NOTE FROM EDITOR: This content honors Compassion’s historical work in India. While we no longer have an India sponsorship program, we are grateful for the lives changed and meaningful work achieved through our sponsors and donors in our nearly 50 years there. For a detailed explanation of the end of our sponsorship program in India, please visit: compassion.com/india-update.
We’ll come right out and say it… we think you’re pretty amazing.
We are so thankful for your commitment to children in extreme poverty around the world but especially those in India.
Over the past week you – sponsors, donors, child advocates, partners and friends – have sent more than 33,000 letters to Congress ahead of Tuesday’s testimony by Compassion before the House Foreign Affairs Committee!
You used your voice on social media sharing your heart and passion for the precious children you have relationship with through sponsorship. You empowered your communities to take action to speak up for the work of our local partners and the children they serve in India. Here are just a few examples of your generous hearts:
My wife sent me this. The Compassion child I've been sponsoring for 9 years is in India… https://t.co/wqZD5H50SV
— Gabe Hughes (@Pastor_Gabe) December 6, 2016
@SpeakerRyan @RepDavid Please act on behalf of 130K+ babies & kids benefiting from the work of @compassion in India.
— Heidi Pettigrew (@hmpettigrew) December 6, 2016
Robby and I LOVE the work of @compassion 🙂 Add your voice and help them release children from poverty in India –> https://t.co/MisOQKHF5g pic.twitter.com/1HyJIriN10
— Bria Jean (@briajeanmusic) December 2, 2016
Pray for the 130,000 #children in #India affected by this & sign this letter to your local #congress representative!https://t.co/CkRDBmzW4K
— Caitlin Jane (@caitlinjanelife) December 2, 2016
Please don't be silent, speak up, reach out and join @compassion in finding a solution to continue their valuable work in India. https://t.co/mTAXZLuzs1
— Tara Marie (@the_tara_marie) December 5, 2016
We are so thankful for your support and for the support of the Foreign Affairs Committee.
Here are four important facts that came out of the committee hearing and have been brought to the attention of Congress:
- We were fully supported and encouraged in our work by the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
- We are not alone in facing this challenge. In the last two years, 11,319 other NGO’s have lost their licenses. This decreases the number of foreign funded organizations in India to almost half the number it was just two years ago.
- We have done everything we can to comply with all requests from the Indian government.
- If nothing changes, Compassion India is at risk of running out of funds. During the hearing they mentioned a timeframe of 3 weeks, though this could vary slightly. Please know that while this does impact our ability to serve children, it doesn’t mean your influence ends. Together, we will continue our pursuit to serve children in poverty in India.
So, what happens next?
Working through international political channels, as we are currently, takes time. And while we want to see positive changes soon, it will be some time before we know if this will produce results. We are so grateful for your patience and continued prayers.
We hope to provide an update on this situation before the end of January.
Please know how encouraged we are to work alongside each of you to release children from poverty every day. We pray that this will be the case in India going forward!
3 Comments |Add a comment
Does anyone know if our sponsored children in India can still receive our letters through Compassion at this time?
Susan, it is with a heavy heart that I tell you that we cannot guarantee your letters will reach your precious child. Due to the limited operations of programs and a lack of funds available at the country level, we are unable to deliver letters to children at this time. However, you are definitely welcome to write and, should a resolution be found, letters will be delivered when possible. I’m so sorry as I know it is tough to not know if you can say goodbye or not. Our hearts are breaking with this whole situation.
We are still hoping and praying for a miracle and that God will come through at the last moment. That said, even if God doesn’t, we know that God is in control and will bring good from this situation. We have to be realistic and honest with you that there is very little hope, and we are making plans to close our offices in India as of March if nothing changes. We cannot thank you enough for your prayers and support.
We have seen with our own eyes the work in India done by Compassion. We have seen and heard the change The Compassion program have made in the lives of young adults through the Leadership Development program. We have felt the intense desire of the Indian staff to help kids to rise above the poverty cycle through education. Our experience of being in India and seeing and experiencing the difference the Compassion programs make in the lives of so many children gave us hope for a better India. It would be a great loss to India to remove the knowledge and support Compassion provides for so many children.