Our Australian staff are working from home and would love to chat with you. If you have any questions or concerns about your sponsorship during this time, please give us a call on 1300 22 44 53 or email compassion@compassion.com.au.

Please understand that we are currently unable to meet in person.

The COVID-19 pandemic has caused delays in delivering sponsor letters to children in many of the countries where we work. This may be due to limited or no staff access to national offices and child development centres to process letters or government regulations restricting travelling to communities.

Sadly, this means that we can’t guarantee that your Christmas letter will reach your sponsored child in time for Christmas.

But we all know the incredible value of letters—words of love and encouragement and prayers create a special connection between children and sponsors all over the world.

So, rather than developing a Christmas letter template this year, our team have designed a new letter template that can be used at any time of year. This is available now in My Account. While we don’t know when your letter will reach your sponsored child, we do know that when it does, they will be filled with joy and encouragement as they read it.

You can stay up to date on what’s happening in your sponsored child’s country, including the status of letters, on our country pages.

Yes! Despite the challenges of the current pandemic, Compassion’s local church partners are committed to arranging a special Christmas gift for Compassion assisted child. This year, there are three different approaches local staff may take to deliver gifts:

1. In countries where the impact of COVID-19 is less widespread, local staff members hope to provide Christmas gifts the way they normally do. In this case, donations will be used to buy a tangible, thoughtful gift for each child and given to them during a Christmas celebration at their child development centre.
2. In other countries and communities where COVID-19 quarantines are still being enforced, donations will be given to children directly and safely. For example, a staff member or volunteer may deliver the gift to children’s homes while wearing a mask and gloves.
3. For families facing critical needs, gifts may be delivered directly as cash. That way, children's caregivers can decide how best to use the money to provide for their family.
   

Even if this year’s gift is providing for a necessity like hygiene supplies or food rather than a traditional Christmas toy, your sponsored child will know that he or she is loved and remembered.

You can set up your annual Christmas gift donation in My Account.

The process of purchasing and delivering Christmas gifts is different to the process of downloading, printing and delivering letters. To process Christmas letters, local staff need to be able to access national offices and child development centres and right now many are closed. However, this is not the case for organising and purchasing gifts as during the pandemic local church partners have the temporary option to deliver gifts as a direct cash disbursement rather than material goods if necessary.

All donations to the Compassion Overseas Aid and Development Fund of $2 or more are tax deductible in Australia. Funds will go towards the Disaster Relief Fund and will be delivered through local churches around the world to meet the most critical needs of Compassion assisted children, their families and communities in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. If funding exceeds COVID-19 response needs, gifts will be used in similar ways to respond to other disasters or where it is most needed.

Approximately 20 per cent of all donations is used for administration and fundraising.

When a birthday or family gift is given, Compassion’s normal process is to have a staff member consult with the family and then travel, purchase and deliver your gift. During this pandemic, however, that process creates additional burdens and dangers for Compassion field staff.

Because of that, we are now encouraging field staff to disburse monetary gifts to an appropriate, verified caregiver. This applies to family gifts and child gifts (including birthday and graduation gifts). During the pandemic, families may spend the gift on whatever they consider most important to meet family needs. The caregiver will be notified whether a gift has been designated as a child gift or family gift. The caregiver will decide the best use of the money, recognising that sometimes purchasing food or paying rent is in the best interest of a child.

Thank you letters will be delayed until children can safely return to their centres, however, photos will not be required to be fulfilled during the pandemic.

For those local church partners unable to do cash disbursements during this time, physical gifts will likely be delayed until centres are fully operational again.

Funds previously used at the child development centres are now being used to provide children and their families with necessities, including food, clean water, shelter, clothing, household items, medical care and trauma counselling. For example, in Honduras, local church partners came up with an emergency plan to purchase, pack and deliver groceries and other essential supplies to vulnerable families. In El Salvador, church staff members have delivered bottled water, non-perishable food items and hand sanitiser to family members who are unable to obtain or afford these items on their own. And in other countries, those who are ill are being supported with medicine, vitamins and health advice.