Country Director's Letter: Uganda

Today's letter is from Uganda, where we sponsor Cissy. The original letter and photo can be found here.

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Dear Friend,

I am Lenny Mugisha; I have been the country director of Compassion Uganda for two years, and I have worked with Compassion International for seven years. Compassion has operated in Uganda for the past 36 years. We currently have more than 340 child development centers serving 93,500 children in the most impoverished areas within our reach across the country.

Thank you for loving, praying and caring for your sponsored child. We appreciate your continued support.

These have been years of great achievement in the lives of children. Children have accepted Jesus as their Savior, acquired income-generating and life skills, studied, and graduated. They receive health care, education opportunities, and a safe environment to play in and relate to their peers.

Many children and families here lack food and clean water, decent shelter, clothing and health care. They face obstacles like child marriage, child trafficking, physical abuse, violence, HIV/AIDS, and more. In 2017, our plan is to work closely with church partners to register more children from highly impoverished areas in unreached communities, minister to them early enough, and help them finish well to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults.

One child suffered from malaria from the age of 3. Each time he fell sick, his grandmother carried him to a local government hospital. Sometimes there wasn’t even a doctor or nurse available to see the child. Often he was discharged with nothing but a prescription for the grandmother to buy medicine – but she couldn’t afford it. The malaria attacks intensified, and the boy contracted epilepsy. His grandmother stopped him from going to school because she feared what would happen. Her grandson lost weight and became weak.

Four months after registering with Compassion, the boy lost consciousness because of malaria. His grandmother rushed him to a different hospital, where the sponsorship program enabled him to go. The child received treatment, since the drugs were available, and he recovered faster than usual. In addition to medical intervention, he received food support that helped restore his health. This child could have been dead by now, but he isn’t. Instead, he plays and dreams and attends school without fear. Because of the Compassion center, his life was saved.

In addition to implementing Compassion’s programs, church partners respond to their communities’ needs through evangelism, discipleship, savings programs, vocational training, special events, and ministry to those in need. Other churches also mobilize community-development programs, such as building water sources and roads and health and parenting education. The church usually spearheads such ventures due to its good reputation in the community.

Children who receive letters from their sponsors know they have a friend who loves them and cares about them. They look forward to writing to their sponsors. Children who do not receive letters feel that their sponsors do not love them, and they go back home sad. Children value and believe each message their sponsor writes to them, and their attitude toward life is positively influenced by what their sponsors say. They feel valued, especially when their sponsor wishes them a happy birthday. They are encouraged to work hard at school. They look at their sponsors as role models. Please write to your child as often as you can.

Please pray for the children in the program in Uganda who have not yet got sponsors, and for each child in the program to be released from all forms of poverty. We love you and pray for you always.

Once again, thank you so much for investing in the life of your sponsored child. May the Lord bless you abundantly.

Faithfully,
Lenny Mugisha

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Uganda, please consider sponsoring

Country Director's Letter: Togo

Today's letter is from Togo, where we correspond with Gildas. The original letter and photo can be found here.

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Dear Friend,

I am Komlavi Peter Ataty, country director of Compassion Togo since 2009. Compassion started in Togo in February 2008 with 10 child development centers, and today it has grown to more than 160 church partners serving more than 40,000 children.

I sincerely thank you for the great love and hope you are giving to your sponsored child. Your contribution is precious.

In Togo, more than 30 percent of the population lives below the poverty line. Poverty, health issues, lack of education, abuse, forced labor, and early marriage are some of the challenges children and their families are facing. More than 20 percent of school-age children do not have access to education. Although the situation has improved recently, as free education became available, some children and youth from impoverished rural families cannot access education just because of the costs of books, transportation, meals, etc. School buildings are often substandard and in deplorable condition. Primary classes may have 80 students squeezed into dilapidated, cramped rooms. HIV/AIDS is prevalent in Togo, and we have insufficient health personnel and a lack of appropriate health care infrastructure.

Child development centers help children develop their talents and grow holistically – physically, cognitively, socio-emotionally, and spiritually – through quality child-development activities. The goal of this approach is life transformation for all the children, helping them fulfill God’s plan for their lives and making a constructive impact on their homes, communities, countries, and the whole world. Church partners are also involved in evangelism and health education for communities, treatment of some diseases, and initiatives to provide clean water, vocational training, etc.

A mother whose child is in the program testified: “When my husband died, I thought we would die too, because nobody from either his family or mine will think about us. Since 2013, none of them has asked me how the children are doing. But thank God, Compassion is there. I was so comforted by the words in the letters my son received from his sponsor. Even though I am a single mother, I know I have some people caring for me and my children. These letters are a powerful source of encouragement to us.”

When sponsors write letters to their children and tell them they are members of the family, that they are loved and prayed for, and that their future is bright, it has a tremendous impact on the child and even on the family. Nothing can take the place of this sponsor-child relationship through letters. I encourage you to write to your child often. It is so valuable.

We continuously pray for you. Please pray for our work here, the children and workers, and for continuous peace and stability in our country.

Kindly receive my heartfelt gratitude for choosing to sponsor your child in Togo. I strongly pray that the Lord will continue blessing you and keeping you under His everlasting grace and favor from generation to generation.

In Jesus,
Komlavi Peter Ataty

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Togo, please consider sponsoring

Country Director's Letter: Thailand

Today's letter is from Thailand, where we correspond with Sa. The original letter and photo can be found here.

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Dear Friend,

My name is Sanya Ladaphongpattana. I have been the country director of Compassion Thailand for 13 years. I grew up in a Christian family as an MK (missionary’s kid). My parents came from China in 1962. Throughout those years, God prepared me to carry on the assignment to serve Thai people and help local churches fulfill His purpose. Compassion has worked in Thailand for more than 45 years and has partnered with almost 200 local churches. We currently serve more than 40,000 children.

I would like to thank you for your heart and commitment to your sponsored child.

More than 96 percent of Thailand’s population is Buddhist. Children here face many challenges in their lives, such as poverty, peer pressure, cultural norms and traditions, expectations from parents and relatives, etc. Many children we serve are so-called stateless children – those who do not have legal identities, which means they may have fewer opportunities in education, employment and health care access. With all of these challenges, our local church partners reach out and bless all our registered children.

Sponsorship is not only a financial support for schooling and improved living conditions, but it is a process of holistic discipleship that helps children become fulfilled adults who love God. Through sponsorship, children have a safe place to go. At the centers, they feel nurtured, learn about the love of God, acquire vocational skills, develop character through mentoring relationships, and so much more. It is our vision to see each one of them become a leading force, a champion in holistic transformation of this nation.

