Compassion Australia

Income Generation

Income Generation

Empower young people and their families to be economically self-supporting

Three billion people live on less than US$2.50 per day (World Bank).

WHY INCOME GENERATION IS SO IMPORTANT

Adults reading/writing skills

757 million adults still lack basic reading and writing skills. Two-thirds (63 percent) are women.

75 per cent of the world's poorest

75 per cent of the world's poorest people — 1.4 billion women, children, and men—live in rural areas and depend on agriculture and related activities for their livelihood

Women + Education = Reduced child mortality rate

A study found that, for every one additional year of education for women of reproductive age, child mortality decreased by 9.5 per cent

Bank account ownership

Across developing countries, there is a nine percentage point gap between women and men in having an account at a formal financial institution

Sources: UIS; UN; World Bank

The opportunity to learn a skill or understand how to run a business is an important key to breaking the cycle of poverty. However income generating activities are not just about providing finance for a family. They are about empowerment—teaching a young adult that they can use their God-given skills to plan for their future. It is coming alongside a family and teaching them to break the cycle of poverty for the following generations.

Through generous supporters, Compassion intervenes on several fronts:

Providing business and finance training opportunities for caregivers and young people
Identifying caregivers who would most benefit from income-generation help
Facilitating income generating workshops such as credit management, basic business and accounting
Linking caregivers with other micro-enterprise credit institutions

You can support young people and their caregivers to be empowered through income generation training and equipped with important skills for life.

For every $1 donated

80% goes to program, 20% to administration

80%

Program development and delivery

80% goes to program, 20% to administration

20%

Administration and fundraising costs

See exactly where your money goes

Income Generation Stories

Feature Story

5 Important Results of the Plastic Bag Ban in Kenya

In the slums of many African countries, children’s daily life involves dodging mountains of discarded plastic bags. Now that Rwanda and Kenya are fighting back against the bag, what does this mean for families living in poverty?.. Read more

FAQs

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
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 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
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 are the current ways of supporting Mums and Babies?
You can support Mums and Babies in a number of ways, either with a once-only donation or ongoing support.

Here are some of the ways you can choose to give:
- A once-off donation of your choice to Mums and Babies will support young families worldwide and provide emergency care for vulnerable children.
- $12 per month, contributed to Compassion's Critical Needs alongside child sponsorship, supports Mums and Babies globally and provides emergency care for vulnerable children.
- A $20 once-off donation for a Care for a New Mum Gift of Compassion™, which will be used where support is most needed.
- A $40 once-off donation for a baby essentials kit through GIFTSOFCOMPASSION™ gives a mum all the necessary supplies to care for her newborn, such as blankets and soaps.
- A $260 once-off donation for a Start of Life Bundle. This GIFTSOFCOMPASSION™ provides an expectant mum living in poverty with crucial ante and postnatal care.
- $15,000 once-off donation through Gifts of Compassion™ will nurture a Mums and Babies survival project in a specific community and provide life-saving support to vulnerable mothers and their babies.