We began our ministry in Ecuador in 1974, with the Child Sponsorship Program. In 2002, we started the Leadership Development Program and in 2006, the Child Survival Program.

Country Director

Fernando Puga joined our ministry in Ecuador as Country Director in 2001. Before this, Fernando was a civil engineer and had his own consulting firm.

And during the 1990s, prior to having his own firm, Fernando was Executive Director at the World Bank, working to reform elementary education curriculum and promote the concept of school networks in poor areas of Ecuador.

In 1999, he was named Vice Minister of the Interior of Ecuador.

Fernando holds a Master of Structural Engineering degree from Escuela Politécnica del Ecuador University in Quito.

Implementing Church Partners

Implementing Church Partners are local churches in Ecuador with whom we work to deliver child development programs and ministry in the field.

• Spiritual Climate
  Catholicism is the main religion in Ecuador, comprising over 80 percent of the population, while Protestants comprise just over 10 percent of the population.

  However, Catholicism is diminishing and Protestant evangelical denominations are growing.

  The indigenous people practice unique religions, often combining pre-Hispanic traditions with the Catholic faith. Throughout the country, people are free to practice whatever religion they choose with no fear of persecution.



• Unique Challenges
  One challenge we face in Ecuador is the high number of broken families. Many mothers are head of their home, and many fathers have multiple homes and families. This results in even more extreme poverty as the fathers cannot provide for multiple households.

  Poverty often leads to abuse, and many women are victims of abuse from the men in their lives. Many children in Ecuador are being raised in this environment, which interferes with healthy development particularly with their sense of confidence and self-esteem.

  Other challenges in Ecuador are a the lack of job opportunities, low quality of education, lack of access to adequate health care, an increase in the number of child workers, and child abuse in homes and other environments.

• Typical Contributions
  The Implementing Church Partners provide personnel, logistical support, professional representation, local management and their relationships with other organizations.
• Partner Development Activities
  We have a partner development program focused on teaching skills, managerial skills, project management, follow-up and monitoring. We also provide training on family topics.

  Additionally, we give support through occasional radio programs, monthly newsletters and yearly meetings with pastors and church leaders.

Child Survival Program

• Caregiver Literacy
  We offer quarterly literacy classes that cover basic literacy skills, such as identification, reading and writing of the alphabet, simple words and numbers, as well as activities to develop skills for day-to-day literacy, such as reading prescriptions, instructions, food labels, etc.
• Income-Generating Skills
  We offer monthly workshops that teach different skills depending on the mothers’ needs and interests.

  The most common workshops are beauty (haircuts, manicures and pedicures), knitting, ornament making, and making hygiene products such as shampoo, chlorine and disinfecting liquid.



• Health Care
  We encourage mothers to utilize the free health services offered at public hospitals and government health centers. Some Child Survival Program centers have agreements with other health care institutions to receive free or discounted medical checkups and medicines.

  If there are any children or mothers who cannot access adequate medical care at the public hospitals due to the hospitals’ lack of equipment or supplies, we provide additional ministry funds for them to go to a private hospital or doctor’s office.

• Nutritional Support
  Every month, each Child Survival Program center provides baskets of food for seven mothers and their children. The criteria for receiving these baskets are mothers who have just given birth, mothers and children who do not have adequate nutrition, and mothers and children whose families are in extremely hard circumstances.

  The food products included in each basket are specific to meet the needs of the individual families, and the budget for each basket of food is $20 (USD).

• Involvement of Fathers
  We have parent meetings, contests and sports competitions to encourage the fathers to become involved in the Child Survival Program.

  During home visits, program implementers make an effort to talk to the fathers about the importance of their involvement in their child’s development. However, many fathers do not want to attend program activities because most of the attendees are women.



• Transitioning Out of the Child Survival Program
  Children who are preparing to transition to the Child Sponsorship Program are taken once a week by their mother or caregiver to the 3-to-5-year-old Child Sponsorship Program classes. The objective of this is for the Child Survival Program children to play with the older kids and become familiar with their common activities.

