Dear parent: What’s the hardest conversation you’ve ever had?

The door clicks shut. You lean against the threshold with the whirlwind of school pick-up, homework, dinner, bath time and bedtime behind you. Whew. Your partner bends over the notice that came in the mail today. And in the space between your exhale and inhale, you step back into the responsibility of parenthood. One, two, […]

How to share stories about poverty with dignity

Have you ever had to choose a photo to represent yourself? If you have, you will know it is not done carelessly or without consideration. Why? Because you want it to represent you well. This is a value that Compassion holds for the children we serve. We want to represent them well—with dignity, honesty and […]

A diary of clean water: My memories of when clean water changed everything

Meet Egodine. This eight-year-old girl lives in a small community in northwestern Burkina Faso, where the sky is expansive, the dirt is deep red dust and the horizon is punctuated by vegetation that can weather the dry seasons. Egodine loves where she lives—it’s her home. But her small community does not have a clean water […]

She who hungers: Why global hunger hits women and girls worse

Beaded sweat dripping down her brow, Fransciska breathes deep the dusty air kicked up from her worn sandals. Her sombre one-year-old rests his cheek against her jutted shoulder blade. She carries the weight of his hungry body in a green cloth kanga carrier wrapped around her torso. The weight of her precious baby takes a toll on her tired body during today’s 15-kilometre.

But it is nothing compared to the weight of the world she bears each day, fighting to provide for her six hungry children.

One sponsor, two brothers, countless words of impact

Holman was eight years old when Compassion partnered with a local church in his rural community in Nicaragua. A few months after he was registered, he learned he had a sponsor—and shortly after that, he received his first letter. His sponsor shared about his life and his faith journey and encouraged Holman and his family. He wrote regularly and always signed off the same way: with a Bible verse for Holman to read. 

The humanity of Jesus is more relevant than ever this Christmas

The Christmas story is truly miraculous. So miraculous that we spend the whole Advent season marvelling at its reality. We ponder the accounts of lowly shepherds, wise magi, a young first-time mother and her humble husband. Angels come in glory and in dreams, a new star shines over the little town of Bethlehem and a […]

WATCH: The Nativity story through the eyes of children in Indonesia

You’ve probably thought it too: “I wonder what it was like to be Mary….” For children, when they think it, they imagine it, taste it and feel it. And this is the invitation for us all every Christmas season. Amidst the overwhelm and hurry of checking things off lists and wrapping Christmas gifts, we are […]

Mercy lives: HIV-positive mom finds hope in community amidst stigma

38 million. It’s the number that represents the total population of Canada today. It’s also the number of people who were living with HIV by the end of 2021, according to World Health Organization. This astronomical number is a significant increase from 30.8 million in 2010. 36.7 million of those affected in 2021 were adults […]

How to pray for the global food crisis

2022 has been a year of an unparalleled global food crisis. According to the World Food Program, as many as 828 million people go to bed hungry every night. The number of those facing severe food insecurity continues to rise as countries teeter on the brink of famine. And for people already living in poverty, […]