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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
  • Why does the cost to support an entire Mums and Babies survival project vary between countries?

    The care that families receive from Mums and Babies is specific to them, and differs between countries based on children’s needs and the availability and accessibility of government or other support services. This means the cost to support an entire Mums and Babies survival project also varies between countries ($15,000 - $25,000 per year), and has been determined by the price of local services, families' specific needs and currency conversions.

    For example, in Thailand, free universal healthcare is available to families—but not always accessible, especially in remote areas. Instead of replacing existing services, your support empowers Compassion staff to assess and meet each family’s individual and most urgent needs. For children in Thailand, this includes providing educational and health support to increase rates of breastfeeding, helping to prevent undernutrition and stunting for newborns.

    You can support 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.

    If you are interested in supporting an entire Mums and Babies survival project, please contact us.

    You can:

    • Give to Mums and Babies
    • Contact us for more information
  • 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.

  • 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