About Us

FAQs

• I’m comfortable to share my personal details with my sponsored child. Why can I not have that option?

  Please understand that everyone’s comfort level with data sharing is different. You might be completely comfortable with sharing your full name and lots more information about yourself with others. However, not everyone is, and data privacy is an issue of increasing importance in many places in the world. Compassion is a global organisation and we need to take a global view of these concerns.

  Also, sponsored children knowing their sponsors’ full names can have implications for the children’s protection. It’s a risk that your full name could fall into the wrong hands and a third party could contact you, claiming to speak for your sponsored child, and ask for money or other support directly. Removing your surname helps to mitigate this risk.

  And a single standard of information sharing provides the best protection for children and supporters alike, across the world.

• Why can I only see my sponsored child’s first name now?

  As part of our ongoing commitment to child protection, your privacy and the security of your data, we have implemented new measures to only display or share a child’s preferred name, and not their full name.

  Deciding not to display the children’s surnames on any Compassion material raises the bar on child protection. It means the children are much less likely to be found online or otherwise identified by people who would seek to harm or exploit them.

  Also, to better protect your privacy and your information, we will only share your first name (not both your first and last names) with your sponsored child from now on.

  Compassion has an obligation to ensure child protection, provide proof of duty of care and due diligence to create a safe environment for every child—and for every sponsor like you.

• We sponsor a child as a family. What name should we use to meet the increased privacy measures?

  Increased privacy and child protection measures mean you won't be able to sign off your letters using your surname.

  Instead of signing off your letters as, for example, "The Smith Family", please use your first names instead. While your letter template may have just the main contact’s first name, you’re welcome to sign-off your letters with the first names of all family members.

• My sponsored child only knows me by my last name. Do I now have to only use my first name when writing to them?

  We understand that some long-time sponsors have always written to their sponsored child using only their surname, such as ‘Mr. & Mrs. Brown’. Due to the new changes to privacy and protection, we will now share only your first name with your sponsored child and ask you to do the same. As data privacy is an issue of increasing importance in many places in the world, Compassion needs to respond in a global and uniform way.

  Research has shown that using first names only reduces the ability for sponsors and sponsored children to make contact outside of the secure Compassion environment by 95%. This helps us to continue to protect the privacy of both the children in our program and you as a supporter.

  We apologise if this means you will need to change the way you sign-off your letters. We understand that it may mean your sponsored child has access to your full name for a time, but by making these changes now we can ensure the best outcomes in the future. We’re grateful for your ongoing support as we make this change to better protect all sponsors and sponsored children.

  If you are ever contacted by your sponsored child outside of normal Compassion channels, please call us on 1300 22 44 53 so we can take appropriate action. Read more

• How do I know that my sponsored child is a real person?

  Every child registered with Compassion’s program is a child in need, known to the local workers at the child development centre and a part of the community. Local staff work hard to develop a strong relationship with every child and their family. They keep detailed records for all children registered, including information such as their academic performance and development, health progress, goals, interests and more. Staff from the national Compassion office visit child development centres regularly, review records and audit the centre’s accounts to ensure accountability.

  We encourage you to continue to build your friendship with your sponsored child. Write to them as much as you can, encourage them to write to you, ask how you can pray for them and ask them to pray for you. As your friendship grows, you’ll know they’re a real person who is benefitting greatly from your support.

  From 2021, new child protection and privacy measures mean that you will only see your sponsored child's preferred name on all the letters you receive. Be assured that your sponsored child is still the same child—it’s just that we won’t use to their surname anymore to better protect their privacy. We ask that you only use your first name in all your communications with them, so your own privacy is better protected as well.