What do you “half” to say about this?

The Child Survival Program . . .

Popularity: 44% [?]

Why do we do the things we do? You and I.

Why bother getting that advanced degree? Just for the credentials?

Why eat the whole pint of Ben and Jerry’s ONE Cheesecake Brownie when 500 calories of poverty fighting creaminess would be good enough?

Why buy the pint to begin with? An outright donation to some cause that rhymes with Compassion would probably make a more direct impact in the fight against poverty. It would sure help my poor jeans — not the donation part, the not buying and eating part.

Here are some of the more exceptional reasons I do things.

• I enjoy it.
• I can’t help myself.
• I wanted to.
• I had to.
• It’s good for my career.
• The ladies like it.
• My boss made me.

Pretty good. Right?

Why do you think Compassion does what it does? Just for the heck of it?

Nope!

We do this poverty fighting stuff because we want to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name. (Honk if you appreciated the subtle way I inserted our tagline.)

But what does releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name mean? I did it again How do we know we’ve been successful?

This is for you Andrzej. It’s “the” post Becky alluded to in her reply to your comment on Maila’s Dream.

Although I’m not talking about the actual “how” we measure our success or the “method” we use to measure our success — that’s all top secret cloak and dagger type of stuff — I am hitting you up with the measuring stick we use.

Compassion’s success in releasing children from poverty is Outcome Driven.

We’re successful when the children in our Child Survival Programs (CSP) are physically healthy, curious, and self confident, when they have healthy age-specific relationships and when they interact and communicate with the world around them.

We’re successful when the mothers and/or caregivers in our CSP programs are sufficiently healthy to provide for the well-being of their children, when they’re motivated and able to be economically self-supporting and when they’re committed to Christ.

We’re successful when the children in our Child Sponsorship Program commit their lives to Christ, choose good health practices, are physically healthy, are motivated to learn new skills, demonstrate the skills to support themselves in the future and interact with others in healthy and compassionate ways.

We’re successful when the students in our Leadership Development Program do all the above and demonstrate servant leadership.

We’re successful when our church partners in the developing world demonstrate effective vision and leadership and take ownership of their vision by establishing efficient structures, practices and management to achieve their goals.

And finally, we’re successful, when you, our sponsors and donors, are actively committed and engaged in advocating for the needs of children in poverty, when you have a positive Compassion experience and … and … okay, I’ll say it … when you comment on our blog posts.

“Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves, for the rights of all who are destitute. Speak up and judge fairly; defend the rights of the poor and needy.” —Proverbs 31:8-9, NIV

Popularity: 41% [?]

Last month, I was reviewing the next newsletter that will be sent to people who support our Child Survival Program. I wasn’t too far into it when the tears started coming. Ok, so it isn’t completely unusual for me to cry while doing my every day work … I mean I do work at Compassion. But this time was different.

This time I could hear my son’s giggle, I could picture his face and I knew that if I had been born in one of Compassion’s ministry countries, most likely neither my son nor I would be alive today.

To think of my now very active, 14 pound, 3 month old and to read about Martha in Peru who, at one time, had two boys (18 months and 3 years old) both of who were 15 pounds and barely able to hold their heads up — an 18 month old that is 15 pounds is one thing but a 3 year old that is 15 pounds. … are you kidding me?

And Edison, my sweet Edison, who was born by c-section after hours of labor that went nowhere will probably be 15 pounds in a few weeks … an average weight for a four-month-old boy in the U.S.

• What would I have done alone in a ramshackle house with a dirt floor after hours of pushing and no baby?
• What would I do now without the multiple child health and development resources that I pour over weekly?
• What would I do without Jesus and the support of my local church community?

It’s a miracle that a small number of women and children in these circumstances actually survive. How can I not do everything I can possibly think of to tell others about what Compassion’s Child Survival Program is doing?

How can I not pray that this program can grow and grow and grow? So the children around the world growing up along with the amazing boy God has blessed me with will have the opportunity to reach their potential.

In a world with a growing global economy it is no longer about children and mothers who are far away, it’s about my next door neighbors … it’s about my own child.

And it is not just about survival it’s about women and children thriving so that they can change their own communities and countries and build a better world.

Popularity: 22% [?]

For the past month, we’ve been talking about our holistic child development model, and we did it with a series of posts called 10 Questions. But the questions are done now, other than this one. Got 10 minutes for a video?

It’s called Equipping the Church, and it explains our partnership with the local … anyone? … church. That’s right!

Who better to partner with when releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name than the local church? That’s a rhetorical question y’all. We said we’re done with the questions.

The local congregations are catalysts for community change. They command the resources and respect that are critical in developing the children in their communities. They make Compassion work.

Popularity: 38% [?]

Yesterday, Emily shared how God revealed His call on her life and what makes our Child Survival Program (CSP) unique among programs that work with infants and mothers. Today, Emily shares her vision for CSP.

