Thank you very much for replying to my question about numbers related with ‘It Works’.

I have no doubts that Compassion sponsorships work.

My question is this: Are we using our resources in the most effective way to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name?

I’m asking this question on the basis of God’s Word:

Eph 5:15-16 Common „Be careful, then, how you walk, not as unwise men, but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil.”

I believe the application of these verses should involve not our time only, but all the resources at our disposal: money, people, etc.

I would like to know, do you, at Compassion’s headquarters, have a method of measuring or assessing the effectiveness of Compassion’s work? If so, how do you do it?

Could you share some recent results and/or some improvements or corrections that you made?

My questions are not intended as a criticism. I would just like to know as much as possible about how Compassion works.

Yes, it does.

I speak of myself as a once Compassion sponsored child. Not only the program helps children develop into a mature, dependent adults able to support themselves and help others, they become growing Christians influencing their world for Christ.

Thanks for sharing that video. I just watched it again and it is a touching portrait of the impact Compassion has. I’m sure that through prayer and support there are many “Maila”’s out there Compassion is positively impacting.

I think stories like that are a great motivator for current and future sponsors.

Andrzej and Ashleigh, in answer to your questions, since launching It Works we have filmed about 30-50 case studies per country. I can’t give you a percentage of success – we don’t track this because it is not a scientific study, and most of our stories are works in progress. Some of the children we film are not there when we return in 5 years because they have left the program for one reason or another.

Maila is a good example of what can happen when a child has: a. a supportive and somewhat stable family; b. a quality Compassion project at a church that has a passion to minister to children; c. a child who has the drive and determination to make something of her life.

There are so many factors/variables that go into a child’s development that it is hard to say what predicts a successful outcome or what causes one to be a success and not another.

However, in the poorer, rural areas I don’t think there’s as much focus on English

An associate of mine who is a missionary for Wycliffe Intl. was in the Philippines for a decade or so. I’ll have to ask him about it.

“I do know that all schools in the Philippines are taught in English. I think it happened when the US was occupying the Philippines after WWII. While I don’t necessarily agree with English being one of the main languages in the Philippines, I do think that Compassion should teach in English since all other schools in the Philippines are, however I would be curious as to whether or not the teachers there know Tagalog so that they can communicate with students and parents outside of the classroom, because Tagalog is spoken outside of the educational setting, especially in the more underprivileged areas.”

Thanks!