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Disaster Relief

Disaster Relief

When disaster strikes, local Compassion staff are often the first to respond.

Give to help children and families devastated by disasters

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There is no such thing as disaster insurance when you live in poverty.

Why Disaster Relief is so important

Disaster frequency

In the past 30 years, the frequency and impact of natural disasters has quadrupled

From 2000-2012 1.2 million have been killed by natural disaster

From 2000-2012 1.2 MILLION have been killed by natural disaster

People affected by natural disaster

The number of people affected globally by natural disasters has risen by an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 per decade since the early 1970s

Low-income countries affected by disasters

It is estimated that since 1980, low-income countries accounted for only 9 percent of global disasters but 48 percent of global-disaster reported fatalities. This is due to the fact that developing countries often suffer from poor physical infrastructure and lack systems to cope with weather-related events, such as drought and flooding

Sources: Child Fund; APPS; UNISDR; World Bank

When earthquakes cause buildings to crumble and floods sweep everything away, it is children who are the hardest hit. Their most basic needs are threatened, and every sense of protection and security is stripped away.

Through our generous supporters, local churches and Compassion staff are often the first to respond when disaster strikes. Compassion works to assist in the relief and rehabilitation that is vital for restoring children and families in our programs after a disaster. Support is provided on two fronts:

  • Relief activities include the provision of emergency food and water, temporary shelters, personal items, cooking utensils, trauma counselling and spiritual support.
  • Rehabilitation activities include clothing and school supplies, replacing household items, restoring livelihood items and continued counselling and support, if needed.

Your support allows effective and quick response when disaster threatens the safety and stability of Compassion assisted children and their families.

To stay up to date on current natural disasters and crises, please see our crisis reports page.

For every $1 donated

80% goes to program, 20% to administration

80%

Program development and delivery

80% goes to program, 20% to administration

20%

Administration and fundraising costs

See exactly where your money goes keyboard_arrow_right

Disaster Relief Stories

Feature Story
25 Jun, 2020

Four Ways COVID-19 Will Undo Child Development Progress

Millions of children have escaped poverty in the past few decades, but the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to undo much of that progress. So what are the risks that children face—and how can we respond?.. Read more

07 May, 2020

Born in Quarantine: 5 Beautiful Photos of Newborns Around the World

Quarantine comes with many challenges—especially if you're about to deliver a baby! Find out how these five beautiful newborns were brought into the world during the COVID-19 pandemic... Read more

17 Apr, 2020

How Do Pandemics Affect the Poor?

For the children and their families living in poverty, social distancing and access to medical care can be difficult. This means that during a pandemic, the poor are unevenly affected and among the most vulnerable. .. Read more

FAQs

  • What are the current ways of supporting Mums and Babies?

    You can support Mums and Babies in a number of ways, either with a once-only donation or ongoing support.

    Here are some of the ways you can choose to give:  

    • A once-off donation of your choice to Mums and Babies will support young families worldwide and provide emergency care for vulnerable children.

    • $12 per month, contributed to Compassion's Critical Needs alongside child sponsorship, supports Mums and Babies globally and provides emergency care for vulnerable children.

    • A $20 once-off donation for a Care for a New Mum Gift of Compassion™, which will be used where support is most needed.

    • A $40 once-off donation for a baby essentials kit through GIFTSOFCOMPASSION™ gives a mum all the necessary supplies to care for her newborn, such as blankets and soaps.

    • A $260 once-off donation for a Start of Life Bundle. This GIFTSOFCOMPASSION™ provides an expectant mum living in poverty with crucial ante and postnatal care.

    • $15,000 once-off donation through Gifts of Compassion™ will nurture a Mums and Babies survival project in a specific community and provide life-saving support to vulnerable mothers and their babies.

  • What is Mums and Babies?

    Compassion Mums and Babies gives young children critical support during the vulnerable prenatal months and first year of life. It cares for mums and their little ones in their own homes, the centre of their lives.

    Combining Compassion’s expertise and the local church’s loving support, Mums and Babies aims to prevent premature death, secure good health and enable positive development for babies and their mothers in over 25 developing countries.

    Your support provides:

    Home-based care for mothers and babies, with perinatal specialists visiting families monthly to offer healthcare, education and emotional support.

    Advocacy for mums to ensure they are treated fairly by local services and can access the essential support they need to thrive, including medical care and birth attendants.

    Community support networks that bring mothers together to combat isolation, learn new ways of earning an income and provide each other with long-term support.

    Compassion centres, where mothers can always turn for support, learning opportunities and expert advice on how to monitor their child’s healthy development.

    When a child turns one year old, the focus shifts from survival to early childhood development, and the child is eligible to join Compassion's Child Sponsorship Program while continuing to receive personalised home-based care until age three.

    You can:

    • Give to Mums and Babies
    • Learn more about Compassion's Child Sponsorship Program
  • How much does it cost to support Critical Needs?

    The recommended amount to give to one Critical Need is $12 per month. However, you can give any amount of your choosing through either options of one-off or monthly giving. The giving options are flexible, so you have the freedom to support the areas you are most passionate about through Critical Needs.

    You can:

    • Give to Critical Needs
  • How does Critical Needs work with Child Sponsorship?

    Critical Needs and the Child Sponsorship Program work side-by-side to equip Compassion's local church partners with the resources to provide holistic support and long-term, customised solutions for children, their families and communities. While the Child Sponsorship Program connects one child with one sponsor, Critical Needs giving is not directed to one child, but provides essential support to thousands of Compassion registered children when they need it most. Every child will benefit from Critical Needs during their time in Compassion’s program, as sponsorship funds alone are not sufficient to cover the varied and often urgent needs of the children we support.

    You can choose to support children globally through Critical Needs or fund an entire project in a specific community. These projects are both reactive and proactive and could include water filters to provide safe water to a community, reconstruction of homes after natural disasters, or income generating activities for adolescents and children's caregivers. The right assistance is identified and provided by the local church in partnership with Compassion.

    You can:

    • Give to Critical Needs
    • Sponsor a child
  • Can I give to Critical Needs if I do not sponsor a child?

    Yes, you can give to Critical Needs if you do not sponsor a child. Critical Needs is essential to overcoming obstacles for children living in poverty and your donation to Critical Needs will go towards helping thousands of children. Choose an area of need that you are most passionate about meeting, and then all you need to do is decide whether your donation is a once-only or a recurring gift. Thank you for your partnership to share a hope more powerful than poverty!

    You can:

    • Give to Critical Needs
    • Sponsor a child
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compassion@compassion.com.au
1300 22 44 53

30 Warabrook Boulevard,
Warabrook NSW 2304 Australia

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Compassion Australia
ABN: 67 001 692 566
Authorised to fundraise in NSW (CFN/10658), VIC (FR0010734), QLD (CH1569), SA (CCP2632), TAS (F1A-208) and WA (20740). No authority to fundraise is required in the ACT or NT.