Frequently Asked Questions

Please do not respond. While communication via social media might seem to save time and money, the risks this channel presents overshadow the potential benefits.

Compassion does want you to have the best relationship possible with your sponsored child, but we cannot guarantee everyone’s safety if we are not aware of what’s being communicated. While we trust that those who sponsor with Compassion are doing so out of a love for Christ, we have an obligation to protect the children in our care from sponsors who may not have the child’s best interests in mind. Because of this, we must be aware of what’s being communicated to ensure the child’s well-being.

Here are some  additional factors we’ve considering when creating our letter only communication guideline:

• It’s not uncommon for someone who knows a child is sponsored to create an account on a social network and posing as that child, contact his or her sponsor asking for money. In this situation, the child may be facing the threat of physical harm if the money is not provided.
• We cannot protect your privacy or your sponsored child’s if we are not involved in the correspondence.
• By serving as the conduit for communication between you and your sponsored child, we are able to watch for any content that may be inappropriate or culturally insensitive – no matter how well intentioned or innocent a comment may be.

Should you receive a friend request or a message from anyone claiming to be your sponsored child on Facebook or another social network or through any medium other than your letters from Compassion, please do not respond but rather contact us immediately at info@compassion.ca or 1-800-563-5437.

You can update contact information through your My Compassion account or by contacting our office directly.

Compassion Canada artists and speakers are available for your church/event. For all enquiries relating to having Compassion represented at your event, please visit our Ambassador page.

You can find your supporter number on most correspondence you receive from Compassion Canada, as well as in your My Compassion account. It starts with “8-”, and is followed by 8 digits.

You can also call the Contact Centre at 1-800-563-5437 and we would be happy to provide it over the phone.

Christmas is one of the most special times of the year for sponsored children. For many, Christmas is the only time they receive gifts. The Christmas Gift Fund provides an age-appropriate Christmas gift for every child registered with Compassion. These gifts include clothing, blankets and bed-linen, toiletries, practical items and, of course, a range of toys. Funds are pooled internationally and equally distributed amongst all Compassion-assisted children, including those who do not yet have a sponsor. Compassion Canada suggests sponsors contribute an amount of $25 per child to this fund. Each sponsor has the opportunity to send a special Christmas card to the child they sponsor, which can be written online through your My Compassion account or sent via mail.

You can send a Christmas gift to your sponsored child by making a donation to the Christmas Gift Fund.

We recommend giving $25 per child. Donations to the Christmas Gift Fund are pooled to ensure no Compassion-assisted child goes without a gift, even if they are not yet sponsored. Gifts that might be purchased for the children by the child development centre staff include clothing, shoes, small toys, household items, linen, food and livestock.

You can donate to the Christmas Gift Fund online or by calling our office .

You can view past and upcoming gifts to your child through your My Compassion account.  If you do not have a gift set up, you can request this through the gift page on My Compassion or you can contact our office directly.

It is possible to send financial gifts to your sponsored child, however, these gift funds are to be allocated to the child’s greatest need as determined by local staff and the child’s family.  Depending on the gift amount and the family needs at the time the gift is received, the gift could be allocated to further education opportunities for your child or another pressing family need.

Child and family gifts can be sent once per calendar year. To learn more, please check out the gift section of your My Compassion account or connect with our office directly.

Sharing Compassion is an opportunity for sponsors to share their story of sponsoring with Compassion with others so that more children can be released from poverty in Jesus’ name. It can happen anytime and anywhere. The purpose is to help bring the needs of children in poverty to the attention of caring Christians who could help them. We provide you with all the resources you need for a successful event, including an appropriate video to share and presentation ideas.

Email us today for more information or visit www.sharingcompassion.ca

Looks can be deceiving. The photographs do not show the conditions in which these children live or the hunger and abuse many experience. Compassion believes in maintaining the dignity of the poor. For this reason, as much as we are able, we try to ensure the children are photographed in clean clothes.

Learn more about why your sponsor child may not “look poor”. 

To set up a My Compassion account, you will need your supporter number, the one that starts with 8-.

