Compassion Basics: What Is Whole Child Development?

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” — John 10:10, NIV

At Compassion, our hope is to see children released from poverty and living in the fullness of life that Jesus promised those who love him. How do we make it happen? Through whole child development — caring for each child’s physical, mental, emotional and spiritual needs.

To help children overcome poverty in all its forms, we must care for their whole well-being, not just pieces and parts.

Here, you’ll learn how we care for the unique needs of the children we serve, from nutrition to education, giving them the right-now and long-term tools they need to journey out of poverty.

What’s Here:

• What Does “Whole Child Development” Mean?
• How Compassion Cares for the Whole Child
• From Shattered by Poverty to Whole: 3 True Stories

What Does “Whole Child Development” Mean?

We want to see each child we serve become a thriving follower of Jesus who’s positively influencing their world. This means watching them go from just surviving in poverty to thriving in freedom.

But for children to achieve this, they need healthy bodies free from sickness and hunger. They need strong minds full of knowledge and life skills. And they need confident voices to advocate for themselves and for others.

They need whole child development, which means caring for all the parts of a child, including their physical, emotional, mental and spiritual health. 

Whole child development requires us to provide consistent and specific care that meets both a child’s right-now and long-term needs.

• Right-now needs: These are immediate needs that might include things like nutrition, clean water, medical care and shelter.
• Long-term needs: These are needs that include things children need to achieve self-sufficient futures, such as education, protection, encouragement and spiritual development.

Care for Every Way Poverty Impacts a Child

See, poverty doesn’t impact just one part of a child. Poverty’s impact is far-reaching, touching every aspect of a child’s life. For example:

• A child whose stomach is gnawing with hunger can’t effectively learn in school, leaving them without the skills necessary to succeed later in life.
• A child who’s suffering from malnutrition can’t develop as God intended, resulting in increased disease, cognitive delays and even death.
• A child whose family must work away from home just to try and provide a meal is left alone and vulnerable to exploitation and abuse.
• A child whose body is overcome with preventable illness because they lack medical care is left isolated at home, away from school and friends.
• Children in all these situations suffer hopelessness and mental anguish, and they feel unable to see beyond poverty.

But by caring for the whole child, we create a ripple effect in each area of a child’s life:

• By offering nutrition and medical care, we help children’s bodies and minds grow as intended.
• Through education, we empower them to gain the skills needed to support themselves and their families in the future.
• By protecting and encouraging them, we help them see themselves as valuable.
• And by sharing the hope of the gospel, we help them look beyond poverty and into a brighter future.

As a result, children can grow into thriving adults with the health, strength and confidence they need to break the chains of poverty within their families and communities.

How Compassion Cares for the Whole Child

Compassion partners with local churches in impoverished communities throughout 29 countries to reach children in need. We care for children living in poverty through child sponsorship and our Survival program, which provides specific support to moms and their babies.

Each child in our program receives care tailored to their unique circumstances and environment. While care looks different for each child, Compassion understands that all children need a healthy body, mind and spirit.

That’s why every child in our program receives:

• The hope of the gospel: John 16:33 (NIV) says, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” While poverty brings many challenges, there’s eternal hope found in Jesus. We share the hope of the gospel with every child we serve, which can change their lives forever (more on this incredible outcome below).
• Medical care: Each child gets a yearly medical checkup and access to routine immunizations to fight against disease. We also provide emergency medical care, required medications and other needs to ensure any child facing health issues can heal.
• Protection: Our child development centers are safe places for children to learn, play and grow. We train our staff and volunteers to protect children from abuse, ensuring they know how to act quickly when they spot signs of mistreatment. We also teach each child how to advocate for and protect themselves.
• Education: Through education, children receive the knowledge and training they need to achieve their dreams and generate steady incomes as adults, a critical need for journeying out of poverty.
• Nutrition support: Our local church partners monitor children for signs of malnutrition that threaten their health. When malnutrition is detected, we step in and provide nutritional support in the form of therapeutic feeding and other interventions.
• Disaster response: During crises, Compassion’s church partners are often the first to respond. Every child has access to emergency aid, such as clean water, shelter, clothing and trauma counseling.
• Community: We ensure children feel known, loved and protected by surrounding them with a loving community, including the local church, their peers and caring sponsors.
• A voice: Compassion encourages every child to participate in their own development. We encourage children to build integrity, resilience and empathy for others. By finding their voice and confidence, they’re inspired to keep learning, dreaming and growing into thriving adults.

Sharing the Hope of the Gospel With Every Child

“We like that Compassion is gospel-centered and Christ-centered … without the gospel, you aren’t really giving the kids hope. You’re giving some humanitarian aid. But what hope is that without Christ?” — Kristy, Compassion supporter

Medical care, nutrition support, disaster relief — all these types of care are critical for the well-being of children in poverty. But they’re temporary. Eternal hope is only found in Jesus, and that’s why we share him with every child we serve.