  Also, some centers have a training plan for the mothers whose children will be transitioning to the Child Sponsorship Program. Once a month, they are asked to join the Child Sponsorship Program activities that are appropriate for their children or to attend a parent activity such as a lecture.

• Areas of Expansion for the Child Survival Program
  We plan to open additional programs in provinces in the coastal region and in the highlands because these provinces have extreme poverty and high vulnerability.

Child Sponsorship Program

Your sponsorship of a child in Ecuador provides a variety of benefits.

The children attend the child development centers after school.

• Meeting Times
  • 3 to 5 year olds: 4 hours a day, 3 days a week
  • 6 to 8 year olds: 4 hours a day, 3 days a week
  • 9 to 11 year olds: 4 hours a day, 3 days a week
  • 12 to 14 year olds: 4 hours a day, 3 days a week
  • 15 to 18 year olds: 4 hours a day, 3 days a week

  

• Nutritional Support
  Each child receives lunch every day they are at the center. A typical lunch consists of soup containing carbohydrates or vegetables and meat and a main dish containing carbohydrates, proteins and vegetables.

  Some child development centers offer snacks to the children before they go home as well, and it is very common to give additional food to children under age 5.



• Vaccinations
  The Ecuadorian government provides the necessary vaccines free of charge.
• Specialty Curriculum
  We use a certified curriculum for adolescents called “More Than Conquerors,” which was developed by our staff. We are, however, still working on the final portion of this curriculum, specifically the vocational training portion.
• Extracurricular Activities or Community Service
  The government in Ecuador is currently focusing on extracurricular activities for children in schools, so the Implementing Church Partners are coming alongside the already existing programs and offering new extracurricular alternatives depending on the local need and resources.

  Generally, the Implementing Church Partners offer soccer, art, music, dance and liturgy. A few Implementing Church Partners organize trips and camps.



• Vocational Activities
  We want adolescents to invest their time in school and to acquire skills so that they will have increased opportunities for earning an income in the future.

  Our adolescent program in Ecuador includes three to four hours of class per week. This program offers classes about nutrition, health care, educational reinforcement, access to libraries and vocational training. Adolescents also attend camps and go to youth group meetings on Saturdays.



• Parent Involvement
  Implementing Church Partners offer parenting classes once or twice a month. We feel that parent involvement is critical to the children’s success, so we have created an entire program that is aimed at strengthening parents.

  We encourage pastors to take charge of the families, training parents and involving them in different spiritual and academic activities.

• Areas of Expansion for the Child Sponsorship Program
  When considering areas of expansion we take into the consideration the following factors: the presence of other sponsorship organizations competing for territory, the quality of existing services, and the level of poverty.

  Given these three factors, we would like to expand into Esmeraldas, Manabi, Guayas, Bolivar, Napo, Pastaza and Zamora Chinchipe. These areas are in three zones: the jungle, the highlands (which are over 3,000 meters above sea level and where the poorest zones in the country are located), and the river basins along the coastal regions where there are frequent floods and extreme poverty.

Leadership Development Program

• Universities Attended
  The students attend government, private and Christian universities.
• Location of Universities
  The universities are spread all throughout the country.
• Working Students
  Some students work while they attend university, specifically those from the zone of Manabi because the university fees in that area are higher.
• Service Opportunities
  The students volunteer at churches and child development centers; they also perform community service at schools, parks, orphanages, retirement homes, jails and hospitals.
• Leadership Development Program Meetings
  The larger Leadership Development Program group meets three times a year to receive leadership training.

  In addition, students meet in smaller groups to do community work on a monthly basis.



• Specialty Curriculum Topics or Resources
  The ministry in Ecuador cover topics like entrepreneurship, the importance of saving, cost-benefit analysis, and decision making as it relates to the economy.

