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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 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
  • If I give to Critical Needs, where will my money go?

    You can choose to donate to one of nine Critical Needs areas: - Water and Sanitation - Health - Infrastructure - Mums and Babies - Disaster Relief - Education and Training - Income Generation - Highly Vulnerable Children - Where Most Needed

    Your donation goes towards addressing that area of need for children in our program globally. For example, should you give to Water and Sanitation, your donation could go towards providing water filters, water tanks or toilets in any of the over 25 countries where Compassion works. Funds are pooled so that children's most urgent needs are met first, as determined by local church partners who know each child and family in Compassion's program. You can also choose to support an entire Critical Needs project. Please contact us if you are interested in discussing this option further. 

    You can:

    • Give to Critical Needs
    • Sponsor a child
  • Can I sponsor a specific mother and child in Compassion Mums and Babies?

    While you can now sponsor a child from age one through Compassion's Child Sponsorship Program, we cannot offer one-to-one sponsorship of mums and babies before a child's first birthday. Compassion Mums and Babies provides urgent survival support for young families in crisis situations. In a child's first year of life, Compassion staff are focused on helping babies survive and families adjust to life with their new arrival. Once the critical first year is over, Compassion staff can turn their attention to child development and establishing the invaluable one-to-one sponsorship relationships that help children grow in confidence and have hope for their future.

    Donations of any amount to Compassion Mums and Babies are graciously received. You will be providing young families with critical support during the vulnerable prenatal months and first year of life.

    Alternatively, Compassion's Child Sponsorship Program is specifically designed for one-to-one sponsorship, offering children and sponsors the opportunity to benefit from a two-way relationship.

    You can:

    • Give to Mums and Babies
    • Sponsor a child
    • Learn more about the Child Sponsorship Program
  • What is Critical Needs?

    The effects of poverty are devastating and affect every area of a child's life. Compassion's Child Sponsorship Program sets the foundation for life-changing opportunities for every registered child. But every child will, at some point, require help beyond sponsorship's reach.

    Critical Needs provides the additional support necessary for Compassion assisted children to be released from poverty in Jesus' name. Through Critical Needs, supporters like you who are passionate about particular issues, such as safe water, or caring for mothers and babies, can help children most in need worldwide, or support specific projects in vulnerable communities. There are nine Critical Needs areas that you can choose to support, each area addressing an essential aspect of a child's health and development.  

    The nine Critical Needs are:

    • Water and Sanitation
    • Mums and Babies
    • Health
    • Education and Training
    • Infrastructure
    • Highly Vulnerable Children
    • Income Generation
    • Disaster Relief
    • Where Most Needed

    Because we believe that poverty is best addressed through the transformation of the individual child, Critical Needs provides support alongside Compassion's Child Sponsorship Program, not as stand-alone community development activities.

  • 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