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Highly Vulnerable Children

Highly Vulnerable Children

For the world’s most vulnerable children, life can be a struggle for survival and safety

Give to protect children living in high-risk situations

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Every child in poverty is vulnerable, but some children are at risk of the most deplorable situations in the world.

Why Highly Vulnerable Children is so important

150 million children live on the street

150 million children live on the street

Trafficking victims in Africa

In Africa, 7 in 10 trafficking victims are children

World-wide child labour

168 million child labourers worldwide

Ethiopian orphans

4.5 million orphans in Ethiopia alone

Sources: UNESCO; UNODC; ILO; Huffington Post

Children whose parents have left, died, or are unable to provide for them, children exposed to exploitation and children with special needs are highly vulnerable. They often find themselves on the edge of extremely dangerous situations like child labour, gang violence, trafficking, and life on the street.

Through generous supporters, Compassion’s Highly Vulnerable Children fund offers a lifeline to children in our programs facing unthinkable hardship. The fund goes beyond the normal response of sponsorship to provide the additional safety and care these children require. This could include:

  • Immediate housing arrangements where needed
  • Nutritional supplements and provision of food
  • Essential living supplies such as bedding, clothes and house supplies
  • Trauma counselling and psychological or social support
  • Legal support in the case of human rights violations

Through your support, these precious children are pulled from the brink of unacceptable situations and given the extra care, nurturing and love they need.



See your latest impact through the Highly Vulnerable Children Fund

See how your generosity changed the lives of children this year.
Download our Highly Vulnerable Children Impact Report.

See my impact

Highly Vulnerable Children Stories

Feature Story
16 Apr, 2024

Never Forsaken: Vicky’s Story

From a young age Vicky was abused by her father and her eldest sibling. Her mother later abandoned her, leaving her in the care of her grandmother. Even when those who should have loved her the most abandoned her, God did not... Read more

10 Jun, 2020

What is Albinism? Five Things You Should Know

Born with albinism, Selinah, Grace, and Yona face real challenges. Here are five things they want you to know... Read more

31 Mar, 2020

How to Fulfil the Biblical Call to Care for Orphans

The Bible instructs us to help orphans and take up the cause of the fatherless, but how do we do that? What if we don’t know any orphans or aren’t in a position to adopt? .. Read more

FAQs

  • How much does it cost to give to Mums and Babies?

    You can give to Mums and Babies for $12 per month or another amount of your choosing. You can also give through a one-off financial contribution. These contributions are pooled to support mothers and babies all around the world. As a Mums and Babies supporter, you will receive updates containing highlights, stories and statistics.

    You can also fund an entire Mums and Babies survival project, or launch a survival project in a new community. The cost to support an entire survival project varies by country, between $15,000 and $25,000 per year. Please contact us to discuss these options further.

    You can:

    • Learn more about Mums and Babies
  • Where does Compassion Mums and Babies operate?

    Compassion Mums and Babies works in over 25 developing countries to prevent premature death, secure good health and enable positive development in the youngest, most vulnerable children.

    Mums and Babies always operates through a survival project at the Compassion centre in local communities. It is the first phase of our holistic child development model. From age one, children will transition from Mums and Babies into the Child Sponsorship Program.

    You can

    • Give to Mums and Babies
    • Learn more about the Child Sponsorship Program
  • How much does it cost to support Critical Needs?

    The recommended amount to give to one Critical Need is $12 per month. However, you can give any amount of your choosing through either options of one-off or monthly giving. The giving options are flexible, so you have the freedom to support the areas you are most passionate about through Critical Needs.

    You can:

    • Give to Critical Needs
  • How does Critical Needs work with Child Sponsorship?

    Critical Needs and the Child Sponsorship Program work side-by-side to equip Compassion's local church partners with the resources to provide holistic support and long-term, customised solutions for children, their families and communities. While the Child Sponsorship Program connects one child with one sponsor, Critical Needs giving is not directed to one child, but provides essential support to thousands of Compassion registered children when they need it most. Every child will benefit from Critical Needs during their time in Compassion’s program, as sponsorship funds alone are not sufficient to cover the varied and often urgent needs of the children we support.

    You can choose to support children globally through Critical Needs or fund an entire project in a specific community. These projects are both reactive and proactive and could include water filters to provide safe water to a community, reconstruction of homes after natural disasters, or income generating activities for adolescents and children's caregivers. The right assistance is identified and provided by the local church in partnership with Compassion.

    You can:

    • Give to Critical Needs
    • Sponsor a child
  • What is Compassion's Highly Vulnerable Children fund?

    Compassion's Highly Vulnerable Children fund offers a lifeline to children in Compassion's programs facing unthinkable hardship and living in high-risk situations.

    This includes: children who have been orphaned (or youth-headed households), children whose primary caregiver is incapacitated, children who have suffered abuse or exploitation, and children with special needs.

    Together with the local church, Compassion identifies children in highly vulnerable situations and provide them with specialised care and assistance to ensure they are stabilised and can continue to participate in Compassion's program.

    Examples of help given to these children can include: immediate housing arrangements, trauma counselling, nutritional support and provision of every day needs, legal assistance and renovations to structures and shelters.

    The Highly Vulnerable Children fund goes beyond the response of sponsorship to ensure children are kept safe and continue to be given opportunities to grow and develop without facing immediate risks to their safety and well-being.