Global food crisis icon icon

Global Food Crisis

Backyard farms are a sustainable way to fight hunger. But many families in poverty who are facing acute food insecurity lack the resources to start a backyard farm for themselves. With your gift, you will empower a family in poverty by providing education, seeds, fertilizer and tools to help them create and sustain their own backyard farm.

When you give Backyard Farming, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Global Food Crisis Fund.

The global food crisis is the worst hunger emergency the world has seen in decades. For those who are living in extreme poverty, the crisis is pushing them to the brink of starvation. When you give to the Global Food Crisis Fund, you will fill hungry bellies through meals and food packs, combat malnutrition through intentional care and provide the resources families need to start a backyard farm as a sustainable and ongoing source of food. Learn more about Gifts of Compassion funds on our blog.

Our world is facing a global food crisis and it is the most vulnerable who experience the harshest impact. Families in poverty have been thrust into food insecurity and are facing acute hunger, sometimes with as little as one small meal a day. With your gift, you can provide a food pack to a family in Guatemala, giving them essentials like rice, oils, beans, flour, corn and more.

When you give an Emergency Food Pack in Guatemala, the impact of your gift will be multiplied thanks to a matching gift of $3,000 from a generous donor.

Learn more about the impact of emergency food packs on our blog.

Our world is facing a global food crisis and it is the most vulnerable who experience the harshest impact. Families in poverty have been thrust into food insecurity and are facing acute hunger, sometimes with as little as one small meal a day. With your gift, you can provide a food pack to a family in Thailand, giving them essentials like rice, oils, eggs, noodles, meat and more.

When you give an Emergency Food Pack in Thailand, the impact of your gift will be multiplied thanks to a matching gift of $40,000 from two generous donors.

Learn more about the impact of emergency food packs on our blog.

Our world is facing a global food crisis and it is the most vulnerable who experience the harshest impact. Families in poverty have been thrust into food insecurity and are facing acute hunger, sometimes with as little as one small meal a day. With your gift, you can provide a food pack to a family in Togo, giving them essentials like rice, oils, beans, flour, corn and more.

Learn more about the impact of emergency food packs on our blog.

Our world is facing a global food crisis and it is the most vulnerable who experience the harshest impact. Families in poverty have been thrust into food insecurity and are facing acute hunger, sometimes with as little as one small meal a day. With your gift, you can provide a food pack to a family in need. Each food pack includes essentials like rice, oils, oats, milk, corn and meat.

Learn more about the impact of emergency food packs on our blog.

When you give a Food Pack for a Family, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Global Food Crisis Fund.

Amidst a global food crisis, the reality of trying to put food on the table can feel like a challenge with no reprieve for those who live in poverty. The gift of a meal helps caregivers fill hungry stomachs and provides tangible hope to families amidst this daily struggle.

When you give a Meal for a Family, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Global Food Crisis Fund.

For a child living in extreme poverty, a diet lacking in protein, fruits and vegetables is all too common. This is exacerbated when facing a global food crisis, with acute food insecurity more prevalent than ever. Help fight malnutrition in the life of a child by providing supplemental, protein-rich food, vitamins and medical care to help them grow healthy and strong.

When you give Food for Malnourished Children, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Global Food Crisis Fund.

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Income Generation

Cows are a secure source of food and livelihood for families living in poverty. The milk they produce helps to supplement a family’s diet and can also be sold to provide additional income. Families who receive a cow also receive the training and equipment necessary to sustainably care for a cow.

When you give a Cow, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Income Generation Fund.

This gift provides mothers and female caregivers in Guatemala with the tools to utilize their skills, increase their knowledge of business management and generate income so that they can help improve the quality of life for their families and positively impact their communities. Equipping women with what they need to ensure their children are cared for is a gift with huge impact.

When you give Entrepreneurial Skills for Women, the impact of your gift will be multiplied thanks to a matching gift of $60,000 from two generous donors.

Learning employable skills can make all the difference to a family in poverty. Tailoring is an accessible and practical skill that opens more opportunities for caregivers to provide for their families. This gift teaches tailoring to 100 caregivers in Rwanda so that they can create a stable income and contribute to their communities.

Goats help provide a livelihood for families living in poverty by producing milk to both consume and sell. When they reproduce, families can sell a goat to provide for other household needs. This gift also includes 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.

Learn more about the impact of vegetable seeds on our blog.

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. With this gift, families also receive the training and equipment needed to sustainably raise chickens.

When you give Chickens, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Income Generation Fund.

When you give to the Income Generation Fund, you provide families living in poverty with resources to earn an income: things like livestock, seeds, skills training and more. This is a gift that keeps on giving, as it helps families overcome the desperation that lack of skills, resources and opportunities creates, and gives them the stability they need to build a future.