Recently, one of our church partners was very successful in an anti-corruption movement in their local community that escalated to district and provincial level. The movement started from a youth group, then expanded to peers, classmates, schools and community. They have been recognized and awarded by Thailand’s National Anti-Corruption Commission as a community that builds up a new generation with character that will drive and reform the nation. If we change one child at a time through prayers, letters, encouragement, and generous giving, then we’ll see a national transformation taking place.

Letters from sponsors are a great encouragement to the children. Through letters, they know that someone loves and cares for them, and they are inspired to do their best. Letters are the driving force behind the sponsor-child relationship. I encourage you to write your child as frequently as possible.

Once again, I would like to thank you for your sponsorship, which means more than you can understand for your child. I pray that God will continue to bless and guide you and allow you to bless others who are in need.

Respectfully in Christ,
Sanya Ladaphongpattana

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Thailand, please consider sponsoring

Country Director's Letter: Tanzania

Today's letter is from Tanzania, where we correspond with Maria, Elinami, Rose and Gabriel. The original letter and photo can be found here.

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Dear Friend,

I am Agnes Hotay. I have been the Tanzania country director for two years, but I joined Compassion 14 years ago. Compassion has worked in Tanzania for 17 years. We have almost 340 child development centers serving more than 80,000 children and youth.

Thank you for your partnership. Your kind support, love and care for your sponsored child have made a big difference.

Because of sponsors’ ministry, children attend school with necessary schooling materials and support. In addition, they get the chance to learn at least one livelihood skill so they can support themselves in the future. They receive health care. Children also build healthy peer relationships at the center and enjoy social activities. Children feel cared for and loved; they have a safe place to go and people who listen to and protect them. They learn about the love of God and how to share it with others.

Our children and families face many obstacles. Public schools often have poor infrastructure and not enough teachers. Some public health centers are ill equipped. Unhealthy cultural practices such as early marriage and albino killings mount critical challenges to child welfare. The government is making efforts to address these issues, but it takes time to deal with such culturally rooted practices.

My vision for the ministry in the coming year is to see that we support our churches to have stronger programs on discipleship, livelihood skills, and youth engagement. The teenagers in our program face different challenges that need special attention and greater innovation.

In a recent youth graduation, one of the graduates moved people to tears. The girl’s parents chose to enter her instead of her young brother into sponsorship because she had a serious illness and they couldn’t afford treatment. Her friends carried her to the center in her early years because she could not walk. She went through six surgeries, and now she can walk. She is pursuing studies in medicine and plans to become a sponsor herself.

Churches have great opportunity to reach their surrounding communities with the gospel as they visit the children and families. Churches have initiated different outreach programs, social services such as nursery schools, disaster relief, and special programs for HIV/AIDS-affected people, widows and orphans.

Children glow with excitement when they get letters from their sponsors. They feel valued and loved; but some don’t get letters. One child walked to the center office and asked if she had done something wrong, because she had never received a letter from her sponsor. Another child almost dropped out of school, but he received a letter asking about his studies. He decided to go back to school so he wouldn’t disappoint his sponsor. Children and their families often keep sponsor letters as special treasures. In a small mud house, they will keep the letters in a plastic bag so they are not spoiled. Please write to your sponsored child whenever possible, even just a few sentences. Some children come from dysfunctional families, broken homes, or hostile environments. No one tells them they are beautiful or smart, or no one has ever told them they are loved. A letter with such words makes a lasting impact.

Please help me pray for our nation to have better quality education and health services, and that our partner churches will continue to be innovative and create more youth-friendly programs.

Your support for your sponsored child comes as a gift from God to us, from a sacrificial heart. Thank you for joining hands to fulfill the Great Commission. I pray that God will meet all your needs, grant your heart’s desire, and fulfill your plans.

God bless you richly,
Agnes Hotay

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Tanzania, please consider sponsoring

Country Director's Letter: Sri Lanka

Today's letter is from Sri Lanka, where we correspond with Navodya and Krishanth. The original letter and photo can be found here.

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Dear Friend,

I am Sharonsundar Croos. I have been the interim program implementation director of the Sri Lanka office for the last year. Compassion has worked in Sri Lanka for six years. Currently, we partner with 65 local churches to serve about 12,500 children.

Thank you for your contribution to your sponsored child. I can’t tell you how much I appreciate your support. Your generous contribution goes a long way.

Children in the child development center get nutritious meals, time to show their God-given gifts, activity-based education, and an opportunity to know the unconditional love of God, which they see through the child workers in the center. They know that someone cares for them and loves them.

Through sponsor support, Compassion has changed many lives. A grandfather and his 3-year-old granddaughter lived in a hut – just sand, a mat, a shoddy roof with a burnt opening from a fire, and walls of dried palm fronds. They didn’t have a lot to eat. The grandfather was blind in one eye and losing sight in the other due to cataracts. He cared for himself and the granddaughter by selling a few fish or vegetables. He was also lame. He took the little girl to attend the center activities on a shabby makeshift bicycle. They never missed a class.

The little family received some nutritious meals, books, and much-needed clothing. One astonishing day a gracious sponsor, visiting another child, saw the little girl and decided to sponsor her too. Life began to change. Compassion Korea intervened with a cataract operation to save the grandfather’s sight. Through the sponsor, the church, and Compassion’s complementary intervention funds, a solid stone house was built for the family of two. But two days after moving into their new home, the grandfather died.

Today this little girl is almost 5. Her mother, who left when the girl was a baby, returned with a new stepfather and brother. The family now lives in the girl’s new home, the home her grandfather envisioned for her.

In many areas of Sri Lanka, the poverty level is high, malnutrition is widespread, and educational outcomes are low. Access to health services and basic primary education is limited for the most vulnerable. High unemployment prevails, especially among young people and women. Please keep these needs in your prayers, as we are planning to expand into new areas to touch more children.

Meeting social needs opens doors to sharing God’s love to the children and their caregivers. In addition to Compassion-supported programs, many church partners are involved in local governance work, reconciliation work, disaster response, working with widows, etc.

Receiving letters reminds the children that someone far away loves them. They love to write back and tell the sponsors about themselves, their families, their schools and friends, and everything they consider important. Sponsor letters give them the chance to express what they are feeling. They love their sponsors.

Sadly, some children rarely get letters. They constantly ask why, and they feel bad when they see other children receive letters. Some children are reluctant to come to the center, since they do not get letters and they feel their sponsor does not love them. Some of these children have never had anyone tell them that they are special, loved and prayed for. Receiving a wonderful treasure, a letter, makes them special and loved. So please write to your child as often as you can.

Please continue to pray for our ministry. Our churches face many challenges. I would also ask you to pray for our expansion into new areas.

Thank you once again for your generous support for your sponsored child. May God continue to richly bless you.

Sincerely,
Sharon Croos

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Sri Lanka, please consider sponsoring

Country Director's Letter: Rwanda

Today's letter is from Rwanda, where we correspond with Ndikubwimana. The original letter and photo can be found here.

