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Got questions? Call our friendly team on 01932 836490 - Lines are open from 11am-5pm Monday to Friday.
Please leave a voicemail if you call outside these hours.

See how child sponsorship can change one life

See how child sponsorship can change one life

As a child, poverty began to speak to me, I felt I was nothing, that I didn't matter ... nobody cared to know my name" I got the news that a young lady, Heather, she was just 15 years old, a teenager, she had decided to sponsor me. I cannot find the words to describe the joy that filled our home. 'Richmond you've got a sponsor, you can now go to school.'

Why your child sponsorship support is effective

In the midst of the global food crisis, providing a child in poverty with the holistic support of Compassion's programme is more vital than ever before. For just £32 a month your child sponsorship will:

Empower one child to overcome physical, spiritual and emotional poverty, for good.

Ensure one child receives nutritional support, regular check-ups and the support of their local church community.

Give one child living in poverty the educational support they need for a brighter future.

Why choose Compassion UK for sponsoring a child?

Compassion child sponsorship works

The longstanding project-based, child development programme you’ll give your sponsored child access to in the future is highly effective.

Dr Bruce Wydick, Journal of Political Economy

Independent research icon_additional_blue into the project-based programme shows Compassion-sponsored children stay in school longer and are more likely to grow up to be employed and become leaders in their churches and communities.

14-18% more likely to have salaried employment as adults.

30-75% more likely to become leaders in their communities.

27-40% more likely to finish their secondary education.


Excellent stewardship

Compassion is committed to excellent stewardship and is registered with the Fundraising Regulator. We conduct regular internal and external audits in our field offices and in the UK.

80p directly benefitting children in poverty
8p support costs

Typically, for every pound given in child sponsorship donations:

88p spent on charitable activities

12p spent on fundraising and finding the next sponsor


Trusted charity since 1952

Compassion is a leading authority in holistic child development.

Direct one-to-one child sponsorship

The child you choose to sponsor today will directly receive the benefit of your sponsorship support.

Church-driven

We run our child sponsorship programme exclusively in partnership with local churches who fully understand their local communities.

What will your sponsorship donations actually change?

You'll provide your sponsored child with:

Once our project-based programme can resume, you’ll provide your sponsored child with:

  • School resources and uniforms to help defeat illiteracy and provide critical skills.
  • Medical check-ups to fight back against disease and keep children healthy.
  • Nutritional meals and additional nutritional support where needed.
  • Christ-centred guidance through the local church to overcome fear and hopelessness.
  • Vocational training to equip them for the future.
  • Recreational activities to improve self-confidence, social and emotional skills.
  • A one-to-one relationship with you their only sponsor, with letters translated into their native language to bring hope and positive change.

How child sponsorship works

Our church partners reach the children in the greatest need.

Staff who know their communities inside out identify the children most in need of your sponsorship support. Children are given help regardless of their backgrounds or beliefs.

We start searching for a sponsor,
like you.

Once registered in the Compassion Programme, we look for one sponsor to support each child.

One Compassion sponsor starts to empower one child.

When you start sponsoring, you sponsor a child directly! Your donations will immediately begin to support your sponsored child.

The cycle of poverty is broken!

Compassion-sponsored children are empowered to live free from poverty and bring change to their families and communities.

Sponsors exchange letters with their child.

Letters will be an encouragement to both you and your sponsored child. Please be patient as letter delivery can be disrupted by circumstances local to your sponsored child such as restrictions on meeting, floods or unrest, but we do all we can to deliver them swiftly and safely.

What can you expect when you sponsor a child?

How child sponsorship work

Where possible, Compassion offers you the chance to visit your sponsored child either on a group trip or individual visit. Make treasured memories and be encouraged about the difference you're making.

Compassion UK App and myCompassion to connect with your sponsored child

Use the free Compassion UK App or myCompassion web portal to write letters as well as viewing your sponsored child's information and photo.

Beautiful welcome pack with framed photo

When you sponsor a child today, in the next 7-10 working days, you'll receive your Welcome Pack with a framed photo of your sponsored child.

Encouraging letters and drawings from your child

Receiving personal letters and drawings from your sponsored child will give you a unique insight into their culture and community. As you write back, you'll speak encouragement into your sponsored child's life.

Project updates from your child’s community

Once a year you'll receive a message from the pastor or director of the Compassion project your sponsored child attends every week. You'll learn more about the life-changing support your sponsorship is providing.