Each child who attends the Compassion program is given the opportunity to hear and respond to the gospel of Jesus in a way that’s culturally appropriate, without pressure or manipulation. They hear the good news about Jesus as they experience his love through physical, mental and emotional support.

As they’re cared for mind, body and soul, children begin to see themselves as Jesus sees them: deeply loved and valued. When children see themselves as Jesus sees them, when they fully grasp their identity in him, they flourish and develop in all areas of life.

From Shattered by Poverty to Whole: 3 Compassion Kids’ Stories

Poverty shatters lives. It steals health, rips families apart and prevents children from growing into who God intended them to be. But Jesus is known for restoring the broken.

By following in his footsteps and caring for the needs of the vulnerable, we help them experience wholeness and freedom from the chains of poverty. How do we know? We’ve seen children, faces shining with freedom, break free from poverty time and time again.

Ricardo: From Sick to Healthy in Jesus’ Name

Ricardo in Bolivia suffered an intestinal infection that left him bedridden in the ICU for weeks. With each passing day, Ricardo’s body worsened, and his spirit weakened. Scared he may not live, he felt hopeless.

One day, his Compassion center directors, Pastor Raúl and Sister Graciela, came into his hospital room to pray over him. Each time they visited, they encouraged Ricardo to trust in the Lord. Their presence and care gave him the strength to keep fighting, and he began to trust God with his life.

As he did, his body began to fight back against the infection, and his spirit began to triumph over the loneliness and depression he faced. After several weeks, Ricardo was able to return home.

Once home, another battle had to be won. Poverty made getting the medication Ricardo needed for recovery almost impossible for his parents. But the local church stepped in, financially providing for the medication Ricardo needed to continue healing.

Now, Ricardo is healthy. He’s thriving physically and spiritually, knowing without a doubt that Jesus was by his side during the worst moments of his life. He’s working on learning how to play drums in his church band and dreaming of helping his community the same way his church family helped him.

Frizky: From Heartbroken to Strong in Jesus’ Name

In Indonesia, Frizky was abandoned by his parents at a young age, leaving him heartbroken. Although Frizky’s grandparents took him in, they struggled to afford nutritious food or an education for him.

At the age of 12, Frizky hit rock bottom. He closed himself off and kept to himself. The unforgiveness he felt for his parents and the hopelessness of poverty had filled him with sadness and fear.

But when he was registered at the Compassion center, Frizky began to heal. He received encouragement in his faith, support for his nutritional needs and an education. Met with the love of Jesus, Frizky learned the importance of forgiveness. And with the help of his Compassion mentors, he forgave his parents for abandoning him, freeing him from the sadness and insecurity he’d carried for so long.

Frizky continued to grow in confidence and attended university to study agriculture. For his final thesis, he proposed a greenhouse with hydroponic cultivation. Once his project was approved, he built the greenhouse at his local Compassion center and now grows vegetables, which are harvested and sold to the local community.

With a strong mind and the love of Jesus in his heart, Frizky has become a blessing for others. Through his greenhouse, other children are learning to garden and are discovering business skills that will help them become self-sufficient adults in the future. And families in the community can access nutritious food for their tables.

Although Frizky had incomplete family roots, through the love of the local church and his sponsor, he grew into a strong man full of hope. And now he’s working to plant seeds of hope for others.

Alice: From Silenced to Confident in Jesus’ Name

Alice in Kenya has seen and experienced the injustices of poverty. Growing up, she had no real home, just sticks, rope and a tarp. Alice watched her older sisters marry as teens and her younger brother die after exposure to the wet night air. And instead of helping, Alice’s relatives called her family “cursed” and kept their distance.

Brokenness was all Alice knew until the local church stepped in. Through the Compassion center and her loving sponsors, her family received a safe home, nutritious food and even new mattresses. And Alice? She received an education.

With a healthy body and strong mind, Alice began growing in confidence. She began dreaming about what she could do to stop the injustices of poverty. And with the support of the local church and a loving sponsor behind her, she’s pursuing a career instead of underage marriage and will one day leave poverty behind.

“People don’t value girls … all is about marriage. But I want to shut their mouth because when I become a physiologist, I’ll be surprising them. Before Compassion, I did not know my rights. But at Compassion, I have been taught about the rights of girls … I’ll work hard and help the needy children like what [my sponsors] did to me.” — Alice

Once silenced by poverty, Alice discovered her voice through the support of the local church. And now, she dreams of helping other girls find their voices too.

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These are only three examples of the incredible impact we’ve witnessed in the lives of children. Compassion currently serves 2.3 million children (and counting).

Ricardo, Frizky and Alice are proof that when children are cared for — body, mind and soul — they become thriving changemakers working to lift others out of poverty. Through just one child, we can release many from poverty in Jesus’ name.