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Highly Vulnerable Children

Highly Vulnerable Children

For the world’s most vulnerable children, life can be a struggle for survival and safety

Give to protect children living in high-risk situations

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Every child in poverty is vulnerable, but some children are at risk of the most deplorable situations in the world.

Why Highly Vulnerable Children is so important

150 million children live on the street

150 million children live on the street

Trafficking victims in Africa

In Africa, 7 in 10 trafficking victims are children

World-wide child labour

168 million child labourers worldwide

Ethiopian orphans

4.5 million orphans in Ethiopia alone

Sources: UNESCO; UNODC; ILO; Huffington Post

Children whose parents have left, died, or are unable to provide for them, children exposed to exploitation and children with special needs are highly vulnerable. They often find themselves on the edge of extremely dangerous situations like child labour, gang violence, trafficking, and life on the street.

Through generous supporters, Compassion’s Highly Vulnerable Children fund offers a lifeline to children in our programs facing unthinkable hardship. The fund goes beyond the normal response of sponsorship to provide the additional safety and care these children require. This could include:

  • Immediate housing arrangements where needed
  • Nutritional supplements and provision of food
  • Essential living supplies such as bedding, clothes and house supplies
  • Trauma counselling and psychological or social support
  • Legal support in the case of human rights violations

Through your support, these precious children are pulled from the brink of unacceptable situations and given the extra care, nurturing and love they need.

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

Highly Vulnerable Children Stories

Feature Story
16 Apr, 2024

Never Forsaken: Vicky’s Story

From a young age Vicky was abused by her father and her eldest sibling. Her mother later abandoned her, leaving her in the care of her grandmother. Even when those who should have loved her the most abandoned her, God did not... Read more

13 Nov, 2020

Gifts that Keep Giving!

What gifts can I give this year that are sustainable, ethical and have a lasting impact? Christmas gifts that keep giving... Read more

10 Jun, 2020

What is Albinism? Five Things You Should Know

Born with albinism, Selinah, Grace, and Yona face real challenges. Here are five things they want you to know... Read more

FAQs

  • What is Critical Needs?

    The effects of poverty are devastating and affect every area of a child's life. Compassion's Child Sponsorship Program sets the foundation for life-changing opportunities for every registered child. But every child will, at some point, require help beyond sponsorship's reach.

    Critical Needs provides the additional support necessary for Compassion assisted children to be released from poverty in Jesus' name. Through Critical Needs, supporters like you who are passionate about particular issues, such as safe water, or caring for mothers and babies, can help children most in need worldwide, or support specific projects in vulnerable communities. There are nine Critical Needs areas that you can choose to support, each area addressing an essential aspect of a child's health and development.  

    The nine Critical Needs are:

    • Water and Sanitation
    • Mums and Babies
    • Health
    • Education and Training
    • Infrastructure
    • Highly Vulnerable Children
    • Income Generation
    • Disaster Relief
    • Where Most Needed

    Because we believe that poverty is best addressed through the transformation of the individual child, Critical Needs provides support alongside Compassion's Child Sponsorship Program, not as stand-alone community development activities.

  • Can I sponsor a specific mother and child in Compassion Mums and Babies?

    While you can now sponsor a child from age one through Compassion's Child Sponsorship Program, we cannot offer one-to-one sponsorship of mums and babies before a child's first birthday. Compassion Mums and Babies provides urgent survival support for young families in crisis situations. In a child's first year of life, Compassion staff are focused on helping babies survive and families adjust to life with their new arrival. Once the critical first year is over, Compassion staff can turn their attention to child development and establishing the invaluable one-to-one sponsorship relationships that help children grow in confidence and have hope for their future.

    Donations of any amount to Compassion Mums and Babies are graciously received. You will be providing young families with critical support during the vulnerable prenatal months and first year of life.

    Alternatively, Compassion's Child Sponsorship Program is specifically designed for one-to-one sponsorship, offering children and sponsors the opportunity to benefit from a two-way relationship.

    You can:

    • Give to Mums and Babies
    • Sponsor a child
    • Learn more about the Child Sponsorship Program
  • 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
  • What is Compassion's Highly Vulnerable Children fund?

    Compassion's Highly Vulnerable Children fund offers a lifeline to children in Compassion's programs facing unthinkable hardship and living in high-risk situations.

    This includes: children who have been orphaned (or youth-headed households), children whose primary caregiver is incapacitated, children who have suffered abuse or exploitation, and children with special needs.

    Together with the local church, Compassion identifies children in highly vulnerable situations and provide them with specialised care and assistance to ensure they are stabilised and can continue to participate in Compassion's program.

    Examples of help given to these children can include: immediate housing arrangements, trauma counselling, nutritional support and provision of every day needs, legal assistance and renovations to structures and shelters.

    The Highly Vulnerable Children fund goes beyond the response of sponsorship to ensure children are kept safe and continue to be given opportunities to grow and develop without facing immediate risks to their safety and well-being.

  • Why does the cost to support an entire Mums and Babies survival project vary between countries?

    The care that families receive from Mums and Babies is specific to them, and differs between countries based on children’s needs and the availability and accessibility of government or other support services. This means the cost to support an entire Mums and Babies survival project also varies between countries ($15,000 - $25,000 per year), and has been determined by the price of local services, families' specific needs and currency conversions.

    For example, in Thailand, free universal healthcare is available to families—but not always accessible, especially in remote areas. Instead of replacing existing services, your support empowers Compassion staff to assess and meet each family’s individual and most urgent needs. For children in Thailand, this includes providing educational and health support to increase rates of breastfeeding, helping to prevent undernutrition and stunting for newborns.

    You can support Mums and Babies for $12 per month or another amount of your choosing. You can also give through a one-off financial contribution. These contributions are pooled to support mothers and babies all around the world.

    If you are interested in supporting an entire Mums and Babies survival project, please contact us.

    You can:

    • Give to Mums and Babies
    • Contact us for more information
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compassion@compassion.com.au
1300 22 44 53

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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.