Does Child Sponsorship Really Matter? | Compassion International

Have you ever wondered, “Does Child Sponsorship through Compassion International really make a difference?” Well, today’s post is for you.

I have shared many times over the years my love and passion for Compassion International. This is an organization my family and I have personally invested in for nearly 8 years. In 2017, on my third trip to Kenya, I actually had the opportunity to visit a Compassion Project and see, first hand, the work that Compassion is doing. I knew that Compassion was an incredible organization, but I did not realize the extent to which it is an organization that is literally changing lives all over the world.

Did you know that in the past 20 years, HALF of the world’s population living in global poverty has been LIFTED out of poverty? We’ve seen incredible improvements… but we have a long way to go.

Compassion International is one of the oldest and most reputable nonprofits that specializes in the area of child sponsorship – they focus on the holistic physical, spiritual, mental, and emotional health and well being of the child. Providing education, food, resources, and love – all in the name of Jesus.

For years, I honestly had this idea in my mind that when you donate money to a child sponsorship organization, it’s really just disappearing… the money isn’t going to impact the child… it’s all going to overhead fees… it’s just going to pay for travel or unnecessary expenses. Nope! Not at all. In fact, of the $38 a month on average a sponsor donates, on average $33 or MORE goes DIRECTLY to address the needs of THAT child.

This isn’t lip service. I’ve seen it for myself and know countless stories of lives changed through this organization.

These are images I took in the Compassion Project in Kenya I visited. We were able to meet the kids, meet the director of the project, hear about their progress, and see all they are doing! Maureen (pictured right, above) is a dear friend of mine who actually WAS a Compassion child herself! She has now grown up and oversees Mercy House Global in Kenya. She’s an incredible woman of God… more of her story is later in this post.

Below are the binders for each child – their school work – letters to and from their sponsors…

These are the notebooks their letters are written in…

An idea of what the Compassion Project focuses on…

My family and I have sponsored a few children through Compassion International over the past few years. Getting our letters each month, communicating with our sponsee, talking to our kids about them, and so much more, means the world to us! It really is truly making a difference in their lives and OUR lives.

With all that is going on in the world, for a little over $1 a day, you can help a child in poverty get access to education, clean water, meals, and stability in their lives. This program is keeping families TOGETHER.

Now, I know I could talk about this all day… but I actually asked a few friends of mine who are Compassion sponsors and have all had the opportunity to MEET their sponsored children and I asked them to share THEIR experience with you.

*ALL photos in this post are shared with knowledge and permission!*

Read their stories:

“I’ve been a Compassion sponsor for the 4 years. When my daughter was 3 we attending a Compassion experience at our church and we decided to pick out a baby brother. At the time, Prince (my sponsored child) was 3 as well, but his birthday was after my daughter’s so technically she was the big sister. I wasn’t sure what to expect but I have been so blessed by the experience. Over the last 4 years, we’ve watched Prince grow so much. He’s attending school and getting medical care when needed, all due to my small monthly donation. I was fortunate to meet Prince, this past January when I attended a missions trip in Kenya and it was the best part of the trip. I literally cried like a baby when I met him. I hugged him like he was my own son. To see this healthy boy and know that I was able to make a difference in his life, truly changed me. I knew in my head that my money was benefiting him, but I learned in my heart that he and his family were also blessed by my sponsorship. This experience has helped me teach my daughter the importance of caring for people, not only in the US but around the world. As a result we’ve sponsored another child…a little girl in Thailand. We’ve had her for almost 2 years. I am so impressed by the work performed by Compassion International.” –Luaskya N., Compassion sponsor for 4 years.

“Thanks to Compassion sponsorship, our family now extends beyond borders and across languages. The relationships we’ve developed through visiting the projects and meeting the children firsthand have blessed us beyond description.” -Monique B., Compassion sponsor for 15 years.

