2014 Annual Report: Where Does The Money Go?
Financial integrity is of extreme importance to us. And so is transparency. Our 2014 Annual Report has been released so you can keep up to date with the who, the what, the where, the how…and specifically, the how much. So where does the money go? Here are a few highlights from our 2014 Annual Report.
The Fight to End Extreme Poverty
The idea of being able to end extreme poverty in the world often feels overwhelming. But with the latest news from the United Nations, coupled with independent research about our sponsorship program, it no longer feels unattainable. In fact, it could even be accomplished within our lifetime. This good news is our motivation to fight harder than ever before to release children from poverty in Jesus’ name!
The Hope in Haiti
In March of 2013, I visited Haiti. I was unprepared for the devastation that I saw and it upset me so much that I cried myself to sleep the first night. I wondered where the hope was in Haiti. Over the course of the next few days I quickly found that hope can rise out of places where we least expect to find it.
Microloans Provide Jobs in Haiti
Families who lost everything in the 2010 Haiti earthquake needed help starting over. That’s why we initiated a low-interest micro loan program to qualified recipients to help them start new businesses in their communities. The results have been spectacular!
Rebuilding Haiti: 5-Year Anniversary
In the months and years following the devastating 2010 Haiti earthquake, generous sponsors and donors around the world gave more than $31 million toward our Disaster Relief Fund for recovery efforts. It was the largest sum ever raised for one of our disaster relief campaigns. This fund enabled us not only to deliver provisions immediately following the disaster – such as food, water and temporary shelter – but also to establish long-term recovery efforts such as post-traumatic camps and counseling services, entrepreneurial training, low-interest loans for businesses, and the construction of new school buildings.
Thank You For Supporting Us in 2014
Because of you, we saw over 1.5 million children in poverty go from weak to strong, from hungry to fed, and from lost to found. Thank you for a year full of lives changed in the name of Jesus!
Our Video Christmas Card To You!
Who doesn’t love getting Christmas cards? The sweet family photos, the stories from your out-of-town friends, the glittery paper creations. Filling the front of your refrigerator with a colorful collage of those you love. Even though you can’t stick this one on your fridge, we want to tell you – our family and friends – that we wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Surviving A Typhoon
In the Philippines, tropical cyclones come and go frequently. The country is battered by an average of 9 typhoons a year; some don’t make international news, and those that do will have caused devastating destruction. Typhoon Hagupit (Ruby) hit the islands on December 6. And currently, it has affected 70 of our church partners and over 4,000 Compassion assisted children and their families. Damage is still being assessed and we will provide updates as news from our staff there becomes available. But a typhoon like this isn’t new to them.
Always Pray, Don’t Give Up
Winston Churchill was not known for being a spiritual man. But even this world-renowned leader who led Britain’s fight against the then seemingly unstoppable might of Hitler’s military admitted to praying, saying the practice “comforted him” in times of crisis and danger. I find this fact interesting because it demonstrates God’s design of the human being. God made every person — believer and non-believer alike— to have a natural inclination to reach out to Him, especially in times of trouble. So if this is the case, why don’t we, as Christians, do it more often? Or why is reaching out to God in prayer more often than not our last resort than our first?
Happy Thanksgiving To You and Yours
As we join around the table today with our loved ones, we want to say a sincere THANK YOU to you – for loving your sponsored kids, for having compassion and for being the best advocates for kids in poverty in the world.
The Best Perspective on Setting Goals
I want to talk to you about goals. I think goals are powerful. You certainly need them to be successful in athletics or in academics. Goals are powerful because they can create the right conversation, spur the right imagination and give you direction to the right amount of scaling for what you’re trying to achieve.
The Baby Elephant Rescuer
You’ve probably met Wass. Wass is the baby elephant who’s been in the news recently after he was rescued from a well in Northern Kenya. Unable to be reunited with his herd, he and two orphaned ostrich chicks were airlifted to safety by the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust. Now meet Edwin. Edwin is the head elephant keeper at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust in Nairobi, Kenya. He’s also a Compassion graduate.
