Im so sorry that we didnt get the opportunity to answer your questions and clarify your concerns. I dont think your company realizes that if you guys sent more proof that the kids are receiving those handmade crafts and letters..I mean take a picture of the sponsored child the letter or gift received and a newspaper of the date.and that child should look exactly like the pictures you guys send us.. The more often you write, the more often you should also receive letters from Farel. I am concerned and placed a phone call today. God bless! Im sorry if there was any confusion in the information you received. After talks back and forth, in 2017 the BJP-led Indian government barred Compassion from transferring funds into India, forcing the group to close its operations in that country. Look at what watchdog organizations, like Charity Navigators, say about Compassion. Christian Child Sponsorship - Compassion - Child Charity Organization. Debra, I am truly so sorry that your generous Christmas gift to Susi and her family was not processed the way you had clearly requested it to be. Compassion International - Wikipedia For compassion Sunday I bet I got at least 6 or 7 mailings and probably that many or more emails. We understand that sometimes things like this happen and it can be an error at the child center or even in translation. As for repeated details, Im sure I repeat things too. I can say it has been a wonderful experience. We look forward to earning your trust and proving our heart for serving our sponsors and children with excellence. [11][12][13], Children in the child sponsorship program are provided food and clean water, medical care, education, life-skills training, and spiritual guidance through a direct sponsorship. This child might be in high school whereby in east Africa we say Senior five (S.5) yet in the USA and other Countries it would be High School. I have a scrapbook I keep with all of her letters and photos in it. Even helping out with the smallest tasks can make a real difference to the lives of people, animals, and organizations in need. We do want to attract and hire quality people for our ministry and pay them according to the skills and experience they bring to the organization. And now do to the new horrible writing system, we are even less able to send things. In plain English they have some kinks to work out in their process. I am now considering dropping the sponsorship. Be assured that Compassion remains committed to stewarding your gifts with sound fiscal management, accountability and transparency with you and always with the children as our first priority! I just want to say that I dont feel Compassion is a scam, I do feel there are some issues and inconsistencies like some of those that others have noted. Can someone please explain this kind of error to me?! -key life skills training and vocational programs to provide a brighter future The little girl I was to converse has written 3 letters over the last 2 years. I have received letters from Mexico, but often many many months later than letters sent to them. The most shocking thing was the amount of sponsors that have visited that site. I have not had a chance to visit Iddi in Tanzania but my heart so desires it. This means that it is not normal to go more that six months without hearing from your child. Might it be better for those of us who are very keen on writing to our children to cut back on our letters for awhile to ease the burden of getting this new system ironed out? Hello Kate. We have been given an amazing privilege to be a part of these childrens lives. All true. amen. They are better dressed, better educated, happy, and yet these were all rescued from terrible circumstances. I didnt start sponsering my child until July! We also have donation opportunities to further assist the families of the children we serve. I always receive a picture of my child with her gift from the extra money I sent for birthdays. I informed Compassion International but the only response I received from them was them asking for me to sign up additional children. Good morning, Terry! I suggest that you keep them simple, brief, and number and highlight each question. The center visits are in addition to their being able to attend school? The Feed my children also sends out Gods message in addition to the meals. Please know that we do regularly ask outside, non-biased watchdog organizations, such as Charity Navigators, to research us. I have not heard from my child in a while and when I do it is so generic it could be from anyone. Im not a religious person, I just wanted to do something for someone less fortunate than myself. We appreciate your desire to bless others and see them grow healthy and strong. Our wonderful field staff there will confirm what her actual grade level is and why she may have said a different grade in her letter to you. I began a sponsorship in March 2016. Trying to have more patience, and most of all I pray my little Pamela is safe and sound. Compassion International - Global Impact Couldnt make me happier. Why choose a specific child if the money is given to other children. I am grateful to the musician that came to my town and told me about compassion. First, Charity Navigator removed revenue growth as a measure they evaluate. I know you miss him, as I feel the same way about my girls in Bolivia, but the good news is that Gadiel is still writing to you. It is a favorite headquarters for multiple Christian organizations, although Im not sure why Colorado. I had one child who never said much of anything. Also, as with others, I do not agree with the CEOs salary of $330k. Thank you Darren Bailey for your honest sharing! Thank you again for your comment and for your heart for these children! Whereas other comparable charities CEOs make $80,000. Sadly, the letters from my child is in Uganda were laced with political comments too and subject