Frequently Asked Questions

Sponsorship costs $49 CAD per month per sponsored child. Sponsorship provides children with different learning opportunities, healthcare and social activities, including:

• Christian Teaching & Discipleship
• Bibles
• Access to Education & Literacy Training
• School Supplies
• Regular Health Checkups & Hygiene Supplies
• Dental Screenings
• Life Skills Training
• Vocational Training
• Nutritional Supplements
• Education on Proper Nutrition

Compassion’s local church partners tailor the program to address the specific needs of their communities to ensure that children have the greatest opportunity to reach their God-given potential.Together, you and the church are ensuring that the gospel is shared, people are discipled, lives are changed, communities are transformed and poverty ends

No less than 80 percent of your donation goes to ministry activities, including all expenses that occur within the country your sponsored child is from,  which directly benefit sponsored children. Children and families do not receive cash but instead are recipients of goods and services, carefully designed, delivered or purchased according to their needs. Independent and internal audits of our work are conducted to ensure donor support is being used efficiently and with integrity.

Compassion Canada’s financial statements are available online at Financial Statements .

All donations given through Text to Give for Unite to Fight Poverty are receipted separately through the Mobile Giving Foundation of Canada. For more information, please visit their website here. If you did not receive a tax receipt for your Mobile Giving donation, please email us at info@compassion.ca or call us at 1-800-563-5437.

Once you have signed into your My Compassion account, hover over your name in the top right corner. Select “Tax Receipts” from the dropdown menu options. Scroll down to the box that says, “I only want a digital tax receipt”. If you wish to receive a mailed copy of your receipt, please ensure this box is unchecked.

Once you have signed into your My Compassion account, hover over your name in the top right corner. Select “Tax Receipts” from the dropdown menu options. Scroll down to see your available tax receipts and choose “Download” next to the receipt you’d like to view.

Compassion’s holistic child development program activities take place at church-based child development centres. Sometimes activities take place in the church building or the church may have another facility designated for the child development centre. Each centre is within a 30-minute walk of the homes of the children it serves.

Program activities vary in detail according to the culture, environment, or needs of the area where the individual centres are located. However, there are common elements in all Compassion child development centres which ensure that all Compassion-assisted children are given the greatest opportunity to be released from spiritual, economic, social, emotional and physical poverty.

Each child development centre:

Meets on a regular basis.
Uses the facilities of the local church partner through which the program operates.
Provides a programmed curriculum of activities for registered and sponsored children.
Has a committee which provides local accountability and support.
Has a director employed by the church to manage the day-to-day activities.
Employs staff and volunteers selected by the local church.
Operates under Compassion International’s carefully monitored standards and guidelines.
Provides reasonable levels of safety for children relative to the realities of the surrounding community.

No less than 80 percent of your monthly support benefits your child, either directly or indirectly. Compassion-assisted children and their families receive no cash. Benefits are in the form of goods and services, carefully designed, delivered and purchased according to each child’s individual needs.

As a general rule, 20 percent of these funds are invested in the development, oversight, and auditing of Compassion’s programs in which every assisted-child participates. These investments ensure that each child receives the best care possible, rather than becoming the recipient of a handout.

The remaining funds are used to meet the day-to-day needs of each child. This can include:

• nutritional meals and the provision of clean drinking water;
• medical and dental check-ups, care and education;
• educational supplies and tuition fees;
• clothing including school uniforms;
• non-formal educational and life-skills training such as participation in excursions and camps;
• extra-curricular activities such as drama, dance, music and art etc.; and
• biblical training and discipleship

Our local church partners also invest considerable resources in the development of each child, allowing Compassion and the church to help bring an eternal solution to poverty in the life of a child.

We do not facilitate children visiting their sponsors in Canada or elsewhere because of several factors:

Cost – The cost of flights, passports, accommodations for child, guardian and translator would be extremely prohibitive.

Culture Shock – Few Compassion-assisted children have ever been more than 3 – 4 blocks away from their homes. While Compassion programs have implemented outings so children can see a little more beyond their immediate community (such as city park and zoo trips), North American culture would be too challenging for a child.

Although your child cannot visit you, you can go and visit your child in their country. You can learn more about different travel opportunities with Compassion here.

Donations can be made by pre-authorized withdrawal (bank account or credit card), internet banking, telephone banking, Interac online, cheque or money order. These withdrawals can be made monthly or annually. Pre-authorized donations are safe, easy and convenient. Pre-authorized withdrawal from your bank account is our preferred method of payment, as it saves Compassion hundreds of thousands of dollars each year in transaction fees. Automatic withdrawals can be setup by calling our office or by mailing in your information to us at Compassion Canada, PO Box 5591, London ON, N6A 5G8. Cheques made out to Compassion Canada will be accepted, as will money orders. Unfortunately deposits can not be made directly into Compassion’s bank account.