6. In addition to the countries where CSP is already in place (Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Haiti, India, Kenya, Peru, Philippines, Thailand and Uganda) what are some countries where you would like to see the program expand to?

Compassion works in developing countries, most of which have high child mortality rates. As I look into the 2006 international statistics on infant mortality, the countries I would hope to see us in are Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Togo* and Tanzania. However, it is very important for us to have reports on infant mortality in all the countries where we work. This will give us direction regarding which countries need priority.

7. Child mortality is a huge problem in developing countries. Do you think the Child Survival Program is having a real impact on this crisis?

Definitely. The CSP beneficiaries are mothers and babies, who are vulnerable in various ways as families live in varying difficult circumstances. If it were not for the Child Survival Program, many children who were malnourished would be either dead or still underdeveloped. Some would be dead from measles infection, but the Child Survival Program helped them receive the vaccine from the nearest medical facility. Some babies would be dead of AIDS, but the CSP supported their mothers by providing them with the right medicine so their children could be born without the virus. Some mothers and children would be dead from malaria, but CSP came in and gave them life by providing mosquito nets. When the Child Survival Program taught a mother the importance of hospital delivery and the mother practiced what she was taught, a healthy baby was delivered in a healthy and clean environment. CSP is making a difference.

8. Tell me your favorite success story from the Child Survival Program. A story that you truly feel CSP made possible.

CSP stories are so many, I do not know which one to choose. But I would like to mention one child who was recruited into the program at 3 months. His mother had just passed away, and he was left under the care of his weak father and a grandmother who was the sole provider in the family. When a Child Survival Program started in their church, the grandmother was notified, so she brought in the baby. As time went by, the child started getting sick. Soon we found the child to be HIV positive. Then and there, the Child Survival Program staff started taking special care of this baby. Through the program, the baby received nutritional supplements, antiretroviral treatment, vaccinations against preventable childhood illnesses, as well as a treated mosquito net. The grandmother was taught how to provide the baby with proper nutrition, and slowly, the baby regained health, was up and about.

9. What is going on with this child and his family now?

The baby boy grew up to be a strong and admirable and gorgeous child. On the child’s fourth birthday the boy had to leave the program — thank God he then went to the Child Sponsorship Program. The boy now has a loving sponsor. Today he is a strong, healthy boy with a future and hope. He is well nourished, receiving education, getting medical care, and has hope for tomorrow.

If it were not for the Child Survival Program, who knows where this precious saint would be today? Maybe dead due to opportunistic infections, maybe malnourished, in and out of a hospital — but CSP saved him. God bless the Child Survival Program.

10. Why should someone become a CSP partner? What is the benefit to the partner?

Everybody should become a partner with the Child Survival Program! Supporting the program means being a part of changing a generation. Supporting CSP is giving children life, hope, a bright future, a chance in life and an opportunity to become all they would like to be when they grow up. The mothers or caregivers receive support and education, which raises their self-esteem and assures their families of an improved standard of living.

Read all the posts in the 10 Questions series.

*Compassion Togo will begin enrolling children later this year.

Popularity: 35% [?]

Releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name. It’s a simple statement that describes what we’re all about. But really, how does it work? How do we release children from poverty in Jesus’ name?

Brandy Campbell spoke with the ministry leaders of our child development model programs to give you an inside look at how we transform the lives of children in poverty. We’ll share their insights, thoughts and expertise over the next few weeks, but today we begin with Emily Kagiri and the Child Survival Program.

In 2007 Emily Kagiri moved with her husband and children from Kenya to Colorado Springs to take on the role of Child Survival Ministry (CSM) Director here at Compassion. She believes God began preparing her for this role when she was still a child herself.

1. How has God uniquely equipped you to work with the Child Survival Program?

When I was about 18 months old my grandmother was my caregiver. During this time I contracted tuberculosis (TB). There was no treatment for TB during these years, and my family had to completely depend on God for my healing. In Africa we highly believe in divine healing. What else would we do if there was nowhere to get help? While I was recovering, the government of Kenya started providing nutritious foods for the malnourished children in the community. This was my very own child survival program. I became healthy, strong and survived to face life in my world. For the rest of my life, I knew that helping babies like me was what God was calling me to do.

2. So, would you say that your childhood and healing gave you a passion for infants?

I have been there. My heart reaches out for these babies and mothers because I know if only we can have men and women giving to this program, many children will receive hope in life, many will survive the challenges of life, and women will learn who they are in God and will believe in their children.

3. You were instrumental in the success of CSP in Kenya. What made you decide to leave Africa to work with CSP on a more global level?