matter no kid would use. It was an experience I will NEVER forget. You should also begin to see his letters become more personal as your relationship grows. I have not felt good about Compassion from the beginning. He showed me all the things I had mailed to him over the years, keeping it all in a small picture album. Next Steps. Whenever I doubt that I can make an impact upon the world, I pick it up. We encourage our sponsors to ask their children specific questions they might have about school, church, their family, and hobbies. My child just now turned 5. It doesnt make sense that my sponsored child would have written the very same thing in both letters. About the website: In at least one instance, parental information remained unchanged three and four years after a parent had died. Hi, The project staff works with the children to help them better understand how to write letters to their sponsor and will provide suggestions for the children about topics they can write about or questions they can ask their sponsor. My child was in the 4th grade 5 years ago. Yes, please do Google us and read reviews of what people are saying about Compassion International. Yes, the top employees are paid a lot of money. How can you not get the date right? I was kinda sad upon hearing this, but I proceeded to ask my neighbor the birthdays of her two boys and she didnt know! I love the child focus and Jesus focus of Compassion. I have received two, maybe three pastor letters, over the years, from different pastors and, I think, different countries. . Hi Michelle! Frontiers | Creating a Compassionate World: Addressing the Conflicts As an ESOL teacher (in the US), Ive also found that to be true. In addition, I just sent an inquiry to request that he writes back to you as soon as possible. But they have help with a tutor. We are so thankful that you are a part of the Compassion family. However, you always have the option to designate your donation as a child gift specifically to Leo, instead of to the Christmas fund. That is much too much salary for a non profit Christian outreach. Heres the financials chart used by Ministry Watch so you can see how Compassions numbers line up with other organizations: Industry average vs. Compassion: Strangely though, when I reached my second (third?) Compassion In World Farming International (Compassion International I can tell this it is a subject that is important to you. No CEO of such an organization should be receiving that much money for himself. We want your experience as a sponsor to be a positive one, as youre investment in his life is making such an incredible difference. We are proud to say that for every dollar you send 82 cents goes directly to programs that benefit your child specifically. ? I apologize for the inconvenience and if this makes you hesitant in what you send. I sponsor two children: one in Uganda and the other in Mexico, since they were 4 years old. It is hard to write letter after letter and never hear back. Therefore, we protect, develop, and deploy all of our resources (people, time, money, knowledge, reputation and materials) with great care and wisdom. In order to develop quality staff at Compassion while at the same time managing our financial resources with great care and wisdom, we seek to offer competitive salaries for the various positions necessary to successfully execute Compassions mission statement. I could understand if they were doing the letters themselves. The only gifts that we combine are Christmas Gifts. And finally, Charity Navigators new methodology for calculating fundraising efficiency on a three-year average came within thousandths of a percentage point of achieving another 4 Star rating. He is definitely more slender as sometimes children get when going through growth spurts :). If someone has been burned before, they look for faults in everything the letters from the child they sponsor, the pictures we send them, the way we use the funds we receive. Major Christian Charity Is Closing India Operations Amid a Crackdown God bless you! As Mugisha gets older, you will begin to see him write his own letters without the assistance of a tutor/mentor. I send a package with every single letter I send which is about every 6 weeks and tell her that she can share the things with her brother(s) and sister(s) (I dont really know what her family consists of). If Josiane is unsure of what to write, then she may choose to write what the tutor is recommending, and this may result in letters sounding the same. Also, please note that our leaders are faithful sponsors and donors as well, and personally and financially support the ministry as well as give to other charities. Cruelty, is a deliberate causing of suffering for pleasure or sense of power. Their smiles are natural and genuine. Compassion coordinates every aspect of the trip, including travel, meals, tips and gratuities, fees related to the travel, and sightseeing fares. Do the greetings sometimes seemed coached? Children in poverty are at extreme risk of malnutrition, sickness and exploitation. We suggest highlighting and numbering your questions in your next letter. Thank you for asking this question. Talk about a way to eliminate scam fears!!!!! Ashes to Ashes, Dust to Dust: A Hopeful Reminder, A Call to Prayer for Ukraine My Country, My Home. Many countries do not view a childsupport birthday as important. Their attendance at the center is in addition to their schooling, it does not replace it. For His glory. [8], Compassion helps those in impoverished areas, using a holistic approach to child development. . I know Im really new to sponsoring through this company, but I have to admit, I received packages in the mail specifically telling me that it would only take 4 to 6 weeks to receive a letter from my child7 weeks later Im highly frustrated and send multiple emails. I have been sponsoring my child since January 2016. Im so sorry we couldnt send your bookmarks last year :(. 