Where do you keep your sponsored child’s photo? Whether it’s on your fridge, in a frame or album, it’s something to be treasured. But what would you see if you could expand the edges of the picture?

Country team and office staff

Behind every photo of a Compassion-supported child there’s an army of people cheering them on. Let’s meet some of these champions …

Each of the 25 countries we work in has a central office. A hub of activity, this is where all your letters arrive to be sorted, translated and hand-delivered to your sponsored child.

The Director heads up the office and has oversight over all of Compassion’s work within their country. Their local knowledge means the Compassion programme is tailored to fit the specific context and needs of the children they serve.

As Georry Nefiantuty, from Compassion East Indonesia, explains:

"The thing that blesses me about working with Compassion is when I see a church become the light and soul for a community, and then a nation. When we see children from very poor backgrounds, at the beginning they do not have any dreams. Many times when I visit projects I ask, ‘what is your dream for the future?’ And they don’t know. Then, after they have been in the project a while I visit again and ask the same question. They now have a picture of what they will become in the future. Their eyes are so bright and I can see they have hope for the future."

Local church partnership facilitators

We believe lasting change only comes to a community through the local church. Compassion’s an exclusive partnership with the church meets the needs of individuals and their community, rather than applying a ‘one size fits all’ response to poverty. Our Local Church Partnership Facilitators are an amazing group of men and women who care for 10 to 15 of Compassion’s partner churches within a set area.

As Sandy in Honduras explains, “I oversee ten churches, and I visit each one every three months. We talk about what activities they are doing. I help them adjust to different changes and provide advice. Compassion trains us, and then we go on to train the churches. My favourite part of my job is building relationships with churches – sharing with brothers and sisters about the fruits of their work with children and the community. We know our jobs bring a big blessing to these kids.”  

The Compassion project

Your sponsored child is able to attend their church-based Compassion project 44 days every year. Here they are known and loved by a team of dedicated staff who go the extra mile to serve them.

The Compassion project director

The Project Director oversees the running of the project and provides for the welfare of every Compassion-supported child. Highly educated, servant hearted men and women, they’ve often given up well paid jobs in order to serve the poorest of the poor in their community. The photo above is of Veranika from Indonesia who explains, "Since the project began in this community eight years ago, the kids are getting neatly dressed. They’re healthier and clean. They no longer feel shy when asked something or performing in front of others. They have become confident and brave. They are more diligent in attending services at church. That is what I am proud of."

The Project Director is supported by a group of hard working individuals who ensure every aspect of your sponsored child’s life is cared for and valued.

Let’s meet some of the everyday heroes who make this possible:

Komina, Social Worker, Togo

“As a Social Worker, I’m always on the go—visiting children and checking in on their families.

I visited a child once who was severely malnourished. She had no hair and a swollen stomach. Most people expected her to die. So we took her to the hospital. Several months later, she was truly transformed. If you saw a picture of the child, you’d see the difference. That’s what makes me so glad about my work."

Paola, Health Specialist, Honduras

"The church has built strong relationships in the community. Whenever children need free medical tests, they can get them now, because of the church’s reputation for its work with children."

Adjo, Cook, Togo

"I have been a cook since the beginning of the project five years ago. On Saturday morning, we bring the clean dishes out and pray. After praying, we divide into groups. One group prepares breakfast of tea and porridge. The other groups prepare lunch. The menu is given to us by the project director. We cook rice, couscous and foufou (mashed yams)."

Joice, Tutor, Indonesia

"Our church's mission is for the young generation to shine like stars - to have an impact in the community, in their own field of expertise.”

“At this project we do special home visits. We invite children from the neighbourhood and do worship and pray together. Not all children have the opportunity of having lessons at the projects, so we thought it would be nice for other kids to know about the project as well. We also distribute food.”

You!

Thank you for also being one of the incredible people who stands behind a child in poverty and cheers them on. You’re part of their picture too! Why not learn more about the activities your sponsored child’s participates in by visiting our country pages.

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