After investing many letters, photos and gifts into a relationship with your sponsored child, it can be devastating if they leave the Child Sponsorship Program before graduating. If your sponsored child's family withdraws them from the program, they will usually write a goodbye letter. However, sometimes this isn't possible. Please be aware, it can take up to three months for us to receive detailed information about their exit before passing on the details to you.

There are a number of reasons why a child might leave the program, including:

• The family relocates Just like families here, your child's family might move to a different area to pursue work opportunities, to be closer to other family members, because natural disaster has damaged their home or a myriad of other reasons. The family may no longer live close enough to the child development centre for the child to continue to attend.

• The child enters the workforce One of the goals of our program is to enable each child to complete their school education and find employment. However, some children leave school and the Compassion program early because they have found a suitable job. Local staff encourage the family to keep their child at school and in the program if at all possible, but ultimately respect the decision of the parents and the young person.

• The child leaves home Although our programs aim to release children to simply be children, sometimes their circumstances mean they enter the adult world earlier than we would have hoped. Their family situation may cause them to run away from home, they may get married early to conform to cultural expectations, or social circumstances may result in them moving away from home to seek employment.

• Religious opposition Some communities are strongly divided by religion. Even when families are in great need, social pressure causes some non-Christian parents to withdraw their child from the Compassion program, which is operated by the local church, usually on the church premises. Strong relationships and a deep understanding of their communities usually mean that local churches are able to serve children from all backgrounds and build strong reputations, but some families choose not to have their child attend, or take them out of the program once they reach a particular age.

• The family situation improves One of the best reasons for a child leaving the program is because their family no longer needs Compassion's help. Your assistance over the years may have helped the family to become self-sustaining. Previously unemployed parents may have found work, or their financial situation may have improved in some other way.

• Sometimes, despite our love and support, children die from illness or accidents When a sponsored child dies, their families, friends, program staff and sponsors all grieve. The sad reality is that children living in poor communities are more at risk of childhood death. If this unfortunate situation were to occur, please know you will be contacted as soon as possible by the team Compassion Australia.

Sometimes, we do not know the reasons why a child leaves the program. If a child is absent from the program for more than four consecutive weeks, Compassion staff will visit the child's family to find out why, and encourage the family to continue sending their child to the child development centre if possible. If your child has left the program and you would like more information, please contact us by email at compassion@compassion.com.au or call 1300 22 44 53.

You can:

• Learn more about the Child Sponsorship Program
• Contact us to talk more