1. Click “Register here.”
2. Click “Register”
3. Enter your supporter number and click “Validate.”
4. Confirm if you want to use the email we have on file as your username; click “Yes” or “No.”
5. Check your email (may be in junk mail) for a message from us.
6. Click the link in the email to complete the activation process.
7. Enter your supporter number and create a password (upper and lower case letters and number).
8. Click “Set up account,” which will forward you to the login screen.
9. Log in and enjoy the many features of a My Compassion account.

Sign up for a My Compassion account today.

Yes!

Compassion exposure trips are an exciting opportunity for you to have a safe yet rich cultural experience while allowing you to see our work firsthand and visit your sponsored child. When we’re travelling to your sponsored child’s country, you will receive a personal invitation by email to travel with us and see for yourself how your sponsorship is impacting your child’s life. We promise, when you return from this adventure, you will never look at the world the same way.

Check your My Compassion account to see if we have the correct email address on file for you.

To add or change your email address, click here.

Read more about Compassion Exposure trips!

Compassion Canada is located at 985 Adelaide St S. in London Ontario.

Our mailing address is:

Compassion Canada
BOX 5591
London ON
N6A5G8

You can easily donate to Compassion Canada through internet banking. Just like adding a payee for paying bills, search for Compassion Canada and use your supporter number as the account number. Your supporter number will start with an “8-,” and be followed by 8 digits.

Depending on the bank you may need to omit the “8” or the dash. If your donation is for anything other than sponsorship—such as Urgent Needs, Christmas Gift Fund, etc.—please provide instructions in the notes section.

Presently, we work with Royal Bank, Scotiabank, TD Canada Trust, Bank of Montreal, CIBC, Canadian Western Bank, Citizens Bank and Credit Unions located in the provinces of British Columbia and Saskatchewan.

Alternatively, you can make a donation by credit card 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.

Compassion aims to reach as many families as possible. Typically, only one child from a family will attend a project. The parents will choose which child is registered. However, if the family has great needs up to three children may be enrolled. The benefits of the program reach the whole family through interaction with staff, health screening, nutritional advice and supplies, parenting workshops and other church activities. Sponsored children often share what they learn at the Compassion project with siblings and many lead their entire families to Christ. As well as supporting your sponsored child and their family through prayer, as a sponsor you are able to send financial gifts to your sponsored child’s family.

Check out this story!

http://blog.compassion.com/one-child-sponsorship-helps-an-entire-family/

Children don’t necessarily write back to you on the same day that they receive your letter. Instead, they reply on a scheduled day when all the children at the project write to their sponsors. Your sponsored child may have proudly taken your letter home to share with family & friends and may not have it handy to remind them of the questions you answered. Please remember that it can take up to two months for your letter to be translated (if needed) and delivered. Please check the date of your sponsored child’s letter so you can work out whether he or she would have received your answers before they last wrote. Compassion is working on a program to ensure that answers are recorded by project staff, so they can ensure that the children know them. You can help in this process by underlining or highlighting your answers in your letter and making them easy to understand.

Children don’t necessarily write back to you on the same day that they get your stickers. Instead, they reply on a scheduled day when all the children at the project write to their sponsors. They may be writing back some weeks or even a month after they receive your letter, so may not remember whether they have already acknowledged what you have sent them. Please remember that each letter may take up to two months for translation and delivery. Please check the date of your child’s letter to work out whether he or she would have received your stickers before they last wrote back to you. Compassion is working on a process to ensure that every child acknowledges every piece of mail they receive from their sponsor. If you are in doubt whether your sponsored child has received your mail, you are welcome to write and ask.

If you are fluent in the language your child speaks, please feel free to write to them using that language. Otherwise, please write in English. Please include an English version of the letter as well, as all letters are scanned at our headquarters in accordance with our child protection policy before they are couriered weekly to our country offices. Writing in your child’s language will mean one less letter for the Compassion staff to translate. However, it will not speed your letter to your child as we are unable to separate individual letters from the packages. Unfortunately, it is not possible to arrange for your letters not to be translated into English as our colleagues across the world deal with hundreds of letters everyday and are unable to single out individual letters. However, you will also receive the original letter written in their language, which you will be able to enjoy reading.

In most of the countries we work in, photographs are a “big deal”. Each child wishes to look his/her best for their potential sponsor. This means in some countries that this photo is a serious occasion and not the appropriate time for a smile.

Check out this great story about picture day!