  In the area of physical development and health, we cover conditions and tendencies of the Ecuadorian family as well as the differences between Andean ancestral medicine and Western medicine.



• Mentors
  The students have one month to find a mentor, and if they need assistance, the Leadership Development Program Specialist will help them.
• Career Placement Assistance
  The Field Office administers psychological and vocational tests to assist students in choosing their specific career field.

Complementary Interventions

Our core Child Sponsorship Program, while comprehensive, does not address all obstacles to a child’s healthy development. The Complementary Interventions program was created to work with our holistic child development model to provide additional services, such as our AIDS Initiative, Bibles for all children, disaster relief and clean water.

Generally, Complementary Interventions are addressed in three ways: urgent interventions in cases of emergency or disaster, planned interventions based on needs assessed by our staff in Ecuador, and planned interventions based on needs assessed by the Implementing Church Partners.

The most frequent interventions have been related to water purification, disaster relief, entrepreneurial ventures and infrastructure improvement.

VIDEO EXTRA

Our staff and church partners in Ecuador are dedicated to serving families in their community. This video — created by our Ecuador country staff — illustrates a spirit of service embodied by the young men and women they serve.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

“It’s Christmas time, joy to the world! The rich and the poor will share,” says a popular Latin American Christmas carol.

Lights, colorful garlands and presents decorate Quito City, Ecuador. The wealthy families celebrate Christmas Eve with a table full of abundant and delicious delicacies and fantastic gifts around the tree. Others who aren’t so prosperous gather with less splendor but full of hope of sharing a modest but a deep-felt family celebration.

For many people in Ecuador, their Christmas dream is no broken families, no homeless children, no kids without a gift, and no parents crying for the lack of money to give a special celebration to their families. But their reality is different. While some people have fancy celebrations, others can do nothing but stare at shop windows and others even beg on the streets.

María lives in the La Victoria Alta neighborhood, a place with limited access to public transportation and public services. It is one hour away from Quito’s downtown area, a place where the cold weather is so intense that people feel chilled to the bone.

María is one of the hundreds of mothers who cry at Christmas time. She has three children and she can barely meet their basic needs, so she can’t even think about the possibility of getting her little kids presents for Christmas.

“It’s just sad … . We see that some people have enough money but we totally lack it.”

Sonia takes care of Erick, her 3-year-old nephew, while his mother is out working to sustain the family. Sonia has become a mother to her nephew and her heart aches every time she thinks about Christmas and the fact that neither she nor her sister will be able to give a present to Erick. No matter how hard they work, their home expenses surpass their incomes by far.

Evelyn, a mother of three, confesses, “I haven’t given a single present to my children in years.” Every day she’s weighed down with worry because of her financial situation, and the worries increase as Christmas time gets closer.

Families like María’s, Sonia’s and Evelyn’s, whose husbands left them or who don’t have a steady source of income, finish every year struggling to survive with the little they have. This is when Christmas sadly becomes an unhappy season full of pressure and colossal challenges that has nothing to do with what this time of the year is meant to represent.

Yet to the joy of many families whose mothers and babies are registered at the Child Survival Program (CSP) in the La Victoria Alta neighborhood, the heavy load of poverty – that constant lack of not only material goods but spiritual growth, too – has been relieved.

María, Sonia and Evelyn say that the Child Survival Program is their second home, a safe and warm place that’s always full of love and hope. These three mothers, along with more than 40 other moms and children from La Victoria Alta, are beneficiaries of the Child Survival Program and this past Christmas enjoyed an unexpected celebration like they never imagined.

Contests, prizes, toys, carols, plays and a special lunch were part of the Christmas party at the Child Survival Program. Some mothers performed an Andean folk dance, while others acted in a play to communicate the true gift of Christmas.

The party was a great opportunity to show the CSP mothers and children that they are loved, important and valued. Their little babies were the stars of the party.

Tons of colorful toys, chosen not only to bring fun to the children but to help them develop their motor skills, filled the courtyard at the CSP facilities.

