Kristin, I am deeply sorry to hear of your doubts and disappointment regarding your childs letters :(. I didnt really know what to do so I just ignored it. Good Morning, Rachel, Im happy to address your concerns for you as well as address the concerns you mentioned of Sarahs (sorry if there were a few I missed!). Rest assured that your new photo of your sweet boy is the correct photo. Recently we received a letter informing us he has leukemia and is in the hospital getting weekly treatments. He landed in Istanbul just one week after the earthquakes began. But here are some other resources for you to review if you want more information: Note from the Editor: Financial accountability is so important to us, we want to show you our books. -clean drinking water I have not had any letters from either of my two sponsored children since their Christmas letters (and its now August) and they were writing me pretty frequently. For His glory. I would like to encourage any believer to ask God through prayer whether He would like them to use His money in this way. I am very sorry for the concerns that we have caused regarding the salary of our CEO. See our 2018 Annual Report to see where your money goes. I was told to wait a few more weeks? Their smiles are natural and genuine. At Christmas time I sent a packaged gift in the usual size envelope we are allowed to send. And we will continue being committed to at least 80% of each dollar you send, going towards the programs that directly impact your child. Since 2016, we are your trusted source for Emotional Support Animal and Psychiatric Service Dog letters of recommendation. (They have instituted an internal and external review process.) I will find it very difficult to forgive Compassion UK for that: * My child was hungry and you did not feed him. I know Im really new to sponsoring through this company, but I have to admit, I received packages in the mail specifically telling me that it would only take 4 to 6 weeks to receive a letter from my child7 weeks later Im highly frustrated and send multiple emails. Im wondering if she has possibly actually received the April letter but its just not showing up that way in the account information. . in Junk Removal & Hauling. I have to admit, I don't write nearly as often as I think I should. You may always email me, Susan, and Emily at [emailprotected] any time you have concerns. We are working towards that. Always feel free to email us at [emailprotected] with any concerns or questions you have in the future. Now Ive been a sponsor for 6 1/2 years and dont regret a day of it! Share Advanced. I remember that the most generous sponsors were from Australia and some of us kids get silently jealous to those who were lucky enough to get Australian sponsors. Also, in the past, many of our translators were volunteers. Just maybe I need actual proof. I cannot express how sorry I am to hear of the doubts you have about Compassion and whether our compensation is fair. I have not had a chance to visit Iddi in Tanzania but my heart so desires it. I completely understand how that would seem strange, and I apologize for this mistake. Compassion only has about 7-10% more children than there are sponsors. On account of Compassion UKs handling Ive found myself making extremely tough choices at their expense. I am beginning to really wonder if it is all keeping some people in lovely homes in Colorado and paying for recreational activities. Compassion International The project staff works with the children to help them better understand how to write letters to their sponsor and will provide suggestions for the children about topics they can write about or questions they can ask their sponsor. It truly is. Hi Christie, If you share that you see value in that and encourage them to be able to do so, you may be able to help them feel confident to write on their own. The correspondent role is a very important aspect of our ministry. Again, because taking pictures is costly with everything involved from taking the picture to getting it to you and would take much staff time when they have many duties throughout the day along with carrying on project activities, we cannot do it for every letter that is sent. Lets really think about this: they send emails, right? Uploaded by on the Internet. It will take them some time to iron out the kinks in the system although i keep hoping and praying they revert back to the old way. When children are registered into our program, the parents often times dont know the exact birth date of their child as birthdays are not as important in other cultures as they are here in the US. We feel that in order to develop quality staff at Compassion while at the same time managing our financial resources with great care and wisdom, we must seek to offer competitive salaries for the various positions necessary to successfully execute Compassions mission statement. I have read this email post quite a number of times, and it concerns me a lot. As Mugisha gets older, you will begin to see him write his own letters without the assistance of a tutor/mentor. Hi Rayshell, Id encourage you to highlight a question about those in your next letter! He does have a sibling, but we do not have specific details about his sibling. If you have any questions please email our team at [emailprotected] and we will be happy to help! The monthly donations of $38 is a lot and it does a lot for your child. Hi Joann! . I am also learning so much through Compassion about various cultures. Upon my return home I encouraged the members of my church to also pick up a sponsor child. It definitely sounds like you had a very legitimate concern in your childs letters since they were inconsistent. A year after the tragic deaths of four divers