Having problems

[ninabettina]

I sponsor through compassion, and am having a small problem. Xorse, the girl I sponsor in Ghana, writes me often. Well, she draws me pictures often. I'll respond back asking what the picture is of, how she's doing, what she's been up to, what kind of games she plays, all that stuff. The response? A quote from the Bible asking me for prayers. I'm

Comments

[sarainc]

I'm getting the same sort of thing... kinda makes you wonder how your money is being SPENT huh?

I've decided to commit to one full year of sponsorship, and if it doesn't improve I'll pull the plug then... I'm not necessarily looking for deeply personal letter writing, but some information from the organization about how the money is being used would be appreciated.

[ninabettina]

Are you through compassion as well? I never know whether or not to trust these companies, my friend sponsored through Compassion before and said it was trustworthy, but I guess I should have done way more research.

[sarainc]

no I'm thru plan usa.

[prayithelps]

I've researched Compassion Intl, World Vision, AND Children International. I did several speeches on the reliability/credibility of child sponsorship organizations for college courses. I would recommend requesting copies of fiscal reports (CI, at least, supplies them readily, when asked) to see how money is spent, and also looking at credible media sources (newspapers, magazines, etc) that list "top charities." I've been sponsoring thru Compassion for six years now; my husband and I have three children through them, and we're very happy with our experience.

I will say, about the letters however, that they *did* inform us of the process. Younger children use form letters to "fill in blanks" and even then, if they can't write, they simply dictate their "answers." Older children use more lenient form letters or write their own letters of specific topics, but there's too are translated, which may explain why the handwriting doesn't look like that of a child.

Compassion's Financial Integrity

[g9ine]

Here is some information about Compassion's financial stewardship.

You can download their annual reports at http://www.compassion.com/about/financial/default.htm.

That page also tells you that they've received Charity Navigator's hightest rating (4 stars) and have been named one of Ministry Watch's Top 30 Christian Charities.

Compassion commits to having more than 80% of contributions to go to their programs. The past two years, it's been more like 83%.