INTRODUCTION Compassion International is one of the nation’s largest Christian child sponsorship organizations, working with more than 65 denominations and thousands of indigenous church partners in Africa, Asia, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. Since 1952, Compassion’s revolutionary approach, through one-to-one Christian child sponsorship, has touched the lives of more than 2 million children. Compassion has been recognized for its financial integrity with top ratings and recommendations by several “watchdog” organizations. Compassion International provides support to underprivileged children.
It offers food, shelter, education, and health care to children. The company provides child survival programs to educate pregnant mothers about nutrition and family planning; child sponsorship programs to prepare children to support themselves and educate them of physical well-being; and leadership development programs to allow children to attain undergraduate degree and develop skills and abilities. Compassion International was founded in 1952 and is based in Colorado Springs, Colorado with additional offices in Warabrook, Australia; London, Canada; and Apeldoorn, the Netherlands.
In kenya, there are more than 500 projects scatered all over the country. These projects have close to 200,000 children who are under the program. LEADERSHIP 1). Dr. Wesley K. Stafford President 2). Mr. Edward W. Anderson Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer COMPASSION PROGRAMS TO BENEFICIARIES 1. CHILD SURVIVAL PROGRAM SELLECTION PROCESS The selection process will meet the following standards: a. Use of written background information on the child (if already born) and assessment of the poverty of the child’s family b.
Interview of primary caregiver(s) in order to assess the poverty of the family and their willingness to participate in Christian training and other required activities and to be able to explain to them the child selection process c. A visit to the caregiver’s home 2. CHILD DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SPONSORSHIP PROGRAM (C. D. S. P) SELLECTION CRITREIA Compassion desires to work with the neediest and most vulnerable children that it can reach with its program. Therefore, it is vital to have a means by which to assess the relative poverty and vulnerability of different children in the community.
Reaching the neediest children possible is rooted in a commitment to integrity both in the program and with sponsors. Compassion is also committed to establishing a long-term relationship with each child selected for the program. Child development is a long-term process. Additionally, the relationship of each child to a sponsor is meant to be long-term in nature. All registered children are selected based on objective criteria that establish their need and their ability to benefit from the program.
Every compassion project has documented process and criteria for selecting the neediest and most vulnerable children who can benefit from the program. The process should identify children by having selection decisions governed by the following criteria: a. Both non-Christian and Christian families b. Both boys and girls c. Low family income and low family assets d. Chronic illness and/or malnutrition e. Inability to attend school or progress in school f. Physically or mentally impaired (if an appropriate program is available for them) g.
Orphaned, abandoned or exploited (if an appropriate program is available for them) h. Between the ages of 3 and 9 (No child who has reached his or her 10th birthday can be registered for first-time entry into a project. ) i. Good access of the child to the church location — generally this is considered being within an approximately 30-minute walk from the home j. Evidence that the child is likely to be non-transient and stable within the community k. Preference given to CSP graduates who meet other needs-based criteria The selection process will meet the following standards: Use of written background information on the child and assessment of the poverty of the child and the child’s family o Interview of parent(s) or caregiver(s) in order to assess the poverty of the family and their willingness in writing to permit the child to participate in Christian training and other required activities and to be able to explain to them the child selection process o A visit to the child’s home No more than one child from the same family may be registered for the program.
Children cannot be registered for sponsorship if they are being sponsored by another organization. Under extraordinary circumstances, an exception to standards 1, 2 or 3 may be considered if a written report of the circumstances of the child is approved in writing by the Country Director. This program supports children between the ages of 0-3 years. The Child Development through Sponsorship Program (CDSP) is the most far-reaching of the programs, beginning with children sometime between the ages of 3 and 9 and working with them until they are somewhere between the ages of 13 and 22.
Compassion trains and equips local Church Partners to administer a broad range of child development activities, and a concerted effort is made to build a meaningful relationship between the child and a sponsor, in which the sponsor is able to encourage and support the child in his or her long-term development. The long-term nature of this program during this critical period of life creates the opportunity to more deeply address the holistic needs of the child.
By the time a young person finishes CDSP, Compassion’s mission of holistic development should be accomplished successfully. The long-term nature of this program during this critical period of life creates the opportunity to more deeply address the holistic needs of the children. 100% heaslth care is ppprovided to the beneficiaries. Educational support including school fees For nursery school going children, school uniforms for all the sponsored children,vocational training, income generating actinvities like poultry keeping, tailoring e. . c, are provided. Skilled personnel are hired to train the children every Saturday to train the children on a complimentary compassion curricullum which takes care of holistic development of the chil Special consideation is given to teachers with early childhood training. Children also get an opportunity to play with others as all kinds of games equipments are provided. 3. ORPHANS AND VULNERABLE CHILDREN PRROGRAM Supports children that most needy among the already needyt children in the program.
The famillies of these children are offered with funds to initiate income generating activities. Counselling services are provided to the famillies of thses children. 4. BRIGHT CHILDREN SUPPORT INITIATIVE (B. S. S. I) Supports chil;dren who are bright but are not able to raise their hiogh school fees. 100% school fees is payed for these children in their respective schools. 5. COMPLIMENTARY INTERVENTION Compassion’s complimentary interventios program helps to drill boreholes, build schools and start community income generating projects in sellected regions of the country.
For instance compassion spend close to 45,000,000/= to construct a girls high school in Najile in Kajiado district. Simillarly 3,000,000/= was spend to drill a borehole in Lenchani village still in Kajiado district. 6. LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM This program supports children who join university and colleges but are not able to raise fees. 100% school fees and poket money of kshs 5,000/= is given to the students. 7. HIV/AIDS PROGRAM Sup[ports children whon are H. I. V positive. Transport for collection of ARVS is provided.