New photos of your sponsored child

Photo updates of your sponsored child will show you how they're growing and thriving. You'll also receive news about what they're learning at their project.

The opportunity to visit and meet your sponsored child

When COVID-19 restrictions allow, Compassion offers you the chance to visit your sponsored child either on a group trip or individual visit. Make treasured memories and be encouraged about the difference you're making.

Child sponsorship and me

More than 84,000 people sponsor a child through Compassion UK. Once you choose to sponsor, you too can begin to share in the joy of bringing hope to a child in need. You can join the thousands who've chosen to take a stand against child poverty.

Compassion child sponsorship is a beautiful way of connecting us to our global neighbour and reminding us that loving the poor is at the core of the gospel.

Andy Hawthorne, Founder and CEO of The Message Trust

We started sponsoring Louis five years ago. Thanks to sponsorship with Compassion, he’s being kept healthy, receiving an education and enjoying just being a child. Louis is a big part of our family. We write letters, share pictures and get regular news about how he’s growing and developing. My children see that we as a family can make a difference.

Kate, Kent

We had the opportunity when we went out to the Dominican Republic to go to our sponsored child’s Compassion project. I remember asking the project administrator, can I see Darwin’s sponsorship file. He pulled it down from the rack and there it was – two pencils, so much, half a pound of rice, so much, two pairs of socks, so much.

David Woods, Surrey

We would encourage anybody to sponsor, it’s so easy to spend money on coffees, magazines and treats without really thinking about it. But for the same cost each month you could change a child’s life and make a real difference, not only to them but their whole family.

 Paul and Linda Coleman, Norwich

My husband and I sponsor two children with Compassion. Compassion is a tremendous organisation providing direct, vital services to children and their families. The impact trickles down to the communities they live in as well. I’d encourage others to sponsor a child – it’s an opportunity to give what you can and connect with someone in a special way.

 Charlotte Maslin-Knight, Model and Compassion UK Ambassador

How to sponsor a child

Begin your child sponsorship journey today by finding a child on our website who is waiting for a sponsor.

You may also be interested in the following guides:

Your FAQs

Some of the questions you may have about sponsorship.

Education helps lift people out of poverty—and Compassion ensures each child and youth has access to knowledge and training.   Every child in the sponsorship programme is given the opportunity to complete formal primary schooling. The support provided to ensure this happens varies depending on the child's context and the barriers preventing them from accessing the classroom. For example, sponsorship funds may pay for one, or a combination of the following: school fees, resources, uniforms or securing identification papers and other documents needed to access local schooling.   After formal primary education, our church partners ensure young people have the opportunity to either continue in formal education or vocational training depending on what is most appropriate to their context.   Along with access to formal education or vocational training, Compassion project staff and tutors also offer age-appropriate learning like hygiene, computer training and music. 

Please visit our child sponsorship page and find a child you'd like to sponsor. You can sponsor a girl or sponsor a child from a specific country; you can even sponsor a child with the same birthday as you. If you'd like help sponsoring a child, please get in touch with our friendly team at 01932 836490 or by email at info@compassionuk.org. Sponsor a child today and give them life-changing support, including food, education and health-checks. Child sponsorship with Compassion is an opportunity to come alongside a local church, and together, bring hope and lasting change to a child living in poverty.

Child sponsorship with Compassion is an opportunity to come alongside a local church, and together, bring hope and lasting change to a child in poverty. Independent research shows that this approach works! Education: Formal education or vocational training and training on subjects like hygiene, computing and music. Alongside educational support, including school uniforms and resources or advocating for identification papers and other documents that help children access local schooling. Healthcare: Each child and youth receives a yearly medical check-up. Additionally, they can access recommended immunisations to support their fight against diseases and help them stay healthy. Follow-up medical care and interventions will be provided as necessary.  Nutritional support: Malnutrition is one of the world’s leading causes of child deaths and hinders brain and physical development. Regular monitoring helps identify and address malnutrition before it critically impacts development.    
Community: through pastors, tutors, church staff and volunteers, children we work with are cared for and invested in by members of their own communities who encourage them to discover their unique gifts, passions and abilities. Through the local church, children and youth have peers to learn alongside and opportunities to form healthy friendships. Sponsors play an important role through prayers and messages of encouragement. Compassion also addresses the wider context of the child by providing opportunities for the caregivers, families and communities of those we serve.    Safety: child protection is at the heart of our work. Child development projects are safe places to learn and play. Adults who engage with children are trained and committed to protecting children. Children and youth are taught about how to safeguard and advocate for themselves. Compassion commits to high-quality systems and processes for handling reports of abuse.    Support during disasters and crises: Compassion’s local church partners are often the first to respond in the community. When a crisis strikes – like widespread natural disasters, civil unrest and economic instability facing the world today – vulnerable children and families are the hardest hit. Compassion comes alongside so children and youth can access emergency aid and necessities like clean water, shelter, clothing and trauma counselling.   What’s more, by empowering and educating one child, you bring change to a family. Sponsored children share what they learn with their siblings and parents. We regularly hear stories of children teaching their parents and siblings to read or how to practice good hygiene in the home. Moreover, they receive the love, care and support of a local church community, which can make a transformative difference for the whole family. If you have further questions, please get in touch with our friendly team at 01932 836490 or by email at info@compassionuk.org.

