Compassion International: Holistic Child Development through Sponsorship and Church Partnership

Abstract

Compassion International is a Christian, non-denominational, evidence-based, non-government child development organization active in 26 countries. At the heart of Compassion’s unique sponsorship approach is individual child development in partnership with local churches and international sponsors. Children are the most vulnerable and marginalized people group as a result of poverty, yet they represent the hope and the future for their families, communities and countries. The inherent plasticity and enormous potential of children offers remarkable opportunities for lasting societal change, but, conversely, failure to directly address both the effects and root causes of poverty in childhood, where cognitive, emotional and physiological effects can become irreversible, limits many poverty alleviation strategies. A key element of Compassion’s individual child development is the sponsor who is considered to be much more than a financial benefactor. Rather, he/she is an integral part of the development strategy and, in turn he/she is themselves developed through engagement with the work and the child.