9 Photos That Show What It’s Like to Be Poor in Asia

A woman with a baby in her lap sits inside in front of a small fire with a pot on top of it, with smoke in the air.

Have you ever wondered what daily life is like for a child who lives in extreme poverty? Although the countries where Compassion ministers around the world are wildly diverse, there are a few commonalities, based on the economic status of the families we serve. Day-to-day routines in these communities can be vastly different from what we experience. Here are nine photos that will give you a peek into what many people experience each day in the communities where Compassion works in Asia.

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This Is Where I Live: 7 Children Share Their Homes

A collage of photos including a girl and mom standing in a doorway of a wood home, two girls hugging in front of a green wood wall and three children sitting on a bridge together.

Have you wondered what the homes of children living in extreme poverty might be like? Children from each of the seven countries where we work in Central America and the Caribbean took us on a tour of their homes! We hope having a glimpse into the homes of typical sponsored children in this region will help you know how you can pray for them — and how very much your support means!

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A boy in a red shirt hugs his arms across his chest and smiles. He is standing in front of a river in the Amazon jungle.

A Day in the Life of a Boy in the Amazon Jungle

Have you ever wondered what daily life is like in the Amazon jungle? In South America, Compassion serves children who live in the Amazon basin, from Bolivia to Ecuador to Peru. Take a peek into what it’s like for sponsored children who live in the jungle of South America by following a day in the life of 8-year-old Enán in Peru.

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two Honduran boys with arms around each other

Living in Honduras: A Day in the Life of Alejandro

Like most boys his age, Alejandro enjoys playing soccer with his friends and always has time to play with his little brother. He looks forward to continuing his education and one day he wants to become a doctor to help the people of his community.

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a young man with a gray shirt on holding his head in his hand with a turquoise colored paint on the wall behind him

A Day in the Life of Jeyson

Jeyson is a 15-year-old living in Ecuador. He’d like to share what a day in his life looks like.

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three girls holding plates of food

Living in Colombia: A Day in the Life of Ingrid

What is life like for a school-age girl like Ingrid living in Colombia?

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group of children wearing red sweaters outside with an adult

A Day In the Life of a Ministry Social Worker

Alemnesh loves ministering to children and watching them grow into mature Christian citizens. A typical day for Alemnesh is very busy — but rewarding.

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living in guatemala

Living in Guatemala: A Day in the Life of Melissa

Melissa and her family belong to the Mayan group Ixils. Ixils live in three villages that make up the poverty-stricken Ixil Triangle.

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Wess Stafford

A Week in the Life of Wess Stafford

A week in the life of the President and CEO of Compassion International, Dr. Wess Stafford, doesn’t allow much down time, but all the hard work and effort is worth it to him. What is a typical week for Wess?

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Two girls sitting on a mat playing

Living in Manila: A Day in the Life of Jessa

Nine-year-old Jessa lives in a tiny hovel situated within a crowded squatter community in metro Manila. She wakes up at 4 a.m. and it is still dark at this time of day. But inside Jessa’s home, it is always dark.

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A Typical Day at a Child Development Center in Brazil

The weather is cold, and it is hard to get out of the bed. It’s 7:30 in the morning on a typical day, and despite his wanting to stay under the blankets, Renan has an appointment he wouldn’t miss for anything. boy getting out of bed

Lilian, his young mother, enters the colorful room. “Wake up!” she says.

The children’s bedroom used to be the family’s kitchen before the improvement they made after receiving a Christmas gift from her son’s sponsor: a new floor and new paint on the bedroom’s walls. The children decorated the room.

Renan stands up and starts making his bed. The boy goes to the bathroom and brushes his teeth — just like he was taught at the child development center where he is enrolled —  and combs his hair.

He carefully puts on his student center uniform before leaving home with his older brother Jean, who also attends the center. The church gives each of the children a T-shirt to wear. (more…)

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From Sponsored Child to Compassion Employee

Veerachai Nimmitthamrongkul, more commonly called Bee, was sponsored by Compassion when he was growing up. But now Bee has been working as a Partnership Facilitator (PF) for Compassion Thailand for six years.

young man holding a photo of a childBee still recalls the letters he received from his sponsor from Canada. The letters always encouraged him to keep on studying and stressed the significance of education.

The support and letters of encouragement from his sponsor enabled Bee to break free from the chains of poverty.

Now Bee has been blessed with the opportunity to serve the Lord in ministry.

Bee’s life was radically transformed because of his sponsorship, and he now gladly serves as a bridge between sponsors and children.

He hopes that each sponsor can make a difference in a child’s life in the same way that his sponsor dramatically transformed his.

A typical day for Bee starts at 6:30. He wakes up and spends about an hour getting ready for the day.

At 7:30 he leaves the quiet and tranquility of his room and heads to his busy and activity-filled job at Compassion.

Every morning Bee starts work with a time of devotions with fellow staff from 8 to 8:40.

Then he begins work. Bee juggles many tasks as a PF. (more…)

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