Our church partners reach the children in the greatest need.
Staff who know their communities inside out identify the children most in need of your sponsorship support. Children are given help regardless of their backgrounds or beliefs. We start searching for a sponsor, like you.
Once registered in the Compassion Programme, we look for one sponsor to support each child. One Compassion sponsor starts to empower one child.
When you start sponsoring, you sponsor a child directly! Your donations will immediately begin to support the child you sponsor. Children meet at their local Compassion project We have thousands of local church partners tailoring our holistic child development model to the contextualised needs of the children they serve — the children in their communities. When you sponsor a child with us, the beneficiary of your support is the specific child you sponsor. The family may receive additional or indirect benefits, but we focus on one child. The child you sponsor will attend a Compassion Project at their local church. There, they'll;

  • Receive a curriculum based on their individual needs and development stage
  • Access to a church-driven local project, and the love and support of staff and volunteers
  • Nutritional support
  • Health check-ups
  • Educational opportunities
  • Personal attention and guidance from loving staff members
  • An age-appropriate Bible and Biblical teaching and opportunities to hear about the love of Jesus
  • Vocational training opportunities
Sponsors exchange letters with the child they sponsor. Letters will be an encouragement to you both. Please be patient as letter delivery can be disrupted by local circumstances such as restrictions on meeting, floods or unrest, but we do all we can to deliver them swiftly and safely. The cycle of poverty is broken! Compassion-sponsored children are empowered to live free from poverty and bring change to their families and communities. You can read about what Compassion graduates think of the programme here. If you have further questions, please get in touch with our friendly team at 01932 836490 or by email at info@compassionuk.org

Compassion is a leading Christian charity and is considered one of the best child sponsorship organisations. We have experience! Founded in 1952, Compassion is a Christian child development charity releasing children from poverty, in Jesus’ name. We work across the globe exclusively through local church-driven projects Working in 29 countries, we partner with more than 8,600 local churches within communities experiencing poverty. Our heart is to give children and young people living in extreme need the opportunity to thrive and reach their God-given potential both now and into the future. We’re Christ-centred We're motivated by Jesus’ call to love our neighbour. We're child-focused We're helping those left most vulnerable to the effects of poverty. Our programmes care for every part of a child's life Compassion’s child development programmes are holistic, giving children support in every core area of their lives. Because we work in partnership with local churches who know their communities inside out, our programmes are tailored to a child’s age, gender, health, culture and family situation. Independent research shows they are highly effective; now, more than 2.3 million children are being released from poverty. Click here to find out what graduates say.
Click here to find out what sponsors say. If you have further questions, please get in touch with our friendly team at 01932 836490 or by email at info@compassionuk.org

We have experience! Compassion has been empowering children to overcome poverty since 1952. It works! Independent research shows that Compassion-sponsored children stay in school longer and are more likely to grow up to be employed and leaders in their churches and communities. Moreover, more than 500 Compassion graduates were surveyed about their experience. You can read more here. We believe it’s an injustice that worldwide more than 333 million children live in extreme poverty. And as Christians, we have a biblical call to care for the poor and love our neighbour. That’s why Compassion works in partnership with local churches across 29 countries to release children from poverty, in Jesus’ name. We’re a leading authority in holistic child development, giving children support in every core area of their lives. Our programmes support children's physical and mental wellbeing. They cultivate character and give a child or young person the skills, access to education and motivation they need to be self-sufficient in the future. The care is given in the context of a local church community where children and their families can experience practical expressions of God’s love. We care for children even before they’ve been born, all the way through to young adulthood.

