“What are you going to do?”
It was the time of the Korean War, and a Chicago pastor named Everett Swanson had flown to South Korea to minister to American troops. One morning, he saw city workers scoop up what looked like piles of rags and toss them into the back of a truck. He walked up to the truck for a closer look — and was horrified to see that the “piles” were not rags, but the frozen bodies of orphans who had died overnight in the streets.
Flying home, haunted by what he had seen, Rev. Swanson heard a message in the roar of the plane’s motor, calling him to respond: “What are you going to do? What are you going to do?” Back in the U.S., Rev. Swanson shared what he had witnessed. People responded by donating funds to purchase food and supplies for the children. Thus began the earliest roots of Compassion International’s programs to link willing sponsors with local churches, providing care and support to children in desperate need.
The Power of Local Partnership
It’s been 72 years of hard work since Everett Swanson first ministered to children and we’ve learned that “local” means everything. Compassion works alongside a network of more than 8,600 churches who co-design local strategies, and lead and implement all of Compassion’s child development programs. By both relying upon and strengthening local systems, Compassion empowers children and youth in their own context, while simultaneously bolstering the capacity of those who implement the programs.
A Global Food Crisis
After a pandemic left many desperate for help to feed their children, things only got worse. Economic and political instability, severe drought and other factors have combined to cause the most severe global food crisis since World War II. Between 2020 and 2023, the estimated number of people facing, or at risk of, acute food insecurity grew by over 200 million. This place of desperation is exactly where Compassion’s local church partners meet hungry children and families. These “first responders” are trained to identify malnutrition and hunger and take immediate action to address it.
For families like 4-year-old Ranuki’s in Sri Lanka, the support of a church can combat the potentially life-altering consequences of hunger. Food support often serves not just a child, but an entire family. “My baby had to stop breastfeeding early because I wasn’t properly nourished,” Ranuki’s mother said. “However, whatever I [missed] was covered by the center’s immense care and food supplies that kept us sane.”
Our partners delivered emergency food packs to over 1.1 million individuals in fiscal year 2023 and provided cash transfers when necessary to help families cover basic expenses. Churches also continually empower families with training and resources to build home gardens and small-scale farms.
Health of Infants and Expecting Mothers
Around the world, 2.3 million children die in the first month of life. Many of these deaths are preventable, happening because of poor care at birth or poor treatment in the early days of life. Situations like these are why Compassion SurvivalTM exists. This program focuses on promoting health and development of the most vulnerable babies while also providing education and support for the mother or primary caregiver. In regions like sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia, which hold some of the highest infant mortality rates in the world, this work is crucial.
Effects of Extreme Weather
As we combat global child poverty, we also seek to address the deeply connected issue of how extreme weather affects children. Our experience around the world bears witness to what science is showing us: that when extreme weather events like floods, heatwaves and droughts happen, young people in poverty are disproportionately affected.
For children like 6-year-old Eduar in Honduras, extreme weather can compound the effects of other issues. After Eduar’s parents lost their jobs due to the COVID-19 quarantine, rains came and flooded their area, forcing them to abandon their home. “My husband acted quickly and took Eduar in his arms while we ran to save our lives,” said his mother, Adelina. Thankfully, Compassion’s church partners step in to help children and families rebuild their lives in situations like these — but many children beyond Compassion’s reach aren’t as fortunate.
To help families facing the threat of extreme weather, Compassion’s national offices work with our church partners to emphasize education about the environment, so children can be better equipped to understand and respond to environmental challenges. We also help churches invest in crucial efforts like agroecology — farming that incorporates the land’s natural resources — to support children and their families.
In a world full of problems to address, it can be difficult to answer the question that challenged Everett Swanson seven decades ago: “What are you going to do?” Yet at Compassion, we are united with USGLC in the belief that thoughtful local action can spark transformational change — not just globally, but for the one child in need of a brighter future.
If you have questions or would like to learn more about Compassion, email us at [email protected] or visit www.compassion.com/institutionalpartners.
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