About group visits
With Group Visits, Compassion will coordinate all logistics related to the day your group members meet and get acquainted with the children they sponsor. Travellers, however, are responsible for arranging all international travel details outside of the visit day. If you are not comfortable travelling on your own, we encourage you to consider joining one of Compassion’s Exposure Trips.
When you are ready to arrange a visit, submit a Group Visit Request Form. Meeting your Compassion children in person will create a marvelous memory for everyone involved. We will be thrilled to assist you on this wonderful journey!
Arranging your visit
An Individual Custom Visit is when one sponsor visits one or more children they sponsor. The sponsor may bring other family or friends as guests on their visit. A Group Visit is when two or more sponsors are visiting two or more children whom they sponsor separately. If you have an individual visit, please fill out the form on this page.
Not sure what request form to fill out? See our helpful FAQs.
Important information
- Eight weeks’ advance notice: Compassion requests that you submit a visit request form with a minimum of eight weeks’ notice prior to the date of your visit.
- Visits Are Typically Conducted Monday through Friday: Visits are typically limited to weekdays during regular business hours.
- Visit locations: Our field office will recommend the best location and activities for the visit, considering your personal preferences. The typical sponsored-child visit may include time at your child’s home and Compassion child development centre, a meal together and a visit to local attraction such as a park or zoo.
- Starting the process: Once you have firm dates for arriving in the country and have selected a weekday date when you would like your group to visit with Compassion children, please fill out a Group Visit Request Form to initiate your visit process.
How it works
- Review process: A Visit Specialist will review your request form and send your group’s designated contact person a document to return to us with each group member’s name and email address. Once that is completed, your Visit Specialist will then send each person in your group an email with a link to register for your visit and complete some necessary documents.
- Necessary Documents: Each adult visitor (legal age in your province) must complete a background check, and every visitor (both adult and minor) must sign the release form.
- International travel arrangements: When you have registered, and everyone in your party has completed all the visit requirements, your Visit Specialist will submit your request to our National Office in the country you are travelling to. Although no visit date can be guaranteed in advance, Compassion will make every effort to arrange your visit accordingly. If you decide to make travel arrangements (such as purchasing flight tickets) in advance, and your visit is subsequently declined by our field office, Compassion is not responsible for your costs.
- Admin Fee: In order to cover the administrative costs associated with planning your visit, there is an admin fee of $70 for the main contact and $20 for any adult guests. Instructions on how to pay this will be provided to you by your Field Experience Planner.
- Arranging logistics: When everyone in your party has completed all the visit requirements, your Visit Specialist will begin communicating with local staff to arrange the logistics.
Cost and expenses
- Cost estimate: The expenses involved in a Group Visit depend on the logistics necessary, and may include transportation, host/translator services, activities, and meals on your visit day. We are unable to provide an estimate of your visit day costs prior to submitting your request because each visit is unique, and only our co-workers in the country where your Compassion children live are able to provide an accurate estimate of the costs. Once you have registered, and everyone in your party has completed all the visit requirements, your Visit Specialist will submit your request and the field office will provide an estimate of any anticipated costs specific to your visit arrangements.
- Detailed itinerary: When the information is received from the field office, your Visit Specialist will send an email containing a detailed itinerary, an explanation of expenses that each group member will need to pay during your group visit.
- Confirmations and trip contacts Once the field has arranged your visit and you have confirmed the details, your Visit Specialist will send a final confirmation to the designated contact person with contact information for your in-country host, as well as any other relevant contact details for the field office staff.
- Important guidelines/policies: Please read our Custom Visit Guidelines and our Expense and Cancellation Policy prior to submitting your visit request.
- FAQs: If you have additional questions, please refer to our Custom Visit FAQs, filled with commonly asked questions. We also welcome your questions by phone at 1-800-563-5437 or by email at fieldexperience@compassion.ca.