While I was still in Kenya, God gave me an opportunity to speak up for the children in the Child Survival Program as Compassion Kenya’s CSM director. I knew that if given an opportunity to speak up and touch the lives of women and babies at a larger scope, I would do it. My passion is to help people understand the global need, difficulties and situations of babies and pregnant mothers living in poverty in developing countries, and to show them that if only people would respond to this need many children would see their future years in life and become what they dream to become. So God decided that coming to the States would be the way to use this gracefully given potential. I only followed the leading of God — thank God He had prepared my family for this transition. The bottom line is that my being here has nothing to do with me but everything to do with God.

4. What makes the Child Survival Program unique among other organizations that work with infants and mothers?

The uniqueness of Compassion’s Child Survival Program stands out in one phrase: spiritual development. The fact that our Child Survival Program touches the spiritual being of a mother, a child, a family and a community is unique and makes all the difference in the lives of that family, baby and mother. CSP is a one-to-one home-based program in which staff members visit homes and educate mothers in the child’s own environment. It is then that the actual needs of the baby, mother, family and community will be known, seen and met accordingly.

5. Why did Compassion choose a home-based model for CSP?

The Child Survival Program is primarily home-based because this allows us to address the immediate needs of the baby and mother. When you get into a community and find that most children are malnourished, the best way to get to the root cause of this problem is to visit families in the community. During your visits, you will see and learn what children are fed and why. You also observe any cultural reasons for certain practices. Then you come up with an action plan from a knowledgeable perspective. In home visits, CSP workers teach mothers about parenting practices, including hygiene and nutrition, using their own locally available foods. Only during home visits can you assess whether what you have been teaching has been put into practice. Home visits create one-to-one relationships where mothers can confide in you and share their innermost fears and problems.

Come back tomorrow for the rest of Brandy’s interview with Emily.

Brandy Campbell is a feature writer at Compassion International. When she’s not chatting with Compassion execs, Brandy writes newsletter and web stories about Compassion’s ministry to children in poverty.

Popularity: 33% [?]

If you’ve been following our 15 Christian bloggers on their trip to Uganda you’ve seen only a glimpse of what it’s like to live in extreme poverty. It’s an outside view of Compassion’s ministry.

Today we present part two in a series of blog posts from staffers of Compassion Uganda who will give you an inside look into how Compassion’s ministry operates among the poorest of the poor.

The Child Survival Program (CSP) serves caregivers, infants and toddlers in some of the world’s poorest communities. Caregivers enrolled in CSP are visited each week by dedicated staff, whose passion is to bring health and healing to homes affected by poverty. Patience Musiime, a CSP specialist in Uganda, shares her favorite stories of hope from the Child Survival Program.

In 2004, Uganda opened our first Child Survival Program. At the Bugongi CSP, we have seen so much happen in just four years. In the Bugongi CSP, all of our 20 pregnant mothers have given birth to bouncing, healthy babies. This is a miracle! In Uganda, 200,000 children under the age of 5 die every year. But the babies in CSP are living!

In Uganda’s CSPs, we first understand that a mother must be healthy if she is to take care of her children. So we make sure our mothers go to a licensed health care center for their medical care, both before and after the baby is born. Since hundreds of thousands of mothers and children in Uganda are infected with AIDS, we also make sure to teach our mothers about protecting themselves and their families from this disease. For mothers who have HIV, we arrange medical care and teach them income-generating activities. But CSP is not just about caring for a family’s physical needs. We believe spiritual poverty is just as deadly as physical poverty.

In the first year that the Bugongi CSP was open, two mothers made a commitment to Christ. Today, 75 of our mothers know Christ as their Savior. These mothers are able to attend Bible studies, discipleship classes and home fellowships. Also, when we visit the homes of these mothers, we pray with them and help them understand how much Jesus loves them.We believe that we can end poverty for the families in our Child Survival Programs. If we can teach our mothers income-generating activities, they can help support their families and gain confidence.

Bugongi CSP runs an adult literacy class, and 26 mothers who formerly could not read and write now write their names, do simple arithmetic. and read in the local languages. Five mothers have successfully graduated with certificates in fashion and design. Mothers are also given skills in crocheting and home baking.

If you could visit us at the Bugongi CSP, I would introduce you to so many of our mothers whose lives have been changed. You would meet Mary, mother to Doreen, who tells us, “CSP has helped me through parenting seminars to attain parenting skills. My child now looks healthy. I have learned to read and write. I now can write my name. I gave my life to Christ through evangelism sessions in CSP.”

And you could meet Anne, who is enrolled with her twins Angel and Andrew. She told me, “CSP has done a lot in my life. I have learned how to prepare a rich meal for my children, the importance of immunization and how to live peacefully with other people. I can now talk in public and I really love my children, play with them and teach them.”

CSP is changing lives. So far, we have witnessed 46 of our children transfer to the sponsorship program. These children are well developed physically, spiritually, socially and mentally. All because there are CSP partners who believe in releasing children from poverty in Jesus’ name.

Popularity: 45% [?]