Last month, María thought that she was about to go through another sad Christmas, but she was gladly surprised. They received a warm blanket, a toy car, and a doll to assemble.

Other children received gifts like balls, trains and play food. The toys were chosen by the CSP implementers to help the children with their physical and cognitive stimulation.

María’s daughter, Paola (33 months old), was “happy because this is the perfect gift for her.”

Evelyn enthusiastically watched as her son, Isaías, got his presents.

“He tore the box and took out the train … he opened the mesh and took out the ball, too. Now he’s running around playing with his brand new stuff.”

Elvia Vega, CSP Coordinator, says that the purpose of the Child Survival Program is to bring joy into the lives of mothers and children because “some kids have never received a single present.” The mothers registered at this neighborhood’s Child Survival Program “are women who don’t have any money, not even for food,” she emphasizes.

But the most transcendent point of the celebration was sharing the true meaning of this party. Within a commercialized world where money and social position are top priorities, the Child Survival Program emphasized the root of this season and the most important gift of all: Immanuel, God with us.

Vega affirms,

“These days most people think that many things are essential … but through the Christmas pageant we taught that there’s nothing more important than Jesus.”

Pastor Elicio Quinga witnessed the effort and dedication of the CSP personnel to give an unforgettable Christmas to the program’s participant mothers. María testified her deep gratitude with these words:

“Thank you so much, from the bottom of the heart. May God continue to bless you! The program’s support is fantastic, especially to me.”

All this is possible thanks to the Child Survival Program and your kind hearts. You may not see the expressions of excitement in the children’s faces or the tears of joy in the mothers’ eyes, but you have gave them a different Christmas in 2010.

You gave them the opportunity to experience the true love and the genuine bliss brought only by meeting the True Star of the Season – Jesus – and feeling the endless grace that comes from His heart.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

On the sides of the streets there are little houses made of bricks and cement. Some of the homes are not fully constructed and others are old; the colors of their walls have long faded. Many families live here because they have unsteady jobs with low salaries. Most of them are informal merchants or bricklayers.

Chilibulo is also considered a “ghetto zone” due to area gangs and the high rates of delinquency.

This is the place where Mario and his wife, Martha, brought two children into the world.

Mario and Martha are each 28 years old now, but they look years older because of the wrinkles on their faces – indicators of past struggles. For many years they did not have happy and fulfilled lives; they’ve struggled against poverty since they were teenagers.

Mario fought the lack of attention from his parents with vices like alcohol and drug addiction. He grew up with a father who not only became an “example” of such vices, but also made a living out of stealing and committing criminal acts. Mario started using cocaine when he was 13.

Although he moved out with Martha when he was 16, he didn’t leave his vices or delinquent habits behind. On the contrary, he turned Martha into his accomplice.

In fact, the people from Chilibulo knew Mario, his father and his siblings as the infamous Los Plomos (The Leads) because they used to drink a lot and scare their victims with knives to steal their belongings. Los Plomos terrified the inhabitants of Chilibulo for a very long time.

Mario and Martha had their first child and named him Javier. Little Melany was born about five years later. However, the arrival of the children didn’t make the parents change their lifestyle at all.

It was common to see Mario and Martha exposing their small children to public embarrassment, rude conversations and unproductive habits at el relleno (the dump), the meeting place for the neighborhood’s beggars, alcoholics and drug addicts.

Little by little, the dump became the home of this family. It was a dirty place full of garbage and homeless dogs. Mario and Martha used to go there to drink. They didn’t eat or work; they just drank and didn’t care for anything else. They only left the dump to find a victim and get “easy money” to buy more alcohol and marijuana.

That’s the environment Javier grew up in, surrounded by parents, uncles and a grandfather who were caught up in a deplorable lifestyle, full of misery and absent of hope.

Comunidad Cristiana Plenitud de Vida (Life’s Plenitude Christian Community) Church has worked in Chilibulo Parish for almost five years. But the church established its partnership with Compassion in 2007.

