Stories to Connect You With Compassion & Grow Your Faith

Christmas in El Salvador is a magical time. Right after the last September rains and the windy days of October and November, a cool breeze and fresh spring-like days fill the atmosphere, announcing that the dry season (usually called “summer”) is here, and suddenly everything is green, red and full of lights. It is Christmastime.

Recently, we asked our friends on Compassion’s Facebook page to share how they use the Compassion Gift Catalog to give in honor of their friends and family. We heard so many amazing stories, but Holly’s really stood out! We love how she uses the catalog to bless her entire family — especially those on a difficult journey!

Narcissistic. Entitled. Lazy. Although there is no scientific evidence suggesting that words like these describe millennials and Gen Z’s, they are too often the characteristics associated with the youngest generation. However, not everyone feels this way about the next generation. How does Compassion reflect an attitude of respect and optimism toward the next generation? While there are many ways, here are the top five described by past and present interns.

Mariam is something of a celebrity in her Ugandan community. Everyone wants to share the story of the 6-year-old’s incredible transformation. To her neighbors and fellow sponsored children, Mariam is a reason to hope — even when the future looks about as bleak as it can get.

Eleven-year-old Cleidy from Guatemala was born missing both hands. Here is an essay this bright girl wrote about what she has learned from living with limb difference.

Microsoft and Compassion have partnered to create a groundbreaking app that may change how nonprofits fight poverty around the world!

This past Valentine’s Day, 12-year-old Irene in Burkina Faso had a broken heart. But she wasn’t the only one. In fact, her mom, dad, brother, grandmother, aunt and her friends felt hopeless and grieved. They all believed this radiant and loving young girl might soon die.

This story of twin orphans will break your heart, while also reminding you of the love, beauty and hope in the world. “We are stronger than ever.”

A few months ago, we asked every single Compassion center director around the world about the impact letters from sponsors have on the children at their center. And their answers are pretty incredible. Get ready to be inspired.

Today is a good day for some potty talk. And no, I’m not talking about the kind we scold kids for! I think we should talk about actual toilets today, specifically the history of the toilet. Do you know why? Because World Toilet Day is coming up — a day set apart to bring attention to the global sanitation crisis — and because the history of the toilet has passed many people by. So, I say we get down to business and talk toilets.

Together with friends across Australia, Canada and the United States, your support provided a safe and secure home for single mother Annet and her miraculous triplets just in time for their fourth birthday! A year and a half down the track, we check in on the triplets.

This year, Compassion joins other humanitarian and child-focused organizations around the world to celebrate a landmark: the 30th anniversary of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. A convention might sound a little boring, but this historic meeting laid out the human rights that apply to all children. We have a lot to celebrate about the progress children’s rights have made in the last 30 years. We’d like to highlight three ways things have changed in the past 30 years for children.