Learn more about Gifts of Compassion funds on our blog.

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 and equips them with a sustainable source of food and income.

  • Goats x2 – $100
  • Pigs – $200
  • Chickens – $40
  • Vegetable Seeds – $50

When you give the gift of Fill the Yard, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Income Generation Fund.

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Education and Training

Many youth around the world lack opportunities to receive higher or vocational education because of the realities of poverty. This gift provides 40 students in Nicaragua with baking and pastry-making training that will give them the skills they need to become self-sufficient in the future and live a life free of poverty.  

In many parts of the world, girls are sadly still not afforded the same educational opportunities as boys. In Togo, many young girls who are passionate about science and technology are not able to pursue an education in the field due to ongoing prejudices and lack of funds. With this gift, you will provide 20 girls in Togo with tuition and learning materials to complete a bachelor’s degree in a science and technology field. 

Learn more about the impact of this gift on our blog.

Youth living in poverty are at risk of child abuse, exploitation, drug addiction and violence. Many live in areas dominated by gangs and crime. Sadly, many of these youth may not receive enough guidance and counselling at home to make better decisions about their well-being. This gift provides young people in El Salvador with training in leadership, focusing specifically on one-on-one discipleship, Bible study and youth gatherings. Through this training, young people will have the opportunity to become agents of change in their communities.

Families living in poverty often must choose between sending their child to school or providing for their other basic needs. On top of the tuition fees that they cannot afford comes additional costs like uniforms, books, supplies and food. This gift provides 29 children in Togo with tuition fees and other education resources they need to successfully complete their higher education.

For families living in poverty, education for their children is a luxury many cannot afford. This often means that students must be dismissed from school or must drop out, especially as they reach higher grades. This gift will ensure that 50 students in Kenya have the opportunity to successfully complete their high school education, empowering them to receive further education, jobs and other opportunities that will enable them to provide for their families and change their lives and communities.

When you give High School Scholarships in Kenya, the impact of your gift will be multiplied thanks to matching gifts of $56,000 from two generous donors.

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 a child’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, you will provide children and youth in poverty with access to learning resources and educational opportunities to equip them for futures free from poverty. This includes textbooks, computers, tuition for vocational training, college or university and other essential learning materials.

Learn more about Gifts of Compassion funds on our blog.

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Moms & Babies

Empowering moms is crucial to breaking the cycle of poverty. With this gift, you will provide moms with the training and tools they need to develop new skills and enhance old ones so they can confidently secure jobs that will help them provide for their families. When moms are equipped and empowered, they can make better decisions and choices for themselves and their families.

Learn more about the impact of this gift on our blog.

When you give the gift of Job Skills Training for Moms, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Moms and Babies Fund.

Many new moms and caregivers living in poverty aren’t equipped with the essential items needed to care for a newborn baby. With this gift, you will provide caregivers with the basic supplies they need—items like blankets, soap, lotion and diapers—to ensure their baby is healthy and thriving. This hand-delivered gift from Compassion centre staff help new caregivers 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. Without proper medical care and growth monitoring, irreversible damage can be done. With this gift, you can help ensure that new parents living in poverty have access to basic medical services for their baby in those first critical 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. But with this gift, you can provide an expectant mother with the resources she needs to ensure a healthy pregnancy and delivery—resources such as medical care and regular check-ups, proper nutrition and education.

When you give the gift of Prenatal Healthcare, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Moms and Babies Fund.

Did you know that most of the millions of children who die every year pass away in their first year of life from preventable causes? When you give to the Moms and Babies Fund, you can change this tragic reality. Your gift will provide tangible care and life-saving support for moms and babies living in poverty. This includes prenatal healthcare, checkups, critical medical care, desperately needed food and essentials for newborns.

Learn more about Gifts of Compassion funds on our blog.

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Health & Wellness

Douglas is a 10-year-old boy from Nicaragua who has been diagnosed with Perthes disease. A rare childhood condition that affects the hip, Perthes disease requires diligent medical care to ensure that Douglas can have restored use of his leg and improved quality of life. Due to the advanced stages of this disease, Douglas uses a wheelchair, which impacts his life in significant ways. With your gift, you will help Douglas receive hip surgery as well as the pre- and post-surgery care he needs to thrive for the rest of his life.
For girls in poverty, managing their menstrual health safely and with dignity is accompanied by many obstacles. This impacts their health, education, social life, self-esteem and more. Dignity, knowledge, safety and resources are essential for young women to thrive. This gift ensures that girls are educated, empowered and equipped to manage their menstrual health so they can thrive.

Did you know that diseases carried by mosquitos such as 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 provides 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. This is exacerbated when facing a global food crisis, with acute food insecurity more prevalent than ever. Help fight malnutrition in the life of a child by providing supplemental, protein-rich food, vitamins and medical care to help them grow healthy and strong.