trapped in a Paria pipeline; their families . Hi Dennis! Whileresponses may not be full of quality and value, you are stillbeing a huge blessing inWinfreds life. Here is a link to all of our alumni blogs, and the interview titled What if I dont write to my sponsored child? You began sponsoring during a transition season for us and when changes like this happen in a large organization, it takes some time to fully settle into the new system and make everything run smoothly; so theres some overlap from the old system to be expected. Then one day i started getting drawings and long letters from him. I am unsure if the children are receiving the correspondence that we send. If you have, we will have to wait for it to be processed before we can cancel your sponsorship. He went on and on excitingly about all the miracles God delivers through that center and does for the children. I am hoping that as we are able to clear up the issues with this system and get back on track with processing the letters, you will continue to hear from Gadiel as often as you used to. Two are now out of the program and we have another 2 that chose to leave the program on their own. In that regard, Compassion does well. So, reluctantly, I will have to say goodbye in February 2014 the same month an automatic levy was set up to take more out of my finance to deliver more of the same. I said to myself this cant be true so I decided to call them and find out where the money is really going and how are they helping these children. Compassion gives formal updates on your child every two years and because of that, our children keep their sponsors updated through letters being written back and forth. 300,000 plus as annual salary for ANYONE leading a nonprofit charity is unconscionable in the minds of many who sacrifice to give their 38.00 every month. or is that also at a 90% rate? When I lived in Egypt I was told no one celebrates birthdays. I had one child who never said much of anything. We all are trying. Here are two that cover charity organizations in the USA; Hi Helena! We will be in contact with you as soon as we receive a response within 6-8 weeks. Thank you so much for the grace and patience you have extended to your Compassion family during this trying transition to our new letter system. I asked for someone to call me so that I knew human was handling my issue..He stated that my child was a she when the child is a He. Your gift was such a blessing to his project, and I cannot wait for you to hear just how grateful they are for you! Was the money used for a Christmas gift?? Kay, it sounds like youre really concerned and we appreciate your care for your child and completely understand your desire for transparency and clarification regarding your childs situation! Thank you for expressing your concerns here. Kyle, Again, I am so sorry for the disappointment that reading the 990 Form caused. I was just wondering, I sent books marks to my children in Ethiopia and Nicaragua last year for Christmas but they were taken out and I was told Compassion will not deliver the metal bookmarks and my sending the bookmarks to them will not be included in the translation. You couldnt possibly know all the circumstances the child lives in day to day, even after ten years, but you should at least know if the child was willing, or capable to communicate more I know that was not your intention and I do apologize for the misdirection of your funds. or give you a full refund? If yall are understaffed then you must be doing something wrong bc if its a blessing from God everyone would be satisfied. This child might be in high school whereby in east Africa we say Senior five (S.5) yet in the USA and other Countries it would be High School. I started sponsoring a child with CCF/Childfund first but after a few years I discovered child sponsorship through Compassion. I am doing that, and I will never let you down let me ask you how many times do yoou need a child to say that to you before you actually get the message! But you would not believe the difference it makes when the Child has so little. Compassions2016-2017 990 form shows our CEO, Santiago Jimmy Mellados reportable compensation from theministry as $340,940 which is well below other ministrieswithin this same field. Please dont let translation issues or logistical issues beyond anyones control rob you of the joy of choosing to love and assist a child in the Name of Jesus. I fully believe you will be greatly encouraged. By The Numbers. So please have patience and hang in there and please keep writing your children!! Yes its true. Compassion UK has not worked for me. On Off . Im questioning the validity of all of this now because not even the most renowned artists can draw the exact same thing, with the exact same dimensions, without deviation at all. The teachers, the kids, the families they are real. Working in the contact center, sponsors and donors call me and want to know if we if Compassion is trustworthy or if its a scam. (Though please do this in addition to your other sponsorship not instead of!!) Blessings! I sponsor two children: one in Uganda and the other in Mexico, since they were 4 years old. Be strong, brave and kind! Hello. I suppose the ICP where she attends the Program must have given her livelihood skills for survival if she really is in grade 5. Emily, in your reply to Kay, you made this statement: Compassion gives formal updates on your child every two years and because of that, our children keep their sponsors updated through letters being written back and forth. While I love Compassion and actively, formally, advocated for Compassions children for 11 years, I have not found that statement to be true. The question of trustworthiness goes beyond financial