When Comunidad Cristiana Plenitud de Vida began working with Compassion, the church staff worked very hard to visit every house in the community to encourage parents to register their children in the child sponsorship program.

A program flyer reached the house of Javier’s grandma, who was interested in the program and motivated Martha to register her son. Until that moment, nobody imagined that God was starting to move the pieces necessary to fulfill His salvation plan for this family.

The first meetings at the center were an adventure for Javier.

Before joining the program, he had never heard stories of normal people fighting against giants, like David, or stories of men in a den surrounded by lions that didn’t attack, like Daniel. And he had never heard or felt that someone loved him and cared for him; that’s what made the biggest impact on him.

Javier hadn’t experienced the love of a father or a mother because his parents did nothing but neglect him day after day. The only images that he had of his parents were their vices and the way they mistreated him.

At the child development center Javier learned his life is important, that God created him, and that God had a special purpose for him and for his parents. He decided to accept Jesus, who promised him a better life, a life full of joy and hope … an eternal life.

At age 7, Javier started to feel a special passion for telling his parents about Christ. He prayed for them, asking for a radical change in their lives. He even mustered the courage to confront them about their sins and offer them healing and hope through Jesus.

Javier truly suffered because he didn’t want his parents to remain lost. When his father got drunk, Javier approached him with phrases like, “Daddy, please make a change … stop drinking or you will end up in Hell.” As Martha listened to her son’s words, she silently asked to herself, “Where is this life going to take us?”

His eyes didn’t see any progress, but Javier kept on clinging to His loving God, who rescued him from a hostile and destructive environment. He believed the Lord could transform the lives of his parents … and God soon did just that.

Javier’s father became very ill after drinking for three days in a row during the neighborhood’s festivities. He was so sick that no medication could keep him from vomiting and a rising fever. However, that precise moment was crucial to little Javier, who put his faith in action.

Javier was sure that he had the cure for his father and so he insisted once again, “Daddy, you should accept Jesus in your heart … He will save you and heal you from this illness.”

Mario couldn’t believe it and broke down because it was hard for him to admit that a little 8-year-old child was confronting him and encouraging him to take a different turn and to avoid self-destruction.

Through his son, Mario felt Jesus’ infinite love for the first time and he decided to accept Christ within his heart. Guided by Javier, the little evangelist, Mario fully opened his heart to God while his son prayed,

“Thank you Lord … please bless us! I ask you to heal my dad … take him as your son, for he won’t do bad things anymore.”

It didn’t take long for Mario and Martha to decide to go to church with their son, but they felt ashamed for the clothes they were wearing. Martha told Javier to ask if they could go in their worn out, not fancy and a bit dirty clothes.

“Baby, you should ask if they would accept us at church like this because we don’t have any good clothes.”

Javier did what his mother asked and when he came back, he said with a smile on his face,

“Yes, Mommy! Sister Verónica said that you could go to church with any clothes because God accepts us just the way we are.”

Mario and Martha thought they would be rejected by the congregation because of their past and their poverty. In fact, they believed God only liked rich people. But Javier had experienced God’s great love and he knew the church would turn into a haven for his parents.

And that was exactly what happened.

Comunidad Cristiana Plenitud de Vida became the spiritual home of Mario and his family, including his siblings and their spouses. They immediately joined a group to study the Bible, and they still faithfully attend the church’s services every Wednesday and Sunday, as well as the prayer services on Fridays.

Mario and Martha cry every time they think about the hole that God rescued them from and how He has transformed their lives.

“Our home was absolutely shattered; everything we sowed was leading us to harvest nothing but garbage. Now we are thankful to God for finding us and rescuing us from that kind of life.”

Today, Mario and his family are a living testimony of God’s transforming power. Los Plomos, who terrified everybody in Chilibulo, are now respected by those who feared them.

Many people are astonished by the positive change and they almost can’t believe it. But everybody has reached one conclusion: There’s a God and that God changed Mario and Martha.