When you give Food for Malnourished Children, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Global Food Crisis Fund.

Help provide vulnerable families in Compassion’s care with desperately needed hygiene items to stay healthy and prevent disease. 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.

When you give to the Health and Wellness Fund, you are providing children and their families with the resources that meet their most critical health needs. Preventative health initiatives are incredibly important to help keep children healthy. This fund covers things such as menstrual health resources, 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 on our blog.

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Water, Sanitation and Hygiene

For children and families living in the Sebei region of Uganda, accessing safe water is a significant challenge. For the children who attend the Ngenge Compassion Centre this challenge is no different. With the gift of a water well, you will help the 488 children who attend the centre, as well as their families and community, have direct access to a clean and safe water source to keep them healthy and thriving.

Water, sanitation and hygiene are some of our most basic needs, and a lack of access to them can be deadly. With this gift, you will ensure that children around the world have clean water to drink, the ability to practice good hygiene and protection from deadly diseases through things such as washrooms, hand washing stations and hygiene education.

Learn more about Gifts of Compassion funds on our blog.

Proper hygiene has a big impact on the lives of children. Hygiene practices prevent many diseases and help maintain good health.  With this gift, you will provide hygiene-related education for children and their families, helping them learn how to use the resources available to maintain their overall wellbeing. 

When you give Hygiene Education, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Fund.

Water is essential to life. This means that access to clean water is a right that every child should have. With your gift, you can ensure that children are able to have easy, consistent and safe access to clean water through boreholes, wells, rainwater harvesting systems or water filters. With solutions that fit with each child’s context for maximum impact, this gift helps children not just survive, but thrive.

When you give Access to Clean Water, your gift will go to the Gifts of Compassion Water, Sanitation and Hygiene Fund. 

Did you know that more than half of the global population doesn’t have access to safe sanitation facilities? Access to a clean washroom is key in 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, Sanitation and Hygiene Fund.

Did you know that hand washing could prevent more than a million unnecessary deaths for children under the age of five each year? It is crucial for children to regularly wash their hands in order to stay healthy. 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, Sanitation and Hygiene Fund.

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Safety & Stability

In August 2021, a powerful 7.2 magnitude earthquake struck the southwest of Haiti, causing enormous losses among Haitian families, including the livelihoods of many. This devastation occurred while the region was still recovering from Hurricane Matthew, which hit in 2016. With this gift, you will help families who have lost their businesses through these disasters to restart, rebuild and recover their livelihoods. 

During the ongoing global food crisis, which continues to cause food scarcity and increased food costs, Compassion centres are becoming a vital place for children in poverty to access food and nutrition. This gift provides secure and safe dining spaces with a potable water system for two local Compassion centres in Indigenous communities in Colombia, equipping these centres to provide meals to more than 1,200 Indigenous children.

Learn more about the impact of this gift on our blog.

For many families living in poverty, access to a power supply is often limited. Because of this, families spend much of their hard-earned resources on inefficient and dangerous alternatives like candles, kerosene and batteries. Additionally, significant inequality exists in access to electricity between rural and urban areas. Solar power has the potential to alleviate these massive expenses, reduce risk and keep families connected. With this gift, you will provide 20 families in rural Peru with electricity generation through solar panels, leading to improved quality of life and health and education outcomes.

Learn more about the impact of this gift on our blog.

Poverty increases a child’s risk of abuse, trafficking, child marriage, child labour and other forms of exploitation. During times of crisis, 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. 

Quality of housing has a significant impact on overall health and well-being. Many Tanzanian families living in poverty are living in homes with mould, pests and rodents, which can lead to adverse health conditions. Many of their homes are also made of tree branches, mud, cow dung, ashes and thatched grass, with no windows and very small doors, making ventilation very limited. With this gift, you will help rebuild safe and sustainable homes for families in Tanzania.

When you give to the Safety and Stability Fund, you will provide vital essentials such as housing support and infrastructure improvements to families and communities in need, often in the aftermath of crises or environmental disasters. This fund also supports caregivers and communities in accessing training such as child protection workshops, ensuring safer communities where children are known, loved and protected.

Learn more about Gifts of Compassion funds on our blog.

Can't decide?

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.

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Frequently Asked Questions

How does Gifts of Compassion work?

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 send an e-card to you to show your loved ones how their gift is transforming lives around the world! 

Read more about Gifts of Compassion

What does it mean when my gift goes towards a “fund”?

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.

Read more about fund gifts

Why do some gifts have a progress bar and others do not?

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!

Read more about specific gifts

Where can I learn about Compassion’s financial integrity?

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.

Learn more about our finances

Who is Compassion?

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 27 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. 

Learn more about Compassion

Progress Circle

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.