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Dear Friend,

I am John Nkubana, country director of Compassion International Rwanda. I joined Compassion in 2012. Compassion started in Rwanda in 1980 and opened its first office in 1984. Today, we support 87,000 children through 320 local church partners.

I would like to thank you from my heart for the support you give your sponsored child. Individual sponsor contributions are the building blocks of this ministry to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name.

Children feel secure at the child development center because of the love given to them by center staff and church leadership. Because of the sponsorship program, churches have been able to evangelize communities that otherwise would have been impossible to evangelize without Compassion’s work with the children.

Most of our children are from very impoverished families. These people struggle to secure basic necessities, and this affects them immensely. In 2014, we opened a center in the western part of the country. At this particular center, they had a feeding program for malnourished children, who were given porridge twice a week. The numbers of hungry children were so big that the church was overwhelmed. Today, when you visit that center, you can’t believe that the children who were there in 2014 are same children who are there today. They look so healthy and full of life!

Rwandan children receive a lot of attention and protection from the government, and there are systems in place to monitor child welfare – we have a strong policy on children’s rights. Medical struggles are minimal, because most Rwandans have access to medical care. Most of our children attend government day schools, but many of those schools can’t afford qualified teaching staff and laboratories, and other materials are insufficient.

The area where our children struggle the most is the socio-emotional trauma that is a consequence of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. Most of the sponsored children are children or grandchildren of either genocide perpetrators or genocide victims. They are all traumatized equally.

When a sponsor picks a child to sponsor, it is a long-term commitment. Children get excited when they are told that they received sponsors. After that, they wait with a lot of anxiety for the first letter from the sponsor. I am sure sponsors wait anxiously for the first letter from their sponsored child, too – I can attest to this, because I’m a sponsor. What I have witnessed over time is the bond that the letters create between sponsors and children. When a child doesn’t get a letter but sees friends getting letters from their sponsors, that child is devastated. Please write to your child as regularly as you can. The more letters children receive, the more they feel close to the sponsor despite the distance. The physical you is enshrined in letters written to your sponsored child.

We always uphold you in prayers here; may the Lord continue to replenish your stores and granaries. We need your prayers as we continue to disciple these vulnerable children in partnership with the church. It is not an easy assignment, given the level of need; stand with us in prayer as we strategize on how the church can raise support locally to supplement Compassion’s work. And Rwanda being a mountainous country, visiting children’s homes is a challenge for staff and volunteers.

With heartfelt gratitude, I want to thank you for the love and invaluable material support you give to your sponsored child. The support you give is not in vain. I give glory to God; it is because of who we are in Jesus Christ that you are able to extend generosity of that magnitude against all odds – thank you!

Sincerely,
John Nkubana

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Rwanda, please consider sponsoring

Country Director's Letter: Philippines

Today's letter is from Philippines, where we correspond with Earl John. The original letter and photo can be found here.

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Dear Friend,

I am Noel Pabiona, and I have been the country director of Compassion in the Philippines for 12 years now. I am a proud father of two boys. My boys constantly remind me to be a patient and responsible father, which in turn reminds me of my Heavenly Father’s love and amazing patience for me.

Compassion has worked in the Philippines for more than 44 years. Today, we have about 345 child development centers, reaching out to around 81,000 children across the islands. This seems to be a large number, but it is small compared to our country’s total population of 102 million, with 12 million people still living in extreme poverty. My vision is to reach out to even more children.

Thanks to sponsors like you, thousands of Filipino children now know God, live responsible lives, and have hope for the future. Your faithful support and care for your sponsored child has eternal impact. Thank you.

Our country is made up of 7,100 islands, and this is a challenge in traveling. Yet whenever I can, I visit our centers to meet as many children as possible. I have personally talked with many of the sponsored children and their families and seen how sponsorship truly works. Several teens have told me that, if not for their sponsorship, they would most probably be like many of the unsponsored teenagers in their community – unschooled, drug dependent or pregnant, and without hope. Our teens have hope, study hard, contribute to society, and respect their parents. They are on their way to escaping poverty and becoming responsible and fulfilled Christian adults.

Although public education is free, not all Filipino families send their children to school. A handful of impoverished families would rather have their children work so they can earn even a little for their families, even if it means working in harmful conditions such as scavenging, quarrying and fishing. Other parents simply do not care to encourage their children to study or do well in life.

In 2017, my focus is on giving every child the chance to be a disciple in the way of our Savior. This, I believe, is what makes Compassion stand out. Not only do we give children hope, but we also give them eternal hope in Jesus; not only do we equip them for life, but we also challenge them to give back and touch the lives of others.

Our church partners are doing a remarkable job in ministering to the children. Most of our staff and volunteers serve the children beyond what is required in Compassion’s program. The need and vulnerability of the children compel them to do so. They reach out to the families and communities, and often initiate community-development centers to support the local government. In most cases, our churches are more equipped, reliable and successful in their initiatives than the local government is.

Finally, I would like to let you know that each letter a sponsor sends to a child is not just a piece of paper. It is a reminder that the children are important, that they matter because they are loved. I have not met a child who didn’t value letters from the sponsor. They keep the letters in special boxes, and most read them over and over. Children who don’t receive letters wonder why not. I encourage you to write to your child as much as you can.

With God’s grace, let us continue to work, pray and hope together. Thank you again for your love and the hope you give to your sponsored child.

In Jesus,
Noel Pabiona

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Philippines, please consider sponsoring

Country Director's Letter: Peru

Today's letter is from Peru, where we correspond with Juan, Anthony and Abel. The original letter and photo can be found here.

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Dear Friend,

My name is Cristina Zavala, and I have been the country director of Compassion Peru since 2005. Compassion began ministering in Peru in 1984. We serve around 75,000 children through more than 250 partner churches. We want to open more opportunities this year, growing to serve more than 80,000 children.

My country has a rich history, beautiful places, and warm people, but also extreme poverty, broken families, and vulnerable children. Due to their living conditions and lack of economic resources, children face hard situations of abuse and neglect that erode their self-esteem and sense of belonging. The difference in a sponsored child is mainly the impact of being loved and cared for by people who value and give him or her dignity in a safe environment.

The economic situation works against families and parents, pulling them away from their children when the situation is pressing. They leave their children alone with little protection and supervision. Access to education, medicine, and potable water is still limited in the most impoverished regions of Peru. Some villages don´t have medical centers, or the facilities lack staff. Other areas get water directly from rivers or contaminated water channels. Young people have no opportunity to learn marketable skills, and no dreams of progress and development.

