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When you’re trying to choose a charity to support, these questions are probably going through your mind:
- Do my donations actually make a difference?
- Which charity uses the majority of their funds for actual charity work?
- Which charity is providing both immediate and long-term solutions for those they’re helping?
- Which charity has a proven track record of making a difference?
David and Esther shared these worries when they were looking for a charity to commit to in the long run. They wanted to support a charity who would put the majority of donations towards proven life-changing initiatives.
Here’s the research and thought process that Dave and Esther went through before choosing to support Compassion:
You can help silence the voice of poverty for a child by becoming a Compassion sponsor today:
Answering Your Concerns About Giving to Charity
It’s only natural to wonder if the funds you are giving to an organisation are actually making an impact.
- Where do those funds go?
- How does the organisation track the effectiveness of their initiatives?
- How do communities qualify to receive assistance from the charity?
David and Esther were concerned with these questions before they chose to become Compassion child sponsors. “We wanted to support a charity with great integrity,” Esther reflected recently with the Compassion team. “One where you can be sure your money is going to make a great difference to others.”
In their research, they discovered that: Compassion allocates at least 80% of their monthly sponsorship donations directly for their sponsored child’s development, such as food, clothing, and schooling.
“Compassion is so transparent,” Esther added. “They do what they say they do. I’ve even been to their head-office where I was so blown away by the integrity of the organisation. Everything is focused on releasing children from poverty.”
Proven to Help in the Long-Term
Compassion has also conducted independent research to ensure that their sponsorship programme is proven help children overcome poverty, both in the short-term and the long-term.
David and Esther were so encouraged to learn that research conducted by Dr Bruce Wydick confirms that children sponsored with Compassion were more likely to finish primary and secondary school, as well as go onto employment and be community leaders.
“The more I learnt, the more convinced I became that Compassion’s child sponsorship programme is a great way that I can make a difference.”
David Went One-Step Further (He Asked to See the Bookkeeping)
After becoming a Compassion sponsor, David took his research another step forward. He personally visited a Compassion project to meet his sponsored child.
“I can remember going to the project office and asking the project director, ‘how do you manage and record what you spend from the support that comes in for the children?’
In response, he went up the wall, pulled down the file for Darwin, my sponsored child, opened it and there it was – a list of everything that had been spent on him. Every penny was properly accounted for.”
You can help silence the voice of poverty for a child by becoming a Compassion sponsor today:
Connecting Emotionally and Personally with the Charity You Support
Esther was most interested in knowing how she could personally connect with her sponsored child, and observe the positive impact that she was making as a sponsor.
- Were the children that she sponsored growing to be emotionally healthy?
- Did the children feel loved and safe?
- Were they being discipled?
In providing stability for her sponsored child, did it truly help that child to break the cycle of poverty in his or her family?
Were the sponsored children improving in both their education and practical everyday skills?
The Personal Letters Told the Story
The answers to these questions, and more, were revealed over the letters that Esther exchanged directly with her sponsored children. Through these personally written letters, Esther was able to track the journey that her sponsored children made out of poverty.
The letters help you get to know your child, their family and how they’re doing at school. It’s just lovely. What’s more, the children pray for you. I’ve been so blessed by the prayers of my sponsored children.
Each child would communicate how loved and safe they felt. They’ve gone on to thrive and become leaders in their families and communities. And Esther was joyfully there to witness and support the progress and growth of her sponsored children, documenting and celebrating each step!
From Loving Letters to Eye-Opening Visits
When Esther decided to personally visit her sponsored children, she found that everything written in the letters was true!
The children were in a safe and happy community. They were building friendships with their peers. Education, health checks, and nutritious meals were being provided without question.
Visiting was such a wonderful experience. The children’s joy, love and exuberance at seeing you was amazing. We were so impressed with how the projects were being run. With great professionalism but so much love!
We witnessed the impact of our sponsorship first-hand – children being fed, singing together, learning lessons and being cared for in a safe community. For Compassion, my sponsored child isn’t just a number, they’re a real child who is known and loved.
Esther and David witnessed the project staff showing children born into poverty the love of God. They saw how faith wasn’t forced on anyone, but how the Compassion sponsorship programme demonstrates Christ’s unconditional love and care to children in need.
The children that Esther sponsored were unquestionably growing to be healthy, happy, skilled, and empowered adults. For more than 13 years of sponsorship, Esther has seen how the children supported through the Compassion sponsorship programme grow to bring positive change to their local communities and end the cycle of poverty.
13 Years of Sponsorship and Still Going
David and Esther have been Compassion sponsors for more than 13 years, lovingly committed to helping children all over the world––from Colombia to Nicaragua, from the Dominican Republic to Bangladesh.
One thing that is clear to Dave and Esther is that through all the changes the world has undergone over 13 years, Compassion has remained a consistently outstanding charity that positively affects thousands of lives and hundreds of communities battling poverty.
“To show Compassion means to involve yourself with your heart. Caring for the situation that the other person lives in and not just to care for it but do something practical about making a difference in their lives,” David reflected.
“By supporting even one child, you’re doing something that will change her life. Her life will be marked for eternity by it and yours will too.”
Esther added, “Because I love Jesus and I know that He loves the poor, I want to do that in my small way.”
“Sponsoring a child is the most worthwhile you will ever do in your life. What can be better than empowering a child to come out of poverty? I for one don’t know of anything better.
Will you join Dave and Esther’s goal of getting 1000 children sponsored in their lifetime? A child is waiting for the simple outpouring of love and compassion in your heart.
You can help silence the voice of poverty for a child by becoming a Compassion sponsor today:
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