, health checkups for both mother and baby, critical medical care, food for malnourished moms and babies, and the essentials for newborns. Most of the millions of children who die every year pass away in their first year of life from preventable causes. Your gift will make a life-saving difference for babies and families in poverty.
Learn more about Gifts of Compassion funds at compassion.ca/blog/goc-funds.
Give to our Where Most Needed Fund to enable our local church partners to respond to the most pressing needs of children and families living in poverty. Our church partners are uniquely positioned to know the needs of their communities and how to respond—your gift provides the resources they need to do so.
Buying a gift isn’t the only way to make an impact. You can start a personalized fundraiser for any of the six categories of needs in the Gifts of Compassion gift guide. It’s never been easier to multiply your impact.
For $41 per month, you can give a child everything they need to overcome poverty in all its forms. In our unique and proven child sponsorship model, every child is personally cared for by a local church that empowers them to flourish in all aspects of life as they are lifted out of spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty.
Each gift in our guide meets a real need of children and families living in poverty, identified by our local church partners around the world. These gifts are designed to allow children and families living in poverty to have the resources, security, health, skills and opportunities they need to overcome poverty and thrive now and into the future.
When you give a gift in honour of a loved one, you can download a card or request one be mailed to you to show your loved ones how their gift is transforming lives around the world!
When you give a gift that goes towards a fund, you are helping to meet some of the most common needs of the children and families we serve as identified by our local church partners.
Because these needs are so common, your gift could go to any one of our 8,000 local church partners around the world at any given time, depending on the needs. This ensures that your gift is given to the right family at the right time.
The word “fund” might make it sound like your gifts are sitting in a bucket somewhere, but rest assured it’s quite the opposite: fund gifts meet some of the most urgent needs identified by our local church partners.
Gifts that have a progress bar raise funds for a specific need in a specific community as identified by one or a small group of our local church partners. These gifts have a goal that shows exactly how much it will cost to fund the entire project or program.
Once a specific gift is fully funded and the need is met in full, we won’t be raising funds for it anymore. Instead, we’ll add new gifts as our local church partners express the needs of their communities or we’ll invite you to give towards other related gifts. That means not every gift you see in our gift guide will be available forever. So, if you see something you want to give towards, make sure to do it sooner than later!
Financial integrity matters to us. We take your trust seriously and are committed to faithfully stewarding the funds you give.
No less than 80 per cent of funds raised will be used for program activities. No more than 20 per cent will be used for fundraising and administration.
As one of the world's leading child development organizations, Compassion’s mission is to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name. Over the last 70 years, Compassion revolutionized the fight against global poverty by partnering with local churches to lift children out of spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty.
Today, Compassion partners with over 8,000 churches in 25 countries to deliver our proven child development program to more than 2 million infants, children and youth. Around the world, children, families and entire communities are being empowered to overcome poverty and thrive both now and into the future.
No less than 80 per cent of your donation will be used for program activities and a maximum of 20 per cent for fundraising and administration. If we exceed our funding goal for the initiative shown, the remaining funds will be used to fund other programs where the need is greatest.