We want to change the situation. We are working to help children improve their reading, writing, and math learning and to learn and develop healthy habits. Little ones who first arrive at the child development center often suffer from malnutrition. We are working with complementary funds to offer filtered and safe water. Together with the church partners, we talk to government institutions to improve medical care centers, and we keep on teaching Christian values and principles. We are also coordinating scholarships with private technical schools and helping young people to study a technical career such as computing, accounting, etc., or to study a major in college.

We also teach leadership courses to outstanding students. One young man who will complete the program this year faced many troubles as a sponsored child. His father is an alcoholic, and his mother did not want to hear a word about God. But this young man found affection, care and shelter at the center. He had the chance to learn work skills; now he is going to school to study bakery and pastry, and he is also a leader in his church. From being immersed in poverty, he has discovered his great potential, and he now has big dreams. Another young man received a social volunteer entrepreneur honor from the United Nations for organizing teachers to give school tutoring in impoverished parts of Lima.

Children who enjoy a relationship with their sponsors feel the love and care of people who value them and give them dignity and the desire for a different future. Having a sponsor makes children very happy. They think sponsors are relatives who live very far away but send letters that bring them closer. Sponsors’ letters have a high emotional value for children; when they get a letter, they feel they have some physical token from their sponsors. Please write your child as often as you can.

Our partner churches are also ministering to their own communities by creating work opportunities and education and development programs that radically change families’ inappropriate ways of living. Join us in prayer for every church partner that is working hard and doing such an amazing job.

I want to express my gratitude to you for your continued love and support for your sponsored child. Together we can offer the valuable gift of hope to change the lives of the voiceless and suffering ones.

In Jesus Christ,
Cristina Zavala

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Peru, please consider sponsoring

Country Director's Letter: Nicaragua

Today's letter is from Nicaragua, where we correspond with Erick. The original letter and photo can be found here.

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Dear Friend,

My name is William José Gutiérrez Rojas. Since 2003, I have been the country director of Compassion Nicaragua. It has been almost 15 years since the ministry was launched in this country. Despite challenges, we have reached more than 51,000 children so far through about 175 church partners, releasing them from poverty in Jesus´ name.

Thank you so much for your support and for walking through life with your sponsored child!

Nicaragua is the second-poorest country in the Americas, after Haiti. Around 50 percent of children and adolescents are living in poverty, 19 percent in extreme poverty. The most under-resourced children are those living in rural areas whose income is less than US$2 a day. That is why many Nicaraguan children are out of school, compelled to work to earn some money, trying to relieve their basic needs a bit. Children in our country struggle with common threats such as malnutrition, poor drinking water, domestic violence, lack of access to education, poor self-esteem, and hopelessness.

But thanks to sponsors, children in our child development centers have the opportunity to grow in a holistic way – spiritually, physically, cognitively, and socio-emotionally. They are exposed to the gospel through spiritual retreats and other activities that teach them about God´s love. They receive regular medical checkups, meals, and preventive health care. They have access to education, school supplies and tutoring, and different kinds of vocational training. They learn to interact with other people in a healthy and compassionate manner.

Besides all these, children´s lives are changed in a positive way by their sponsors’ friendship. Children delight in sponsors’ letters because of their encouraging words to succeed in life, making children aware they are worthy and loved. This is especially true for our many children who come from dysfunctional homes with frosty relationships, where there is little interest in their well-being. Please write to your child as often as you can.

Compassion’s programs make an impact on the parents as well as the children. Parents are taught how to raise, treat and educate their children from pregnancy onward. Parents are shown how to take greater parental responsibility, and they learn about topics such as child protection, nutrition, etc.

I would like to ask for your prayers, please. There is still a long path to walk through, and our effort is to reach more and more children in need and enable them to become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults.

Thank you for your effort to break the chain of poverty for your sponsored child. Thank you for arising and crying out in the night for the lives of children who faint from hunger at every street corner (Lamentations 2:19). Your love and support are greatly valued and appreciated, not only by your child, but also by our Lord and Savior.

In Him and for Him,
William Gutiérrez Rojas

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Nicaragua, please consider sponsoring

Country Director's Letter: Mexico

Today's letter is from Mexico, where we sponsor and correspond with Jose and Elsa. The original letter and photo can be found here.

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Dear Friend,

My name is Omar Villagran. I have been the country director for Compassion Mexico since 2004. Compassion Mexico started serving children in 1979 with dining rooms. In 1990, the country office was established in Mexico City. Today, we serve more than 45,000 children through about 210 child development centers in seven Mexican states.

Thanks to you, your sponsored child can develop in many areas of life. Poverty limits children, hurting them with a lack of health, education and opportunities. You are helping to change that for your sponsored child.

In our centers, children and youth have dreams and goals, and they know that attaining these is possible. They receive at least one medical checkup each year and participate in different learning activities that complement school. They eat a nutritious meal each time they come to the activities. Part of the program focuses on developing physical abilities, where the children learn to play and work as a team.

Each child receives a Bible, in which many have found answers and comfort for many of the struggles they face themselves or within their families. Due to poverty, many children are unable to manage healthy relationships with their families and those around them. But we see many children’s lives and their family’s lives being transformed. Behind each little one we support is a family that receives the opportunity to be free; their entire world can be transformed.

Poverty challenges people in every aspect of life, so our fight seems to have no end. Unfortunately, our country has serious nutritional problems. The central zone and the north of the country hold first place worldwide in childhood obesity; one in three adolescents between 12 and 19 years old is overweight or obese, and this problem is now affecting even 3- to 5-year-olds. On the other hand, Mexico reports high rates of malnutrition in the southeast of the country; in the urban areas, 7.25 percent of children from 5 to 14 years old suffer from chronic malnutrition, and twice as many in the rural areas. The risk of an indigenous child dying from diarrhea, malnutrition or anemia is three times higher in indigenous or rural zones than in urban zones. This is why we are committed to work harder each day.

Compassion Mexico works with the churches that have established the child development centers. We have started nutrition and childcare workshops, teaching the children and their parents to eat in a healthy way with what they have within their area and reach. In our centers, children learn to combine a good diet with exercise to have a healthier life.

Besides all the program strategies to support the children and their families, we see that the close relationships children develop with their sponsors influence their development. Through sponsor letters, children know someone is concerned for them, is interested in their growth, and constantly prays for them. Getting to know their sponsor through a letter, a photo or a visit inspires them to continue, because they know that they are not alone. Please write your child as often as you can.

Millions of children live in extreme poverty, but we are making a difference one child at a time. Please uphold our staff and the volunteers in our partner churches in your prayers, because our work would not be possible without their effort and dedication.

I cannot say more than thank you for all the support you provide to your sponsored child. We are grateful for your love for children and the heart that you have for our country.

Shalom,
Omar Villagran Arjona

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Mexico, please consider sponsoring

Country Director's Letter: Kenya

Today's letter is from Kenya, where we correspond with Grace, Japhet, Rebecca Diana, Phalam, Gatwiri, Ndeleva, Ismael and Sanaipei. The original letter and photo can be found here.