accountability. Please do let us know if you have any further questions or concerns. Currently serve as a senior education and management consultant to a number of organizations and universities on matters relating to Arabic program evaluation and assessment, curriculum design . Sarah, I see that you just began supporting a child with us on March 30th of this year. Please know that we do regularly ask outside, non-biased watchdog organizations, such as Charity Navigators, to research us. We take integrity very seriously here at Compassion and we are happy to answer any questions you have. Not exactly speeding up the process as they predicted. My husband needs a double transplant and medical expenses are crazy! Please know if you ever have any other questions you are always welcome to reach out to us at [emailprotected]. I have a question that you may be able to answer. Im just not real sure! Let us remember He is our provider and our redeemer. If you have any further concerns about the letters, please send them to me personally and I would be happy to investigate further. b.Truth Claims I recently recieved a packet from a friend to spnsor a child. This is actually a letter Ive been waiting on (hopefully its the one) regarding a family $ gift I sent last October. Our statement on stewardship says the following: The ministry of Compassion belongs to the children, our Implementing Church Partners, our sponsors and donors, our Supporting Church Partners and ultimately to God. Internal and independent audits are regularly conducted for our offices in the field and here in Colorado Springs. I was so shocked I didnt believe. I have sponsored a child through Compassion International for over eight years. Half of your gift did go directly to Susis family, and you should be hearing by the end of next month how that gift was used to bless them (just in time for your 1 year anniversary!) For security and privacy reasons, obtaining your childs personal address and communicating with them outside of Compassion is not allowed. Compassions2015-2016 990 form shows our CEO, Santiago Jimmy Mellados reportable compensation from theministry as $330,313 which is actually well below other ministrieswithin this same field. -protection from crime, violence and danger Thank you so much for your faithful partnership in loving and supporting a girl in Haiti! Many children may attend local public schools. Please let us know if you have any additional questions or concerns. If you really help kids you wont get something good paid from the sponsors that love the kids! In regards to one child having multiple sponsors, Compassion is a one to one sponsorship program. Nevertheless, this miniscule calculation impacted Compassions overall 4 Star rating. Please rest assured that he received the first letter that you sent in early April. And are rated higher from ministry watch. Mindy in other parts of the world (i.e. Even more so -if one tried to bust in to shove a video chat or something into their lives! About the website: In at least one instance, parental information remained unchanged three and four years after a parent had died. But theyre children!! In our cluster here in Iloilo City, Philippines, there had been two project closures. That said, we are working hard to work through the backlog of letters and make sure they are delivered very soon. If you have additional questions, please email us at [emailprotected]. If you want to cancel your child sponsorship, you should contact the Compassion International customer service at (800) 336-7676. We have put measures in place to make sure that these goals are being accomplished. I expect an explanation soon or Ill be cancelling. Prepare strong reasons for canceling your membershipthey'll do their . I hope this helps to clarify some of your questions. Or did you try to pass off your responsibility as a sponsor to someone else, which is the impression I got. You will be doing more good than you know. It was clearly written. Im not mad, upset, or even mildly annoyed; Im only explaining the presence of a comment that seems out of sync with anything else. The children are required to write at least two letters a year and reply letters to each letter their sponsor writes for up to six letters a year. Regrettably, metal cannot be sent as it sets off the metal detectors in customs when our packages go through for your children. All Compassion partner projects are audited annually. Karen, I am so sorry to hear that our CEOs salary has deterred you from sponsoring and impacting the life of a child. The question that should be answered is that how much of the $38/month actually make it to the Child Development Center?? Im sure. https://blog.compassion.com/why-do-my-sponsored-childs-letters-seem-so-impersonal/. Regrettably, our processing team is experiencing a significant backlog which has caused a delay in taking care of new sponsorships. I am very interested in sponsoring a child, but dont understand why the CEO is paid so much. Therefore, we protect, develop, and deploy all of our resources (people, time, money, knowledge, reputation and materials) with great care and wisdom. In order to develop quality staff at Compassion while at the same time managing our financial resources with great care and wisdom, we seek to offer competitive salaries for the various positions necessary to successfully execute Compassions mission statement. Her profile states that she is currently in the US equivalent to 9th grade. I dont like the idea of speaking with someone on the phone n them telling me that if I send more than the recommended amount that it will still go to my child at Christmas, but I read on a paper that it will be devided among others. 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