How to Pray for Children

Raphael is wearing a yellow shirt with blue, white, and yellow plaid shorts. He is siting outside his home with his mother and siblings. They are praying before they eat. Each of them has a bowl of food in front of them.

How and why people pray vary by church, culture and life circumstances. Prayer doesn’t need to be a formal, ritualized practice. It’s simply a conversation with God that we can strike up in any number of ways. Still, it’s interesting to considerthe many reasons, places and times people pray, and the wide variety of methods used. 

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About Prayer

Girl wearing a pink shirt. She is inside her home and is praying. She has her hands folded in front of her chest.

Prayer is an integral part of our programs and work. Here’s what the Bible says about prayer and why we believe prayer is so important.

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Four children are standing outside playing musical instruments and dancing. There are trees and tall grass behind them. The children are wearing traditional clothing.

Your Top 5 Compassion Stories of 2021

As editor of the Compassion USA blog, I always love looking back over the previous year to see which articles resonated with you the most. It gives me a chance to reflect on the powerful stories and photos that come from our photojournalists around the world and writers in the U.S. I also get an idea of what type of content to gather and share with you in the year to come. In case you missed them, here were the top stories of 2021 on the Compassion USA blog.

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The Moment When 2 Sponsors Saw “Behind the Scenes”

It was 1995 when 20-year-old Bonnie picked up a child sponsorship packet from a table at church. She looked down at the photo of a girl in Uganda who was waiting for a sponsor. It would be 26 years before Bonnie realized the magnitude of her decision to become part of Norah’s amazing story by sponsoring her that day.

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A Haitian boy wearing a red shirt and green shorts has a somber expression. He is sitting in front of a building damaged in a 2018 earthquake in Haiti.

Haiti Earthquake: To Weep and To Hope

How do we weep WITH our Haitian neighbors and show them true compassion?

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Fortune holds up letters from her sponsors. She is smiling and wearing a colorful dress.

Sponsors Share Their Best Letter Writing Tips

For the best letter writing tips, go straight to the experts: sponsors! Recently we put out a call on our Facebook page asking for the best advice about writing to children in Compassion’s program. From practical to unique, their letter writing tips will inspire you to send a note the child you sponsor — and remind you that your words of encouragement make a world of difference!

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A Haitian woman smiles and holds her twin toddlers

7 Strong Mothers Whose Love Is Fiercer Than Poverty

These strong mothers would do anything for their children. Living in poverty with limited access to health care, food and education, many of them have experienced devastating loss and pain. But they persevere for their families.

So this Mother’s Day, let’s celebrate all the strong mothers around the world! Meet six women who work hard for their children and nurture them fiercely. And when that wasn’t quite enough, they sought the help they needed.

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A farmer stands in fields in the early morning in Indonesia

17 Gorgeous Photos of Gardens Around the World

In these photos of gardens around the world, you’ll see more than just plants. In these gardens are vegetables — but also opportunities. Fruits are flourishing — and so are small businesses started by families living in poverty. A fledgling sprout peeking up from the soil can signify a whole new future for a child. Because people in poverty who can grow successful gardens have not only a source of nutritious food, but also a source of income.

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A smiling father in Thailand puts a protective arm around his young daughter, who is wearing a pink shirt and smiling

We Stopped Sharing Sponsored Children’s Full Names. Here’s Why.

If you sponsor a child, you’ve probably noticed some updates this fall. The most obvious one: Compassion has stopped sharing the full names of beneficiaries in our program. It’s part of our ongoing efforts to protect child privacy in a digital world.

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A young boy smiles while wearing a new backpack he got at a Compassion Christmas celebration. Children are standing behind him

Behind the Scenes of a Compassion Christmas Celebration

Giddy anticipation ripples through the crowd of children arriving for the Compassion Christmas celebration. I watch from the window of a barn-turned-church in Uganda, which sits uphill from a child development center where the kids are gathering. I’m recalling Christmas mornings as a child in Colorado, my siblings and I sitting on the staircase waiting for our parents to let us come down and open presents. The excitement I felt back then must be nothing compared with what these kids are feeling, knowing they will soon open presents and eat cake.

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Young girl wearing a dress with a white bodice and a black skirt. She is standing in an open doorway of her home and she is holding a letter from her sponsor.

3 Ways to Write to the Child You Sponsor

Paralyzed by the thought of mailing anything? Tired of technology? There’s a writing method for you. Here are three easy ways to make writing the child you sponsor a breeze!

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Smiling Livingstone standing in an alley in front of his family

How Your Sponsorship Is Key During a Health Crisis

Here are three ways child sponsorship becomes more important than ever during a health crisis such as COVID-19.

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