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Dear Friend,

My name is Joel Macharia, country director of Compassion International in Kenya. Compassion has been in Kenya since 1980. We partner with about 375 local churches, serving 108,000 babies, children and youth.

Thank you for your support and care for your sponsored child in Kenya.

Through sponsors’ support, children attend school, learn to make good health choices, receive medical attention, find a safe place to play, build healthy relationships, gain essential life skills, discover and build their talents, and encounter the life-transforming message of the Bible. Compassion children receive learning materials, desks, school uniforms, and remedial tutoring. At child development centers in their community, they find caring adults who encourage, support and guide them. We invest to provide access to safe drinking water, sanitation, solar lighting, and treated bed nets, among other initiatives.

Children are often at risk of emotional, physical and other forms of abuse and neglect, including early marriages. We work to prevent and deal with abuse through training and establishing robust processes.

About 70 percent of our children live in rural communities that largely depend on small-scale subsistence farming and keeping animals, and about 30 percent live in urban slums. In rural areas, families struggle to find enough food and water when rains fail. In impoverished urban areas, people live with poor or nonexistent sanitation, bad housing, high unemployment, predatory pricing, and violence. Often families are dysfunctional, and many people are too absorbed in their own struggles to notice or care for others. Public schools tend to have fewer teachers than needed, inadequate learning materials, inadequate or poorly maintained infrastructure, and high teacher absenteeism.

We continue to work at changing families’ mindset from victims to thinking like empowered Christians. Discipleship is at the heart of forming this worldview. We want people to envision a better future and take the necessary action to overcome the odds that hold them.

Recently, we encountered a single mom who had lost both hands in a past abusive marriage. She and her child were in great distress. When the child was registered in the center, she was malnourished and sick. She received needed nutrition and medical support and now shows remarkable improvement. The mom was connected to a local women’s group, where she has received needed support, including free legal services.

Our church partners are an important center of community life. They run discipleship programs for different groups and teach people how to improve their economic prospects. Some churches run their own schools, health clinics and vocational training. We empower church leaders to collaborate to address issues affecting their communities.

When a child gets a sponsor, it is a very special cause for celebration. It deeply affirms the child as unique and valued. Children long to connect with the sponsor to express gratitude and build the relationship. Receiving a letter, photo or card from the sponsor encourages them and reinforces their feeling of being loved. While it’s delightful for children to receive sponsor letters, some don’t get them, and they wonder why. We encourage them to keep communicating, but they find it hard when the sponsor is quiet. Please write your child as often as possible.

Thank you again for your friendship and support for your sponsored child. We say in Africa that it takes a village to raise a child. Our child-raising village is incomplete without you. Please pray that all our children will live to fulfill their God-given potential.

Warm regards and every blessing,
Joel Macharia

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Kenya, please consider sponsoring

Country Director's Letter: Indonesia

Today's letter is from Indonesia, where we correspond with Jenny. The original letter and photo can be found here.

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Dear Friend,

I am Sarah Jeanin Rahardja, Compassion Indonesia country director. This is my 15th year working with Compassion. Compassion Indonesia started its ministry in 1984. Today, we minister to almost 70,000 children, nearly 800 mothers and babies in the survival program, and 87 Leadership Development Program students through more than 315 church partners.

Thank you for your commitment, love and contribution to your sponsored child. You have changed everything for your child. Sponsors’ financial support not only provides school tuition, healthy meals, and medical intervention, but it gives the children confidence, since they know they are loved, known and protected.

In Indonesia, 13.8 million children live below the poverty line. Children who live in rural eastern Indonesia have more disadvantages in access to clean water, schools and health care. However, children in western Indonesia have their own disadvantages due to the concentration of population. In Indonesia, increasing numbers of parents must work outside their village or even out of the country. Only 10 percent of children see both their parents daily, and 20 percent of children do not see either of their parents.

One of our focuses for the coming year is youth development, which will provide programs and opportunities for youth to be disciples, develop their leadership, and develop their interests and talents to become self-sufficient. We are also expanding our ministry to more extreme-poverty areas. This year, we will expand into Alor Island, East Nusa Tenggara province, and North Sumatra.

Last year, we implemented Qavah, a method to empower church partners. We help church partners to identify their resources instead of identifying their needs. The process has a significant result when church partners start to access resources around them and mobilize their communities to respond to their own needs. Church partners have been able to mobilize communities to build toilets or bridges and clean the streets. We used a similar process with youth, and they came up with some great ideas and programs; empowering youth also helped the church partners maintain youth participation at the child development centers. In one center, the youth developed a program to pick up the younger children and serve them during the activities at the center.

Children value their relationships with their sponsors. They not only appreciate the financial support, but especially the sponsor letters. Some children study harder because of encouragement from their sponsors in letters, some children feel valuable because their sponsors say they pray for them and love them, and some children meet Christ through sponsor letters. Through letters, children feel the love and attention that some of them cannot get from their parents, who are too busy to meet their needs. Please write as often as you can.

These achievements in children’s lives could not happen without sponsors’ support and commitment. You play an important role. Through the relationship between sponsor and child, two different people from different countries, different languages, and different cultures can know each other and see the kingdom of God in wider perspective. The sponsor-child relationship is not limited by program, but it is a lifelong relationship. I am thankful to be your co-worker in this most effective ministry to bring children to rise from poverty and to know Jesus.

I humbly ask you to pray that we can have the courage and commitment to do our best; also pray for the process of expanding our ministry to more impoverished areas in Indonesia.

Please let me express my gratitude again for your commitment, love and heart for your child in Indonesia. May God bless you abundantly.

In Jesus,
Sarah Jeanin Rahardja

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Indonesia, please consider sponsoring

Country Director's Letter: Honduras

Today's letter is from Honduras, where we correspond with Dayan. The original letter and photo can be found here.

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Dear Friend,

My name is Yolanda Rodas. I have been the country director of Compassion Honduras for six years, and I have been part of Compassion for 13 years. By the grace of God, I have been able to see different stages of Compassion’s ministry as I took different roles at the office. This has been very useful in my current position, since I can understand at a closer level what happens in the field with the children and the churches.

Our office in Honduras began in 1999, although work had begun in some regions in 1974 with the support of the Guatemala and El Salvador offices. Currently, we are working with about 200 child development centers and more than 57,000 children.

During these years, I have been able to see many lives transformed through the dynamic that exists among sponsors, children, churches and Compassion. I want to thank you for all the support that you bring daily to Honduran children, expressed through your sponsorship and prayers. I am convinced that the sponsorship you provide really does work, for I have seen it throughout all these years.