Mario and Martha are deeply grateful to God and now their only purpose is to please Him at all times.

In addition to quitting alcohol, marijuana and stealing, they are working honestly, helping people to park their cars along one of the Quito city streets.

They also decided to stop just living together and get married. After more than 10 years of cohabitation, they wanted to start a new life through a blessed marriage. The pastor of Comunidad Cristiana Plenitud de Vida presided over their wedding in December 2009.

Now Javier’s family has a fulfilled and joyful life and it’s all thanks to God’s intervention through Javier.

“My life is different now and I’m thankful to Jesus for changing everything.”

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

Allen Charles Graham is single, but he understands the meaning of the word “commitment.” He started sponsoring children in 1989 when he lived in the United States, working at a TV network. Currently, he lives in Ecuador and is the Training Director at HCJB Global Voice radio station.

“This was something I always wanted to do ever since I looked at the advertising spaces in some magazines.”

Allen had the opportunity to take a closer look to the blessing of sponsoring children when he came to Ecuador for the first time back in 1989 as a “working visitor” for HCJB. He was assigned a prayer partner, who happened to sponsor an Ecuadorian child.

When the prayer partner visited his sponsored child at the coastal city of Guayaquil (260 miles from Quito), he came back and he showed pictures to Allen and shared about that experience.

That was when Allen received that special motivation and knew he was going to commit to sponsor a child as soon as he went back to the United States.

Actually, that was one of the first things Allen did when he was back home. He looked for a Compassion ad in a magazine, cut the invitation to sponsor a child, filled it out, and sent it including this note: “I prefer an Ecuadorian child.”

“In September 1989 I received a package with the information of a boy, Marcos from Guayaquil.”

This boy, the first child he sponsored, was 10 years old.

Surprisingly, a couple of months later in 1990, Allen received an invitation to give some lectures at the English Fellowship Church in Quito. Of course, he took the opportunity to visit Marcos.

So in July of that year, Allen met Marcos in Guayaquil. Marcos was 11 years old by that time, and he just talked and talked all the time.

“I didn’t speak Spanish and Álvaro, the translator, couldn’t translate fast enough all the things Marcos said.”

Sign language and, most of all, the language of love … hugs, tickles and smiles, let Allen and Marcos establish a strong friendship bond. When they were saying their good-byes at the airport, Marcos said, “I will pray a lot for you to come back to my country.” … And God did answer his prayer!

Allen was called by God to move to Ecuador as a missionary. In March 1992, HCJB accepted his application and later that year he traveled to Costa Rica to learn Spanish.

August 19, 1993, is a day Allen will never forget since it was the day he arrived in Ecuador after a special call by God. He was not just willing to be a missionary with HCJB, but was yearning to see little Marcos again, for Marcos had stolen his heart, and God had listened to Marcos’ innocent prayer.

Since that time, Allen has sponsored a half dozen children. He is currently sponsoring two children – a girl in Ecuador, Mariuxi, and a boy in Bolivia, Pedro.

From all those children, Marcos is the one who left a very deep imprint in the life of this communicator highly committed to children.

At the present time, Marcos is 30, and this sponsor/sponsored-child relationship has evolved almost into a father-son relationship.

Marcos comes from a dysfunctional family. His father left them when Marcos was only 4 years old, so his childhood had traces of solitude, scarcity and the lack of the warmth of a real home.

“I didn’t know what a home was; my mom worked way too much so I never saw her … the truth is I was raised by several people; my grandma had me for a year, then my aunt maybe for another year, and I even spent another year at the house of some neighbor.”

It’s been 19 years since Allen and Marcos met for the first time; 19 years that brought love, comprehension and hope into Marcos’ life.

From Allen’s perspective, “I believe I have given hope to Marcos, and hopefully, I have also been the role model of a man who is constantly looking for God’s presence in his life.”

From Marcos’ point of view, “Allen has been a father, a counselor and a friend to me.”

