Compassion International, Inc.

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Compassion International listed by MinistryWatch.com as a 2008 Shining Light ‘Top 30’ Exemplary Ministry.

MinistryWatch.com desires to see overall giving to Biblical Christian values increase and as such we developed this format to highlight those ministries which are exemplary. This ministry is one of the “best ministries” and outstanding examples when we consider Philippians 4:8 and weigh and take account of those ministries that are excellent and worthy of praise.

Identifying a diversity of the best ministries is challenging given the selfless work that so many do for the cause of Christ. No one is able to give to every ministry that one values as we are not possessed of unlimited resources. It is best to make an assessment of our options and make discerning decisions. MinistryWatch.com’s assessment looked at the following seven areas when considering those to make the list:

1. Transparency
2. Truth Claims
3. Values/ Worldview
4. Sectors/Functions
5. Resourcefulness
6. Red Flag Issues
7. Consultation

A fuller explanation of our evaluation criteria is on the front page of MinistryWatch.com. A foundational premise was to shine a figurative light on those ministries that were "Christian" more than in name only. Ministries were chosen that were not just marketing to Christians as a market segment for "Christian donor money", but ministries that had theological underpinnings and Biblical values that determined their actions. Organizations that relied more on a secular motivation and means were excluded as well as those “ministries” that seem to view the organization as their own vehicle as a business to make money rather than a love to maximize ministry to others and to let their light shine for the glory of God.

Inclusion on this Shining Light list does not mean this ministry or other listed ministries are perfect. No ministry is perfect and any that look long and hard enough may find areas for improvement; as no doubt most legitimate ministries are aware of areas to improve and have their own to-do list. Only you can decide for yourself with confidence if a ministry shares your values and with your giving plan. As far as MinistryWatch.com’s assessment, given the criteria that we followed, this ministry rose to the top.

This is just another step in our mission of encouraging Christians to give more of their talents and resources to Kingdom-building efforts. In short, we wish to help spread the Gospel of Christ by helping Christians give more and more effectively to the works of the Lord. If the Lord uses our list as part of that process, we will have been a blessing to both those ministries who have been ‘good and faithful servants’ with the Lord’s resources and to Christian donors who are seeking to be good stewards of their giving.
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MinistryWatch.com’s Take
June 2003
By Andy Preslar, Research Fellow



A Child-Centered Approach to Child Sponsorship
At a glance, the phrase “child-centered approach to child sponsorship” may seem a bit redundant. A child sponsorship program is by definition centered upon children, right? Not necessarily. A number of relief and development organizations, which raise funds partly by means of “child sponsorship” are actually more community-centered than child-centered in their field work (cf., Ken Waters’ article in the December 3, 2001 issue of Christianity Today, “The Art and Ethics of Fundraising”). Children are, of course, among the intended beneficiaries of such work, but the funds raised are generally not used in direct support of an individual child.

In contrast to such community-oriented approaches to “child sponsorship,” Compassion International has developed a world-wide sponsorship network in which development efforts are directly focused upon individual children. Thus, Compassion attempts to make child sponsorship truly child-centered.

Transforming the Life of a Child
Compassion International (CI) is an evangelical Christian organization that exists in order to provide tangible benefits and development opportunities for children throughout the world. CI raises funds by means of its child sponsorship program. This program is designed to link an individual sponsor with an individual child. CI assures its donors that the funds they contribute for child sponsorship are used for the direct benefit of the particular child whom they sponsor. CI works with local churches and church organizations to implement its child development programs in the following areas of the world: Africa, Asia, Central America, South America, and North America.

CI’s commitment to working specifically with individual children is not motivated simply by the desire to bring its fund-raising ducks in line with its fieldwork. Rather, CI’s overall child development strategy, including sponsorship, is informed by the conviction that “changed circumstances rarely change people’s lives.” CI values communities and societies, but believes that lasting change requires changed individuals (and who better to start with than children?). CI’s goal is that, through sponsorship, individual children will start to realize their God-given potential. The long-term goal is for these children to become productive members and trained leaders in their communities, capable and willing to lend aid and bring hope to others. CI is, therefore, a community-building ministry working from the specific (transforming individual lives) to the general (transforming communities).