I have seen homes being transformed as the cycle of poverty has been broken, thanks to the work of the child development centers and the support sponsors offer. Many of our youth have been the first in their families to complete high school or university education or have the opportunity to learn a trade to sustain themselves and their families. Many children have been diagnosed quickly with an illness that could have taken their lives, but instead they received adequate treatment. Most importantly, I have seen entire households changed with the transforming power of Jesus. Each church that ministers in the lives of children is giving hope to families through the gospel.

In our country, we fight each day against poverty, violence and corruption, which are the main challenges before us. Many of our children live in the most violent and poverty-stricken regions of our country. Each day, these young people and children suffer pressures to join a gang, for there they are offered money or a semblance of family. Some of them live in constant fear of having a family member murdered or losing their own lives.

Access to the public health system is also a challenge. Even though there are hospitals and community health centers available, they lack qualified personnel and supplies. Education has improved during the last years, but there are still obstacles to overcome, for the system has not yet reached an adequate educational level for our children.

In each of these challenge areas, centers are making their best efforts in counterattacking the effects of such overwhelming poverty. They have become an oasis in the desert for these children and youth.

My vision is that we, as Compassion Honduras, can support the churches even more, so they can effectively implement ministry for children and youth. If each church is well equipped, the impact will be even greater on each child and family. We are also working to improve communications between sponsors and children so these can be more effective and help strengthen their relationships.

Please write to your child as much as you can. I wish you could see children’s smiling and radiant faces when they receive a sponsor letter. Even though most of them do not know their sponsors personally, it is so important to them to know that someone loves them selflessly and demonstrates a genuine interest in their well-being through letters.

Thank you for being part of this movement that is changing generations in our beloved Honduras. You are sowing in good soil by sponsoring a child in Honduras, and we appreciate all your prayers.

Yours truly,
Yolanda Rodas de Núñez

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Honduras, please consider sponsoring

Country Director's Letter: Haiti

Today's letter is from Haiti, where we correspond with Kamplos and Luxandra. The original letter and photo can be found here.

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Dear Friend,

My name is Guilbaud Saint-Cyr, and I have been serving as the Compassion Haiti country director for 13 years now. The ministry of Compassion began in Haiti in 1968. The Lord has currently blessed us with more than 100,000 registered children in partnership with about 300 local churches.

We feel so grateful for the enthusiastic and generous contribution you have provided to your sponsored child. Our committed sponsors enable children to have hope and a future, and to participate in effective programs designed to shape their lives so they can become responsible and fulfilled Christian adults.

One vivid example is a young man who lived in the poverty of Solino, one of the largest and most dangerous slums in Haiti. One of five children in a family that struggled to meet their basic needs, he became a Compassion-sponsored child at an early age. Through the program, he had access to quality education, Bible training, medical and food support, and income-generating training. Eventually he attained a bachelor’s degree in administration in a prestigious university in Haiti and a master’s degree in discipleship from the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. Today, he is ministering to children in the community where he grew up, reaching out to gang members by modeling the way. He not only meets the needs of his nuclear family and extended family, but he also chose to sponsor two little boys through Compassion – one from his former child development center and another from Colombia.

We have several priorities for the coming year. As a strong and growing ministry in Haiti, we plan to reinforce our partnerships by equipping our church partners with new technology for timely processing and delivery of child information to sponsors, and by helping them serve more children. We are also considering partnership with new denominations in the regions we already operate in to serve the high volume of new children we foresee in the future.

We will continue to implement our WaSH (water, sanitation and hygiene) strategy, started a year ago, consisting of providing water, sanitation and hygiene services coupled with education and awareness training. We can save lives and enhance child development through WaSH initiatives. We are completing our pilot phase with 12 centers and can already see the great impact of the strategy. Our vision is to implement WaSH in all our centers throughout the country.

We are developing a new youth-development strategy to enable all our eligible high-finishing students to fulfill their inner calling and potential through higher education, and transition the current Leadership Development Program model to a broader, integrated approach under the responsibility of churches.

We are fighting tirelessly to eradicate poverty, this evil that takes away our precious children’s hope, dignity, and joy of living. We firmly believe that what happens in the life of a child ripples throughout their environment now and in the future. Each sponsor letter and word of encouragement has untold impact on a child and gives that child back hope, dignity and joy. Please write your child as often as you can.

Please pray that God’s wisdom will lead us to be more effective in carrying out this ministry of releasing one child at a time from poverty in Jesus’ name. Changed environments may help children, but transformed children will inevitably change their environments. Let us continue to band together to make this happen for the glory of God.

All these great accomplishments and initiatives have been made possible because of wonderful sponsors like you. Thank you again for your partnership and for your commitment to your sponsored child; this is a battle we can’t win without you.

In Jesus,
Guilbaud Saint-Cyr

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Haiti, please consider sponsoring

Country Director's Letter: Guatemala

Today's letter is from Guatemala, where we correspond with Jhosbin. The original letter and photo can be found here.

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Dear Friend,

My name is José Carlos Prem, and I have been the country director of Guatemala for eight years. I am a chemical engineer, and I also graduated from the Central American Theological Seminary.

Compassion started working in Guatemala after a terrible earthquake in 1976, and it was officially registered in 1989. We currently have almost 200 church partners that are helping us release more than 53,000 children from poverty in Jesus’ name.

I want to express how very grateful I am for your thoughtful sensitivity in ministering to your child in Guatemala. I feel certain that your contributions represent a decision you did not make quickly or lightly, and I want you to know how much it means to your sponsored child. I am able to see firsthand the work of Compassion in the most impoverished communities around the country. I see how our children speak and show the love of Jesus to their families and those around them. I have also seen how a timely intervention can save a child’s life.

I like to ask our children what they like best about attending a child development center. Many say that they get to play; some say that they like to hear Bible stories. But one child told me his favorite thing was getting a plate of food and being able to ask for a second one if he was still hungry.

This child was able to see God’s love through a plate of food, or in this case, two plates of food. Hunger is just one of the many problems our children and their families have to overcome daily. It is an overwhelming reality, but we decided to focus on five of our most urgent needs: violence, child abuse, malnutrition, parents’ unemployment, and poor access to health care.

Official statistics show that in our country, one out of two children under five has chronic malnutrition. Guatemala is the fifth most violent country in the world, and there are more than 3,500 reports of child abuse every year. More than half our population lives in poverty, and there is only one doctor for every 5,000 people. These facts are devastating and may discourage people, but for us they are a reminder that there are still many things we can do to continue the work that Jesus started here on earth.

In developmental work, resources are not always enough to meet the needs. That is why we are working with strategic alliances. Some of these alliances are providing purified water to distant communities and offering vocational training, counseling, pastor training, and youth discipleship.