4. I just received a letter from her and it looks very much like all the letters from the past 10 years (the same very generic details anyone could write) but it said she is currently in grade 5. This comes out to at least 80 cents on each dollar and we do everything we can to be as efficient as possible so that we can send more. But the children dont say things like, Plays well with others, or Please pray about behavioral issues, or is struggling, right now. Jay, I am so sorry for the confusion and frustration that we have caused in regards to your letter writing relationship with this precious little girl. What did you do, or not do here? They seem to have been just cutting costs lately which have impacted us negatively. Then one day i started getting drawings and long letters from him. Sarah, I see that you just began supporting a child with us on March 30th of this year. Thank you again for taking the time to comment and for leaving your honest feedback! However, giving money to a organization can bring worries and doubts like Is all my money really going to my sponsor child? and Is this organization honest about what they are telling me? Is this making a difference? To do something like this takes a step of faith and giving your money into Gods hands and letting Him take care of our worries. Compassion only has about 7-10% more children than there are sponsors. We were able to use that donation to purchase a Christmas present for him, but it might have been a little early for him to mention the gift in that specific letter. The kids are so precious and so thankful. Everett Swanson (member of Converge) to help children orphaned by war in South Korea. Our wonderfully hardworking processing team will ensure that Lilibeth is placed on your account as soon as possible. Thank you so much for helping us direct more funds towards the children! Is there some addition to the system that could be added to let sponsors know that a letter is in translation (on the way) to us as well? An organization similar to this is Feed My Starving Children there the child receives 24 cents out of every quarter and will tell you that is enough for one meal. Sponsors Share Their Best Letter Writing Tips, Before and After Safe Water: 20 Powerful Photos, How to Get to Know Your Sponsored Childs Family, Great work, and Jesus said, O lord am here to do your will. We sent an inquiry last week to make sure everything is alright with Pamela and ask her to write back as soon as possible. Like others who have commented here, it seems my letters to my girls are backing up or sitting in translation for a long time. We often see that even the happiest of children will not smile in their photo. We certainly want to ensure youre receiving these. We are told to ask questions but these questions are never actually answered like the child was asked them. Half of your gift did go directly to Susis family, and you should be hearing by the end of next month how that gift was used to bless them (just in time for your 1 year anniversary!) They told me it was a local matter and nothing to do with them. The Salvation Army also helps people find jobs and have a place to live. It is now August. As you requested, I have adjusted your mail preferences so that you will only receive messages related to your sponsored child. Also, is there an age at which children are encouraged to write freely rather than only answering the questions on the formatted letters to sponsors? That said, at any time of the year (including at Christmas), you are welcome to send a child or family gift that would be specific for your child and will not be split up. It arrived at the country office on January 1, which means he probably wrote it before Christmas. My wife and I are traveling to the Philippines this year. I definitely feel duped. I read a lot of these concerns from other sponsors and Im sorry but not one of them is actually happy with their experiences. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to receive a regular newsletter from Compassion with inspirational stories, poverty news and more. d.Sectors/Functions If yall are understaffed then you must be doing something wrong bc if its a blessing from God everyone would be satisfied. Im glad other children have risen out of poverty on account of your sponsorship; and Im glad it has worked out for you. Sometimes I get letters that arent noted as translated and sometimes they are translated. Canada's best charities 2020: Top 100 - Macleans.ca All rights reserved. Of course, one of those children will be the youngest sister of my currently sponsored child. When we find out that his salary has changed to a more reasonable amount or if we are able to see how much of that 300,000+ he actually donates, we will be much more inclined to support and recommend Compassion once again. Set up your online account. Compassion International is a Christian child development organization working to release children from poverty in Jesus' name. Rest assured weve received your letters and theyll get to your boy. They said Sorry to lose you, and we will find another sponsor for the child. What else is there for them to say? For the case of Lisa, the said child is supposed to be leaving the program if she is 22 years of age. Compassion International Reviews | BestCompany.com For example, if your child lives with the same guardians during the duration of their time in the program, this will not be updated. Here is a link to all of our alumni blogs, What if I dont write to my sponsored child? Compassion gets 3 stars overall on financials: 4-stars on Asset Utilization Efficiency Kyle, The children in our projects may or may not stay in the program until they reach this age. I have never doubted my hard-earned money given for child sponsorship was well-spent!
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