The letters and frequent personal encounters have strengthened this relationship in a very significant way. Allen has served in Ecuador for 15 years now and his presence in Marcos’ life has helped Marcos to escape from wrong paths that may have led him to death:

“When I was 16 I was indirectly involved with gangs. I didn’t find my way … but thank God, Allen was there to give good advice to me … I got to talk to him and so my life took a different turn.”

Today, Marcos is a responsible grownup with a beautiful family: Tatiana, his wife, and their two children, Allan (4) and Marquitos (17 months).

Marcos is deeply grateful to Compassion and mostly to Allen.

“The project to me was like home. I used to enjoy being over there with my friends and our tutors … but without a doubt the best part of Compassion was meeting Allen. We have a close relationship until these days. Allen is like a father to me and now he has even turned into my children’s grandpa.”

But this is not all: Marcos works at a very important Ecuadorian iron company — IPAC. The Production Manager says about Marcos,

“He has learned and developed faster than many other employees here. Nowadays, Marcos is one of the operators of a new machine that is the first of its kind in Latin America. Thank God, Marcos is right where he is now because of his big effort and huge interest.”

Marcos’ life is the true evidence of the fruits of a man’s committed love. And certainly, Allen is an example of many other anonymous sponsors whose commitment to God has turned them into channels of blessing and transformation for thousands of boys, girls and young people all over the world.

This is how we have witnessed, once again, the fulfillment of the Scripture,

“’I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.’” – Matthew 25:40 (NIV).

Allen states that his answer to that question may sound simple to many people, but to him it carries the weight of an unavoidable commandment:

“It is God who puts the desire of sponsoring children in people’s hearts, but there’s also the part of being in touch with the kid or kids you sponsor, and that’s exactly what the ministry of Compassion International puts special emphasis on.”

He knows that very well because he volunteered with the Advocates Network before traveling to Ecuador. He was in charge of attending prayer meetings, Bible studies, concerts, etc. to talk to people and present the ministry of Compassion to them.

When asked about the most important element to assure a successful relationship between sponsors and their sponsored children, Allen replies:

“First of all, it is prayer, and then it is seeing children in a different way and not just like simple numbers.

“When volunteering as an advocate and working with children’s packages, it’s very easy to start looking at them as mere statistics, as numbers, but God said to me: ‘Hey! These children have names; they are important to me.’”

Allen highlights the part of looking at each child as a person to commit to, instead of a number searching for a sponsor. Any person willing to sponsor a child needs to think more personally, “I’m going to be part of Juan, María, Alfonso or Mariuxi’s life. He/she is going to be very special to me.”

Regarding the prayer element, Allen believes a sponsor is a child’s prayer partner. He or she who sponsors a child must be committed to pray for that child.

Allen has talked to various sponsored children attending child development centers all over the country, so he knows they pray for their sponsors too. This is a reciprocal relationship.

“It’s not just about sending money every month; it’s about committing to them through prayers.”

According to Allen, a sponsor should know how his/her child is doing in the spiritual area: Has the child made a decision for Christ? If so, the sponsor should encourage the child to be baptized instead of leaving everything in the hands of tutors and project directors.

But he also clarifies: “We have to be very sensitive and never, ever force or push children to do that. Anyway, we must help them through prayers all the time.”

Communication is another important point to Allen.

Maybe not every single sponsor has the chance or even the interest in learning his/her sponsored child’s mother tongue, but in the case of Allen, speaking Spanish brought a special “sparkle” into his role as a sponsor; it made it more real.

In addition, when it comes to writing to a child, Allen suggests sponsors change their perspective into a child’s point of view.

“Normally, it is very easy for us to tell ‘I do this or I do that …’, but it is way better to take the child’s interests into account.

“Writing things like ‘This weekend my family and I went skiing’ to a child from Guayaquil is not really helpful, since that city is located in the coastal region of Ecuador and therefore that child has never seen snow in his or her entire life. They don’t even have big mountains around!