Thanks to sponsors, all our efforts become more meaningful to these children. They know that somewhere in the world there is someone who cares about them. Letters are especially important in fostering this bond. As children grow, they understand how important a sponsor is to their lives. I met a little girl who lost both of her parents. When her sponsor found out, she decided to become a motherly figure and a role model for her little sponsored girl. In two years, the girl received dozens of letters, and she told me she felt the love of a mother through her sponsor’s words. It makes our children feel special and loved when they know someone took time to think of them and write them. Please write your child as often as possible.

Please pray for our future plans as we move toward growth in the ministry. In the last four years, we have grown from 30,000 to more than 53,000 children, and in the coming years, we are expecting even bigger growth.

Thank you for following God’s direction and for expressing, through your sponsorship, your devotion to children in Guatemala.

Thankfully,
José Carlos Prem

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Guatemala, please consider sponsoring

Country Director's Letter: Ghana

Today's letter is from Ghana, where we correspond with Sandra, Christopher and William. The original letter and photo can be found here.

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Dear Friend,

I am Padmore Baffour Agyapong. I have been the country director of Compassion Ghana for five years. Compassion Ghana is 11 years old. We are currently supporting more than 68,000 children in about 250 child development centers.

I sincerely wish to express my utmost appreciation to you for sponsoring a child in Ghana. The challenges the children and their families face include high unemployment rates, low income levels, lack of health facilities, inaccessibility of potable water and toilet facilities, harmful cultural practices, child abuse, and inadequate infrastructure.

Schools in the rural communities are largely inadequate and dilapidated. Some children must walk long distances daily to attend school. Some schools lack libraries, computer centers, and trained teachers. In some places, health facilities either do not exist or are seriously under-resourced. Lack of access to health care is so serious in some communities that children and their families lose their lives from preventable and curable diseases such as malaria, worm infestation, and tuberculosis.

Sponsorship makes a tremendous impact on the lives of children and their communities. Children receive age-graded Bibles and learn God’s Word. As a result, many confess their faith in Christ and are able to demonstrate the love of God to other people.

Before one boy entered Compassion, his single mother could no longer take care of her children, so she abandoned them and left the community in search of a job. She could not find a job, yet she failed to return. When the child was registered, the center staff followed up on the mother and brought her back to the community. Not long after, her child’s sponsor sent them a family gift that she used to open a bookshop. Profit from selling books now serves as her regular source of income, and she is able to support her family.

Children have access to medical care and receive an annual comprehensive health screening, after which center staff follow up to ensure that all required care is done. Last year, several children had surgeries that their families couldn’t have afforded. Children receive everything necessary to stay in school (school uniforms, books, supplies, tuition fees, tutoring, etc.), and are also trained in income- generating skills such as sewing, bead-making, shoemaking, baking, etc.

When they graduate from the program, these children will be physically healthy and economically self-sustaining. Literacy rates will be higher. This coming year, we will focus on children’s water, sanitation and hygiene needs and also roll out a new youth development strategy. In addition to Compassion programs, our partner churches minister to the community through activities such as evangelism, community cleanups, and other outreach programs.

The exchange of letters between sponsors and their children creates a close bond between them. Encouraging words from sponsors mean so much to the children. They feel loved and treasured. The thought of having caring sponsors abroad who write to them makes them feel special. Children who do not receive letters from their sponsors look sad when their friends receive letters. These children always look forward to the day when their sponsors will also write to them; some actually pray about it. I wish to kindly request you to write to your sponsored child as often as possible. Children cherish the letters.

I am grateful for your deep love and concern for your sponsored child. Your sponsorship has opened the door of hope for the future of your child. We will continue to pray for God’s blessings for you and your family.

Thank you,
Padmore Baffour Agyapong

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Ghana, please consider sponsoring

Country Director's Letter: Ethiopia

Today's letter is from Ethiopia, where we sponsor and correspond with Zeynia, Selam, Samuel, Seyefu, Feraol and Bacha. The original letter and photo can be found here.

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Dear Friend,

I am Tsehaywota Taddesse; I have been the country director of Ethiopia since December 2008. I am married and a father of three children. One of my life’s favorites is being with my children, playing with them, or going out for a walk. It gives me life and reminds me of how honorable it is to serve children.

Compassion, in partnership with the church, has been serving children of Ethiopia since 1993. There are about 104,000 sponsored children in about 440 partner churches spread over the country.

In my journey with Compassion, I have witnessed the selfless engagement of many people (bedridden mothers, siblings, social workers, pastors, and sponsors) to serve children who face lack, disease, loneliness, insecurity and despair because of the brutal realities of poverty. What drives this deep and selfless engagement? What is the mystery with these individuals? Love is the driver. Love is the mystery. Love-driven people are heroes of saving others. You are one of these individuals. Thank you for your love and inestimable contribution in sponsoring a child in Ethiopia.

Through sponsors’ support, Compassion provides holistic development for children in poverty. Partner churches open their facilities and welcome children of their communities. Children enjoy a caring and conducive environment. They get help to pursue their education and nurture their gifts. Children learn God’s Word and how much He values them. They gain a sense of worth; they are connected to a caring and sustainable community of believers.

When one girl’s mom brought her for registration, she was about five years old. She got a sponsor, continued her education, and enjoyed life until she faced her mother’s deteriorated health. This robbed the girl and her younger brother of hope. She ended up taking care of her bedridden mother and the young boy. She witnessed the long suffering and tragic death of her mother. Finally, she was alone with her brother. No security, no care. The small room they were living in suddenly seemed full of fear. The nights turned to long times of worry. Thankfully, these children were not left to continue that life of misery. The child development center extended extra care; a social worker took the responsibility of providing psychological, physical and nutritional care. The girl got vocational training and is now employed, leading her own life. She actively participates in church and serves children. The boy is in university, a top-scoring engineering student. Sponsors make such stories possible.

Many children in Ethiopia need love and care. They struggle with the brutal realities of poverty: lack of income, family breakdown, abuse, child labor, street living, and abnormal practices. It is our vision to reach such children as God enables us, while giving the best for every individual child in our program so that they can be the best of themselves. Our churches and centers become resourceful institutions for children. Please pray for us so we can do this well amid poverty and man-made and natural disasters like the drought we faced last year.

Sponsorship is a soul-to-soul connection nurtured by words of hope, care and encouragement exchanged through letters and prayers. Your letters represent you before your sponsored child. Children get better understanding of sponsorship through letters. Children count and treasure sponsor letters more than any other support rendered to them. I encourage you to strengthen the bond through writing letters to your child.

I cannot thank you enough for making the world better by sponsoring and loving a child in Ethiopia. May God bless you immensely!

Thank you,
Tsehaywota Taddesse

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Country Director's Letter: El Salvador

Today's letter is from El Salvador, where we correspond with Erick. The original letter and photo can be found here.

