#BestDecisionEVER

Two men talking - One in a black shirt and one in a white shirt

Hashtags are a cultural phenomenon. And today we are having a little fun with our friend, the hashtag.

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What Do You See in This Picture?

What Do You See In This Picture

There are many things to notice in this picture, but perhaps what stands out are the things you wouldn’t normally see.

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Who is Your Hero?

You, the sponsor of a child living in poverty, are a hero. And you may not feel like a hero, but you are one.

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water of life

Compassion Water of Life

Drink water and suffer diarrhea, don’t drink water and develop bladder stones. It’s a Catch-22 in desperate need of a solution.

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Rainwater Harvesting Brings Clean Water

Odisha is one of India’s poorest states, with a huge tribal population living on less than 50 Indian rupees or INR (about 90 U.S. cents) a day. Dumeerjore is a remote village in the Balangir district of Odisha, where Compassion ministers to 305 children and their families in partnership with a local church.

Sixty-one percent of the district’s population lives below poverty level, and about 30 percent are undernourished. The economy of the region is agrarian, with 75 percent of the area dependent on rainfall, 80 percent of which comes from monsoon rains between June and September.

The district has suffered from four major droughts in the last hundred years, with drought frequency increasing since the 1980s. Deficit rainfall and variation of its distribution have resulted in frequent crop loss for the tribal people, forcing them to migrate to other states for work at brick kilns and constructions sites.

Common health problems the children and families struggle with include anemia, sickle cell disease, malaria, tuberculosis, jaundice and diarrhea. Tribal people typically do not seek treatment from physicians, relying instead on self-appointed healers and “witch doctors.”

In recent years, water scarcity has become a bigger problem in Odisha villages. Scanty and erratic rainfall has led to a rapid decline in the number of traditional water bodies in Dumeerjore and other villages in the Balangir district.

rainwater harvesting pump

The development center in Dumeerjore did not previously have the means to store water for future use. Every year during summer, the water level went down, making it difficult to simultaneously provide for the needs of children and kitchen staff using a single hand pump. The kitchen staff had to come early to fill up water in drums for cooking, and they had to stay late after the center’s activities ended to wash plates and make arrangements for the following day.

The center faced a big challenge simply conducting regular activities, because the single hand pump was not sufficient to meet 305 children’s needs. When the temperature soared, the community hand pumps dried up.

Children sometimes accompanied their parents to fetch water causing them to miss center activities and school. This not only affected their cognitive development but also their health.

In consultation with the partnership facilitator, the center wrote a proposal for rainwater harvesting to combat the recurrent water scarcity they faced every summer. (more…)

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young lady wearing orange shirt

What Do You Want to Be When You Grow Up?

Children all around the world have dreams about their futures. We asked some of the children in our program what they want to be when they grow up.

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vocational training sales

The Value of Vocational Training

Enock always shares with his siblings that he is the one who will take over from his father as breadwinner. He says that he always feels uncomfortable when he sees his mom crying when there is nothing at home for them to eat.

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Man taking a picture of a child standing in front of a tree with a sign in front of his feet

Your Sponsored Child’s Photo: What Does It Tell You?

I’ve taken many calls from sponsors about the pictures of the children they sponsor. “Why is he wearing such nice clothing?” “Why is she not smiling?” “His newest picture doesn’t look like the boy I sponsored. Why?”

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Importance of Letter Writing: Desperately Waiting for a Letter

Desperately Waiting for a Letter

My head drops and I feel the tears clog my throat. My friends are all around me, buzzing with excitement and comparing letters. The rest of us who didn’t get a letter get quiet and walk away.

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close up of young smiling girl

The Mighty Act of a Small Whisper

Sponsoring change is a declarative act that starts as a whisper and builds into a loud and celebratory shout. It is about investing in the things of heaven – in things like compassion, belief, and “the least of these.”

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blue wall with Bernard Jesus is Lord written on it

How Should We Handle Fear?

The world tells us to simply show no fear; pretend it doesn’t exist or exhibit behavior that displays calm or confidence in your abilities. But how far will this mindset take us?

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