Developing, discipling and equipping children for life
Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program is the heart of Compassion’s ministry to children living in poverty and aims to disciple, equip and enable children to develop into fulfilled and responsible adults. The Child Sponsorship Program is operated through a Child Development Centre which is run in partnership with a local church in the child’s community. Child sponsorship is a one-to-one relationship between a sponsor and a needy child living in desperate poverty in the developing world. The faithful financial support of the individual sponsor equips the child for the future by providing for their core needs – spiritually, economically, physically, socially and emotionally.
Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program offers: educational opportunities, including literacy and life skills training; health care and health education; and, if required, supplemental nutrition. Children are also given opportunities to hear and respond to the gospel.
The unique structure of the one-to-one sponsorship model allows sponsors and sponsored children to have input into each other’s lives by writing letters, and through prayer. Many Compassion sponsors also take the opportunity to visit their sponsored child.
Basic Sponsorship
Basic sponsorship costs A$44 per month which provides the child you sponsor with opportunities and services such as:
- Christian teaching*
- Learning opportunities – this can include school attendance, regular participation in alternative educational activities as well as opportunities to learn life skills.
- Health treatment and training – this includes regular physical examinations, dental care, vaccinations and referrals to appropriate medical professionals. It also includes instruction in physical and dental hygiene, exercise, nutrition and preventive health care strategies.
- Socio-emotional development – this includes opportunities for children to learn basic social skills, grow emotionally, be a part of a team, encourage and support one another, and participate in group activities that can include excursions, camps, art, drama and dance.
- Materials, supplies and activities – this can include hygiene supplies, project supplies, snacks and any necessary food or supplemental nutrition required, fees or associated costs of excursions, camps, drama, art and dance activities.
- Individualised care and attention – this consists of progress reports and attendance records, health records, home visits by social workers, and adult supervision in a safe and loving environment.
* Your sponsored child receives Christian teaching as part of the outreach ministry of the local church with whom Compassion partners to deliver and administer the program.
Sponsorship Plus
Sponsorship Plus costs A$56 per month and provides sponsored children with all the necessities of basic sponsorship.
Although Compassion does not guarantee that funds from Sponsorship Plus will directly benefit the child you sponsor, it is almost inevitable that your sponsored child will benefit from one of these initiatives or activities throughout their time in the Compassion program:
- Clean water (wells and water purification systems), toilets and hygiene
- Disaster relief following a natural disaster such as an earthquake or flood
- Education and training programs for parents of sponsored children
- Emergency medical care and/or surgery
- Extra nutritional support
- Extra support for orphans and highly vulnerable children
- HIV and AIDS initiatives—includes education, prevention and treatment
- Income generation for parents
- Infrastructure such as improvement to child development centres
- Immunisations and malaria prevention activities
- Support for registered children not yet sponsored
- Vocational training and non-formal education
Because funds are pooled the most critical needs are addressed first. The more funding we receive for Sponsorship Plus, the more Compassion Australia is able to commit to future support of these activities.
Find out just how far $12 extra a month can go.