  • Our Child Survival Interventions keep mums safe during pregnancy and protect babies through their vital first 1,000 days of life.
  • Our Child Sponsorship Programme empowers children and young people to overcome poverty. We care for a child’s mind, body, heart and spirit by giving them educational opportunities, nutritional support, medical check-ups and the support of their local church. Our approach is a personal one, linking one child in poverty with one sponsor. Through prayers and messages of encouragement, sponsors play a significant role in building the confidence of their sponsored child and affirming their worth in Christ.
  • Our Compassion Interventions remove any additional obstacles preventing children from thriving, whether giving support after a natural disaster or providing access to medical treatment, safe water, specialised educational resources or legal protection.
Our holistic child development model is tailored to a child’s age, gender, health, culture and family situation. Because we work through the local church, it’s also contextualised to fit the needs of the children in each community. Graduates of our programmes often become changemakers, bringing hope and transformation to their families, communities and even countries. If you have further questions, please get in touch with our friendly team at 01932 836490 or by email at info@compassionuk.org. 

Compassion child sponsorship is a powerful and lasting way to tackle poverty. For £32 a month, you can empower a child to overcome the complex obstacles poverty brings. Your sponsorship ensures a child can access medical check-ups, education, food, clothing, and social and emotional care through the local church. We know this is a significant commitment, but it's the reality of what it costs to provide children with the best care and the resources they need to break free from every aspect of poverty. You can partner with a local church and empower a child with the life-changing message of the Gospel. You can empower a child to see transformation in their family, community and country. When you sponsor a child, you become part of a multiplying movement of change and transformation - in the life of a child and in the lives of those around them. Join the movement to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name. If you have further questions, please get in touch with our friendly team at 01932 836490 or by email at info@compassionuk.org.

Child sponsorship will generally last until the child you sponsor finishes their education, which is usually between the ages of 18 and 22, depending on the country and personal circumstances. It’s quite common for the children in our programmes to start school late, have to repeat years or even stay on to do vocational training courses. We want to support them through everything so they're in the best possible position to support themselves and their families when they grow up. Be inspired by Emanuel's story here. What happens if the child I sponsor leaves before then? Sometimes, children may leave the project before they've finished their education. If there is another Compassion project near their new home, we’ll transfer their sponsorship. If we're unable to find a suitable project, then we’ll let you know so you can write a final letter to bless them. What happens if my circumstances change? Our hope is that each child will have the same sponsor throughout, but we do understand that our sponsors’ situations change too. If you wish to end your child sponsorship, the child you sponsor will continue to benefit from the Compassion programme, and we’ll look to find a new sponsor as quickly as possible. I have more questions If you have further questions, please get in touch with our friendly team at 01932 836490 or by email at info@compassionuk.org.

Anyone can sponsor with Compassion from anywhere in the world, but we might have to adjust how you make your donation. We're part of a network of 16 global fundraising offices, so you might find one in the country where you live and work. Get in touch with our friendly team to find out the best route for you to sponsor. You can contact them by telephone on 01932 836490 or by email at info@compassionuk.org

Child sponsorship with Compassion UK enables you to come alongside a child living in poverty. We do this in partnership with the local church. We have thousands of local church partners tailoring our holistic child development model to the contextualised needs of the children they serve — the children in their communities. When you sponsor a child with us, the beneficiary of your support is the specific child you sponsor. The family may receive additional or indirect benefits, but we focus on one child. The child you sponsor will attend a Compassion Project at their local church. There, they'll receive;

  • Curriculum based on their individual needs and development stage
  • Access to a church-driven local project, and the love and support of staff and volunteers
  • Nutritional support
  • Health check-ups
  • Educational opportunities
  • Personal attention and guidance from loving staff members
  • An age-appropriate Bible and Biblical teaching and the opportunity to hear about the love of Jesus
  • Vocational training
  • Encouragement from your letters
You can find out more about child sponsorship here. If you have further questions, please get in touch with our friendly team at 01932 836490 or by email at info@compassionuk.org

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Our friendly Supporter Experience Team are ready to help with any questions you might have.

01932 836490 - Lines are open from 10am-5pm Monday to Friday.
Please leave a voicemail if you call outside these hours and we’ll get in touch as soon as we can.

Compassion UK Christian Child Development, registered charity in England and Wales (1077216) and Scotland (SC045059). A company limited by guarantee, Registered in England and Wales company number 03719092. Registered address: Compassion House, Barley Way, Fleet, Hampshire, GU51 2UT.