What you need to know

• Please provide a complete a visit request with a minimum of a least eight weeks’ notice prior to the visit date. Visit requests with less than eight weeks’ advance notice will be considered on a case by case basis, and approvals are limited.
• Visits are arranged for a single day, Monday through Friday, during regular business hours.
• Compassion will arrange just the day of the visit with your Compassion child. You will need to make all of the arrangements for the rest of your travel and time in country, which may include flights, lodging, documentation (such as passports and visas), insurance, and any necessary immunizations. Please check out our Visit Preparation page for links that will be helpful for planning your travel; an experienced travel agent may also be helpful.
• After you have requested a visit, a Compassion Visit Specialist will contact you. When these steps have been completed, your Visit Specialist will submit your request to our local National Office and decide for your visit day. Although no visit date can be guaranteed in advance, Compassion will make every effort to arrange your visit accordingly. If you decide to make travel arrangements (such as purchasing flight tickets) in advance, and your visit is subsequently declined by our field office, Compassion is not responsible for your costs.
• When your visit has been approved and you have confirmed the details, Compassion Canada will provide you with contact information for your in-country visit host.
• Visitors are responsible for all expenses that are incurred during the planning and execution of a visit. Compassion will notify visitors prior to the visit of any expenses that need to be covered during the visit. Please review our Compassion Visit Expense & Cancellation Policy (below) for more information.

Concern for the well-being of children is the cornerstone of our ministry. We do everything within our power to ensure that no harm comes to any child registered in our program and to protect our children from any form of child abuse or exploitation. We believe the vast majority of our supporters share our values of respecting and caring for children. But it’s possible that some people may seek to use our Child Sponsorship Program to gain access to children for inappropriate reasons, which is why we require a background check for everyone 18 and older who interacts with any beneficiary of our program.

• Please read our Trips and Visits Child Protection Policy if you are considering travelling with us, as it guides interactions between sponsors and children occurring on our group trips or individual custom visits. It is meant to protect the children in our child development centres from abuse as well as protect visitors from any wrongful allegations.
• In accordance with our Commitment to Child ProtectionCompassion requires a background check for all adult visitors (legal age in your province) who are meeting any beneficiary of a ministry program. This includes arrangements to meet any Compassion child or student, to visit a child development centre, or to visit a Child Intervention Program. Instructions for the background check will be provided upon registration for a visit. Each adult visitor will be responsible for payment when completing it.
• Instructions for the background check will be provided upon registration for a visit. Each adult visitor will be responsible for payment when completing it.
• Each visitor must sign a visit release form (a parent or guardian must sign the form for a minor). Instructions for electronically signing a visit release form will be provided upon registration for a visit.

• Visitors are responsible for determining the best ways to make your travel safe and enjoyable. This includes planning what you would do in the event of emergencies or natural disasters and informing trusted friends or family members of your travel plans. You are the best judge of whether you feel comfortable and capable of travelling internationally on your own, particularly in more challenging contexts.
• Compassion cannot assist you with emergencies or natural disasters outside of your scheduled visit with your Compassion child. If an emergency occurs during your scheduled Compassion visit and you are unable to reach your designated emergency contact, we will make reasonable efforts to reach your designated emergency contact. You are solely responsible for any emergency situation that arises outside of the time of your Compassion visit. We recommend registering your trip with the Canadian Government and signing up for their travel notifications.

If Compassion determines that any of these guidelines have been violated, whether deliberately or inadvertently, we may, in our sole and exclusive discretion, cancel or immediately terminate a visit.

• Visitors may not seek or accept accommodations at the Compassion child development centre or church partner, with the family of any Compassion child or student, at a staff member’s home, or with a member of the community. Overnight stays are strictly prohibited.
• A Compassion representative will accompany visitors at all times during the visit. This person will act as an interpreter, or a contracted translator will be hired to facilitate the visit. Visitors will not, at any time, meet with a Compassion child or student without the presence of a Compassion staff member or assigned host.
• Visitors must show respect to Compassion staff, children, students, families and communities that they meet and take into consideration the cultural sensitivities of the country. Specifically, visitors must not engage in any behavior which could reasonably be interpreted as flirtatious, unwelcome or sexual in any manner.
• Visitors must understand that the Compassion child or student they meet has family/parents/guardians of his/her own. Visitors will respect and adhere to the boundaries of the relationship with the beneficiary and not interfere with parenting matters that do not impact the health, safety or welfare of the beneficiary.
• Visitors may not give any personal contact information to a Compassion child or student and may not ask for or record a child or student’s contact information.
• Visitors agree to comply with Compassion’s regular correspondence process and channel all communication through the ministry.
• Visitors should not, under any circumstances, pursue or respond to communications with a Compassion child or student through Facebook or other social networking sites.
• All gifts intended for a Compassion child or student, their family, or the community, will be in accordance with Compassion’s policies. Visitors may not give cash directly to the child development centre staff, Compassion staff, the child or student, or their family.