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Dear Friend,

My name is Guillermo Muñoz. God has blessed me since 2004, when I became the country director of this wonderful ministry. Everything we do helps the most marginalized, the most forgotten, and the most underestimated by our society: children in poverty.

Thank you for joining us in our fight against poverty and hopelessness. Your love, support and faithfulness to your sponsored child make an eternal difference. I know sponsorship works. Compassion began working in El Salvador in 1977. We work with about 250 church partners, serving more than 60,000 children. Poverty hurts so deeply, and in the child development centers, children receive encouragement, vision, healthy food, medical treatment, vocational training, protection, and the love of God.

El Salvador has gone through decades of militarism and civil war. Now, in the post-war period, more than 45 percent of the population lives in poverty. More than 20 percent of children under five suffer stunted growth. Our country has a low-quality public education system and low attendance due to violence. Also, more than 95 percent of the population lives in territory at risk from floods, mudslides, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, and tropical storms. Finally, our children live in one of the most violent countries in the world.

Poverty tells our children there is no hope, no opportunity to have an education. They become targets of the gangs and never learn their identity in Christ. Amid these struggles, we find the local church that has the vision, passion, heart and unlimited love that only come from God. Our vision is to continue giving children the opportunity to rise above their circumstances and become all God created them to be. We provide programs focused on preventing children’s involvement in violence, helping them discover their potential skills and talents, and opening opportunities for academic reinforcement workshops and nonformal education.

One example of transformational impact is one of our pastors, who is so passionate and willing to work with the gangs. He just sits with them, sharing a meal, showing the love of Jesus, and telling them there is hope no matter who you are. Many gang members have surrendered their lives to Jesus, and they send their children to the Compassion center. Now this new generation will not be the same, because they have hope! They are building an eternal relationship with God.

Talking about relationship, the connection children have with their sponsors through letters is so valuable, because they feel loved, appreciated and encouraged. I consider the loneliness of a 13-year-old boy who doesn’t have siblings; his mom passed away, and his dad is in prison. His sponsors (a married couple) made him feel like family despite the long distance between them. Their kind, loving words in letters encourage and bring him hope. This boy wants to be a civil engineer because his life was changed through letters from his sponsors.

We believe in a better future where children can overcome poverty. We plant seeds of hope in each of them, and you are part of this through your constant care for your sponsored child. I want to express my deep gratitude for all the support we get from you. You give your sponsored child the love of God. Thank you!

Please pray with us: Heavenly Father, give us wisdom, strength and enough love to reach out and support children who suffer a lack of opportunities imposed by poverty. We pray for those threatened by violence. We pray for a strong and committed church that upholds the cause of children, and we pray for our sponsors, who lovingly join the mission of releasing children from poverty in the precious name of Jesus.

Sincerely,
Guillermo Muñoz

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If you would like to sponsor a child from El Salvador, please consider sponsoring Keiry, who has been waiting over 220 days for a sponsor!

Keiry is 8 and her birthday is March 9. She lives with her uncle and mother. She's in kindergarten where she's performing above average, and she has a whole long list of activities that she enjoys! Click here to see what she enjoys doing and to sponsor her.

Country Director's Letter: Ecuador

Today's letter is from Ecuador, where we correspond with Danjhely, Alexandra, Selena, Breiner and Katherin. The original letter and photo can be found here.

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Dear Sponsor,

Greetings in Jesus’ name! My name is Jose Carrasco. I am the South American area director, and I’ve been privileged to serve as the interim country director of Ecuador since 2016. I was born in Peru. I am married to Laura, and we have two wonderful children, Jose Alonso and Natalia.

Thank you for being our partner in this endeavor by loving and supporting a child in Ecuador. Your love and care mean everything to the future of your child. Thank you for your generosity.

Compassion has been serving Ecuador for 42 years. God’s faithfulness has allowed us to see results in many lives. We currently have more than 260 child development centers (CDCs) in Ecuador serving more than 97,000 children and youth. Their development is consistent, due to the sustainability of the program. Its holistic approach brings transformation as the children apply Christian values and healthy behaviors while they’re with their families and in their communities.

Compassion is committed to continue to reach children in areas of extreme poverty in Ecuador. One of the greatest struggles our children face in the public schools and in their neighborhoods is the aggressive approach by street drug dealers. They see children in need as instruments to introduce drugs into their schools and communities. In impoverished areas, it is common to see parents with a large number of children forced to leave them alone under the care of the oldest child, who is yet a minor, while the parents work to support the family. This situation leaves the children vulnerable to corrupt individuals. This phenomenon is a real threat for these children and their communities.

Although a handful of government medical centers are accessible in many low-income areas, they lack the medicine to treat the people, so families are forced to look elsewhere for medications. Clean, running water is always lacking, and although local vendors sell and deliver it in some areas, families often don’t have the means to buy it.

In the past two years, God has allowed us to see significant movement in impoverished communities where no churches existed. New churches are opening as a result of church-planting efforts in such areas. These new churches have a clear vision to serve in such a way that their presence is causing a stir in their communities. We continue to implement tools and enhance our partnership strategies to serve our children better. The sponsorship program has raised up men and women who are now active leaders in their communities. Many of them are church pastors and staff in our CDCs.

One cannot describe the bond that exists between the sponsor and the child. We can’t measure the happiness and hope children experience when they learn they will be sponsored and that soon they will receive a letter, a photo, or even a visit. That is why we encourage you to keep in contact with your child. It is absolutely wonderful to see children celebrating as they receive correspondence from their sponsors, but children who receive no letters are so disappointed. The love and care of a sponsor, expressed in letters, lifts children up in ways you could never imagine.

For the past few months, Ecuador has experienced great challenges. We are now in the process of seeking the Lord’s direction for a new country director. In the meantime, the Ecuador staff is doing a great job continuing our mission of serving our children.

As we look around and see a new generation of children in need in Ecuador, we are in awe with the realization of the huge task God has entrusted to us. On behalf of the children of Ecuador, I would like to express my appreciation for sponsors’ support and prayers. The children registered in our program are blessed, and they are aware that not everyone in their communities has the same opportunity.

It is because of you that children in Ecuador can be valued and loved, learn to walk with Jesus, and become responsible and healthy adults. There are no words to express the gratitude my heart feels for your sponsorship. Your giving has changed the destiny of your child, and that is priceless! My heart fills with joy as I express my appreciation and recognize your generous giving.

Sincerely in Christ,
Jose Carrasco

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If you would like to sponsor a child from Ecuador, please consider sponsoring Cristobal, who just turned 13 on June 2.

Cristobal attends the same amazing project, EC453, that our Nancy attended (and this project is really great about sending extra photos)!

Cristobal lives with his single mother and one sibling. He is above average in school and enjoys bicycling, music, singing, story telling, learning about God, and learning new vocational skills. To sponsor Cristobal, click here.