Beyond Quake - Group Who Has Worked to Bring Haiti’s Kids out of Poverty Renews Long-Term Commitment

“It was the world that woke up to Haiti’s plight these last few weeks. The Haitians and those of us at Compassion have known it for more than 40 years.” - Wess Stafford, president and CEO of Compassion International

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo., Feb. 15, 2010—Some of the hardest-hit victims of Haiti's earthquake are the children - many of them have lost not only their homes and belongings, but also their families.  As Haitian children face new and often heartbreaking obstacles in the aftermath of the recent earthquake, they will be able to rely on an old friend: Compassion International. 

For more than four decades, Compassion has been working to bring children out of poverty in Haiti.  Today, relationships forged over those 40 years may be the key to delivering desperately needed aid for earthquake survivors.  Working through its network of local churches, Compassion is providing food, clothing and other basic necessities to children and their families. 

"The immediate relief that has been sent to the people of Haiti is truly a God-send," said Compassion International President and CEO Wess Stafford.  "Everyone has a part to play in this massive relief effort.  For our part, Compassion will stay and grow, committed to the children of Haiti as we have been everyday for more than four decades - long before the rumblings of that massive quake.

Compassion works with more than 64,000 children in Haiti through one-to-one sponsorships for the long-term release from the cycle of poverty that plagues more than 80 percent of the population of Haiti.  Recognizing that poverty is more than a lack of money, Compassion's unique holistic combination of physical, economic, educational and spiritual development programs helps Compassion-sponsored children not just to survive but thrive. 

Of the 230 child development centers in the nation, 50 have reported moderate to significant damage.  Compassion staff - both nationals and internationals - have been working since the quake to locate each of the more than 64,000 Compassion-sponsored children in Haiti. 

ABOUT COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL

Compassion International is the world's largest Christian child development organization that works through local churches to permanently release children from poverty.  Founded in 1952, Compassion successfully tackles global poverty one child at a time, serving more than 1 million children - pre-natal through higher education - in 25 of the world's poorest countries.  Recognizing that poverty is more than a lack of money, Compassion works through local churches to holistically address the individual physical, economic, educational and spiritual needs of children - enabling them to thrive, not just survive.  Compassion has been awarded eight consecutive, four-star ratings by Charity Navigator, America's largest charity evaluator.