“We are talking about things that may seem important to us, but cannot actually be used to bond with our sponsored child. We should look for stuff that helps us to get closer to the child, so questions are more appropriate in these cases.

“Another good idea is to look for similarities and say things like: ‘In California our beaches are like this … how do beaches in your country look like?”

Even though Allen admits it’s not always easy, a sponsor should try to visit and meet the child in person. He recommends living the experience and being part of the child’s environment, center and home at least once. Personal contact is very important.

“If the sponsor desires he or she could always see that trip as ‘vacation with purpose.’ A sponsor’s visit can have a very strong impact, not only in the life of the directly involved child, but in the lives of the rest of children from the project and everyone working with them. It encourages them to know these contacts can be real.”

Allen’s trajectory as a sponsor is the evidence of a deep commitment to God at first, then to our ministry, and certainly to each boy and girl he has sponsored during the almost two decades he has been linked to Compassion.

My Account l Sponsor a Child l Help Babies and Moms l Crisis Updates

Josh was born and raised in Seattle. He’s a father of two, and a husband to one.

We’re plagiarizing here … jes so ya know.

He’s a son of Philippine immigrants and grew up with his mother and father, sister, brother, grandmother, grandfather, two aunts, four uncles and five cousins (among other houseguests) in the 18 years he spent at home.

He enjoys people. And likes to laugh … even courtesy laughs … ha ha.

We met Josh through this blog. He sent us an e-mail with some photos he took on a Compassion trip. They are stunning. See for yourself.

We also asked him to share a little bit about the trip to help put the photos in context. We hope you enjoy Josh’s perspective on children in poverty.

Gearing up for my Compassion trip to Ecuador, I told my wife, “Ya know? In some ways I might have more in common with the Compassion kids than with the folks I’m traveling with.”

She needed a bit more convincing.

I reminded her that my cousin was a Compassion child in the Philippines, my mother grew up in a poor farming community in Zamboanga, and many of my family members are still living in situations like the ones I’ll see on the trip.

“Wow,” she replied. “I hope people can see that in your photos.”

With that, my challenge was set: Tell the stories of these kids as if they were my own family.

Back in June, I traveled with a group of donors to Quito, Ecuador. The first stop was Bernabe Student Center for a Child Survival Program (CSP) presentation. This was the same center where I met Edison and Paula.

Edison and his family opened up their home for us to see what typical living arrangements look like in this area of Quito.

After lunch with the family, the highlight of the day was Edison’s birthday cake. No, it wasn’t his birthday, but for Edison’s first five birthdays his family didn’t have the funds for a birthday cake. So on that day, Compassion sponsored Edison’s very first birthday cake!

We encouraged him to “go for it,” but Edison wanted us to slice the cake up for everyone to enjoy.

When we returned to the center, a little girl named Paula waited anxiously for one of the families on the trip – her sponsor family. She was shy, but excited about the meeting. Her sponsor family greeted her with open arms and grins from ear to ear, but what really broke the ice were the gifts.

The family unveiled (among other things) a “Dora the Explorer” blanket. Paula loved Dora.

From that point on hugs, smiles and tears of joy were shared by everyone in the room. To think, this is just the start of years of support.

The last center we visited (Jesus Rey de Reyes Student Center) was located in Otavalo. Here we met Jessica and her family and spent much of the afternoon doing typical tasks around their home.

A few of the members on the trip tried their hand at picking corn. Others worked the wool that the family used in weaving belts that were sold at the market. Some of the most brilliant colors and intricate weaving I’ve ever seen!

On the flight home, I realized how thankful I am. I am thankful for an organization like Compassion whose sole purpose is to release children from poverty.

I am thankful that kids like Edison, Paula, Jessica and my cousin can be given hope in places where there may be no hope. And I am thankful that I, the son of a poor farmer’s daughter, get to share the story of kids growing up in his own mother’s shoes and sharing them through photography.

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