“Our family has had the joy of being part of the Compassion family and sponsoring Eunice for 10 years now. Watching her grow from a shy little girl whose family we later learned from community leaders was considered the poorest family in the village, to a confident young lady now attending high school with dreams of becoming a teacher and impacting children in her community, has been such a joy for us! We have had the privilege of bringing our children to Kenya and spending time with Eunice several times over the years, and going to visit her in her home and meeting her family, which has just been a great opportunity for our children to develop a global world view and be reminded how we can all be a part of impacting the lives of others! The Compassion project leaders in Kenya are so committed to caring for each child individually and each visit we see detailed reports of Eunice’s progress, from school reports, doctor visits, how she is growing spiritually, and little things like receipts for every dollar sent for family gifts. One of our favorite story is how a family gift we sent was used to purchase a goat, which gave birth and the baby goat was sold to pay school fees for Eunice’s brothers and sisters, and we even got to meet the goat! As a family, being a Compassion sponsor family has been so impactful in helping put a real name and a real face with the word “third world poverty” and understanding the reality that through sharing a small amount of our resources each month, we can actually be a part of helping Compassion and the local church rescue a child from poverty in the name of Jesus!” –Amy Lynn K., Compassion sponsor for 10 years.

“My family has sponsored a child through Compassion for four years and after meeting her in January of this year it solidified our why! Our sponsorship allows her to stay with her loving family, receive the benefits of Compassion while learning and growing at school and in her relationship with Jesus. She has embraced every opportunity and has a future that will break the cycle of poverty in her family. They say we are rescuing a child, but really she rescued us!“ -Pam W., Compassion sponsor for 4 years

“Samuel has been a unique part of our family for 10 years. Knowing that we’ve had a small part in raising him through our sponsorship has been an amazing feeling. To us it seems like a small part of our life-an auto draft payment, a few letters, and praying for him regularly. To Samuel, our sponsorship is everything- food, education, clothing, medical, his spiritual growth and more. It’s changed his life. And we could see that when we got the opportunity to meet him in Kenya when he was 7 years old and again when he was 15. We’re so glad we decided to become sponsors and watch this boy grow into an amazing young man!” –Wes and Meghan V., Compassion sponsor for 10 years.

“Children do not have the liberty of choosing where they want to be born. But God in His perfection destines the future of every individual; He knows when and where one will be born and ultimately how one’s future will turn out to be. It doesn’t surprise him that there are people living in abject poverty while others enjoy wealth and riches. It is all in his perfect plan to bring glory to his name. I was born poor in a developing country, where getting three meals a day is considered a luxury but God knew the great and incomprehensible plans for my life.

Through Compassion International, God brought forth loving and caring sponsors who completely changed my life holistically. I accessed good education, was nourished spiritually, and I was assured of a full belly on every Saturday that I attended the compassion program. My sponsors had tremendous belief in me and committed themselves in ensuring that I become a better person in life. When I look back in my past and compare it to the present, I am in awe of how God orchestrated a turnaround in my life. Once a shy, frail and malnourished girl, but now a very confident, enthusiastic and goal driven woman who strives every day to make the life of others better and worthwhile. I am married, have a family and also run a non-profit organization that rescues poor teen pregnant girls in crisis from the streets and slums of Kenya. I owe all to God and the sponsors who believed in me and pushed to become who I am today. Dear Sponsors, please consider to sponsor a child because you may be holding the key to unlocking that child’s potential.” -Maureen K., an incredible woman of God who was a Compassion child growing up and is now serving God’s kingdom in INCREDIBLE ways! Maureen and her husband Oliver (who was ALSO a Compassion child) now sponsor two children through Compassion International!

Isn’t Maureen and Oliver’s story incredible? I am blown away by them and they inspire me every single day to pay it forward. 

Now, tell me… sound off in the comments: have you sponsored a child through Compassion International before? What’s holding you back?

A child needs you. You can make a difference.

I have a goal of getting 12 children sponsored through Compassion International. I believe together WE CAN make it happen!

Click Here to Sponsor a child TODAY.