Yes. We encourage sponsors to write to their sponsored child, to include photos and cards and encourage them in their spiritual journey. Children love to receive letters and cherish them.

You can send a letter, card, paper play set or poster to your sponsored child through your My Compassion account.

See how letter writing impacts a child in Ghana.

Read how receiving letters affects in child in Nicaragua.

In the event a sponsor misses a monthly donation, Compassion has a fund that covers the sponsorship cost. We realize that credit card changes and other financial complications are an inconvenient reality for many of us. Our goal is to ensure children receive the same benefits and attend the program as usual while we try to contact the sponsor to resolve the missed donation. Please note, Compassion cannot cover a sponsorship indefinitely and if we were unable to contact the current sponsor, we would have to find a new sponsor for the child.

You can update your financial information through our secure website.

Child sponsorship provides a holistic development program for children in Compassion’s ministry. But at times there are other factors that can have a significant impact on a child’s life. This additional $10 donation to the Urgent Needs Fund helps to address those unforeseen circumstances.

This donation does not go directly to your sponsored child, but is available to help all sponsored children and their families around the world as needed. This could include—but is not limited to—emergency medical care, disaster relief and reconstruction, income-generation training and other critical interventions. These initiatives combine with the benefits of child sponsorship to break the cycle of poverty.

You can set up a monthly donation to the Urgent Needs Fund online at any time.

Children love receiving letters from their sponsors, but we realize some people aren’t sure what to write to a child they’ve never met. Your letters don’t need to be long to make a huge impact. Knowing that someone cares and is thinking about them will encourage your Compassion child.

Here are some helpful ideas:

Things to share:

• Family, friends, and pets (whatever you’re comfortable with)
• Hobbies or favourite activities
• Bible verses and prayer requests
• Local holidays and special traditions
• Words of encouragement

Things to ask:

• Family and friends (ages and names)
• Favourite activities at school, church and the Compassion centre
• Their country, town or community and its local traditions
• What they hope to be when they grow up

More ideas:

• 80 letter-writing ideas

Children treasure your letters, so we hope you will write one today. Writing from your My Compassion account is convenient and easy.

You can send a child gift online or by calling our office. Child gifts, including birthday gifts, can be between $15 and $150 CAD. Your financial gift to your sponsored child is greatly appreciated as it brings joy and help to ease the struggles of poverty.

You can send a birthday gift online or by contacting our office. Birthday gifts can be between $15 and $150 CAD. Your financial gift to your sponsored child is greatly appreciated as it brings joy and help to ease the struggles of poverty.

Our Supporter Services team is available to help serve you with these inquiries. They can be reached by phone at 1.800.563.5437 8am-5pm EST, through live chat on our website or at info@compassion.ca

In many countries where Compassion works, letter writing is not a normal part of the culture. Therefore, the letters written by your sponsored child are probably the only ones ever written. Our Compassion centre workers endeavour to teach the children how to express themselves in writing, and will often use the letter-writing days as an educational activity. Many children write what they think their sponsor might want to hear. If your sponsored child is young, please be patient while he or she learns how to write. In some cultures, it is not common to discuss personal things like hopes and dreams, or even what daily life is like. Your sponsored child may need your help to understand that you are interested in the small details. You can help your sponsored child to understand that you want to know him or her better by asking lots of questions in your letters, and telling your sponsored child about your own life. You may consider highlighting the questions you would really like answered.

To graduate from Compassion’s Child Sponsorship Program, sponsored children need to have at least completed primary school, a vocational training course and possibly secondary education as well. The expected age at which children may complete the program varies from country to country depending on the education system, but will be between 16 years and 22 years. A child may leave the program earlier if their family moves from the area, if the home situation improves, or if the family chooses to withdraw their child from the program. Every teenager with Compassion has a plan for their future, including their likely date for finishing the program. You are welcome to write to your older sponsored child asking about what is contained in their copy of ‘My Plan for Tomorrow’.

For more details on the process, check out this article: When do you graduate from Compassion’s program? 

Children and families receive no cash. Benefits are only ever in the form of goods and services, carefully designed, delivered or purchased according to their needs.

Note: Child and family gifts (donations) are allocated exclusively to the child / family you are supporting. The Compassion centre staff will involve the family in purchasing gifts that are appropriate and meet specific needs.

If you are interested in learning more about how Compassion Canada handles finances, click here.

You can change your credit card information through your My Compassion account or by calling our office. Thank you for supporting Compassion.