CI seeks to minister to children in a holistic manner. Each child in its sponsorship program is provided with the means and opportunities by which to grow and develop in the following areas:

• Spiritually: Each sponsored child is presented with the Gospel and given the opportunity to respond to Christ in faith. This is done in a non-coercive manner and children are not required to become Christians in order to be sponsored through CI. CI also conducts Bible studies for the children, providing them with the spiritual instruction necessary to live in a godly manner. Cultural and denominational diversities are respected and Compassion’s partners are allowed to use materials best suited for their particular situations.
• Economically: Children are provided the tools that will help to ensure their economic well-being. These include: assistance in their primary education (e.g., uniforms, help with homework, remedial tutoring, reference materials [dictionaries, etc.]), assistance in life skills and vocational training and help in obtaining a college education. CI also helps children become acquainted with businesses in the community and even with the operation of small businesses.
• Physically: Children are provided with medical checkups, health and nutritional education and special medical services. Many children also receive supplementary food.
• Socially: CI provides sponsored children with opportunities to interact with one another in supervised environments. These include Bible studies, camps, field trips and athletic events.

How Does Child Sponsorship Work?
The major components of CI’s sponsorship program are: the sponsor, the child sponsored, the churches and missions with whom CI partners to implement child development programs and the field staff who monitor the work carried out through CI’s local partners. The following is a summary of the nature and relations of these component parts of CI:

• Becoming a sponsor: CI’s child development work is based upon sponsorship. Through CI, an individual can become the sponsor of a particular child. The sponsor agrees to donate $28 dollars a month for a selected child and CI agrees to ensure that the bulk of that money is used in direct support of that child. CI also facilitates correspondence between the child and the sponsor and encourages, if possible, a personal visit to the child. Many sponsorship relationships last until the child turns 18, although the sponsor can opt out at any time.
• Children sponsored through CI are among the poorest in the world. Currently, CI’s child development programs are concentrated in Eastern Africa, India and southeast Asia, and Latin America. Thus, child sponsors are helping the truly needy children of the world.
• CI establishes its presence in a region through local churches and church organizations. CI screens prospective partners to ensure that they share in CI’s goals and its vision of what quality childcare entails. Although CI has certain uniform requirements, each local partner plays a key role in shaping the child development programs in its region. Through these partners, local “projects” are established to implement the child development programs. Each project forms a local committee of parents, church members and community leaders to choose the children who will benefit most from CI sponsorship. This is not an easy task and is carried out by means of a series of parent and project worker interviews and in conjunction with CI staff. Individuals who are selected, trained and commissioned by CI and its local partners operate a project. Donor funds are directed to these local projects, rather than directly to the children and their parents. Project workers, in conjunction with CI’s local church partner, assess how to use these funds for the benefit of the sponsored child, based upon their first-hand knowledge of the child’s situation.
• CI has field staff placed throughout these regions. Their job is to oversee the use funds, develop new projects and maintain the relationship between CI and its partners.

Compassion’s Presence
CI works in 24 countries with more than 300 partners in 2,300 projects on behalf of some 450,000 children. CI’s presence in the world community can be broken down as follows:

• Eastern Africa: Ethiopia (29,000 children/ 124 projects/ 10 church and missions partners), Kenya (22,000/ 91/ 19), Rwanda (17,000/ 77/ 14), Uganda (22,000/ 104/ 6), Tanzania (11,000/ 71/ various denominations), Burkina Faso, and Ghana.
• Asia: India (32,000 children, 222 projects, 26 partners), Indonesia (20,000/ 182/ 13), the Philippines (18,000/ 132/ 29), Thailand (16,000/ 125/ 9).
• Central America: Haiti (27,000 children/ 143 projects/ 10 partners), Dominican Republic (20,000/ 123/ 24), El Salvador (10,000/ 77/ 4), Guatemala (15,000/ 109/ 17), Honduras (10,000/ 67/ 4), Mexico (4,000/ 36/ 11), Nicaragua (work begun in June 2002, 10 projects underway).
• South America: Brazil (20,000 children/ 100 projects/ 16 partners), Ecuador (21,000/ 125/ 21), Bolivia (21,000/ 116/ 25), Columbia (18,000/ 106/ 28), Peru (21,000/ 156/ 31).

CI, as indicated above, works in some of the most challenging and dangerous environments in the world. A major danger facing children in many of these regions (particularly in Africa) is the HIV/ AIDS virus. CI has been working hard to develop AIDS awareness programs for its children in order to educate and protect them.

Summary
Overall, CI’s child-centered approach to sponsorship has more in common with child development and advocacy organizations than with most relief and development organizations. CI works specifically on behalf of children by means of child development programs that emphasize evangelism and spiritual training, education, health care and social development. CI’s approach emphasizes one-to-one sponsorship, and inside out, one child at a time, solutions to community problems. CI is “uncompromisingly Christian and enthusiastically evangelical,” and partners exclusively with local churches and church organizations to carry out its mission of providing tangible benefits and development opportunities to the world’s poorest children.