(Photo courtesy of Compassion International)

This is why Compassion International’s Child Survival Program (CSP) exists—to give children a chance to live and grow up healthy and to help their mothers provide a safe home for them.

These programs are run with the help of local churches around the globe. CSP provides home-based care, group-based learning, advocacy for moms, and a place for mothers and children to learn, grow, and stay healthy.

One of the locations where Compassion is running a CSP is in Nicaragua.

Setting the scene

According to Compassion International, 75% of the Nicaraguan people live on less than two dollars a day. They also have a very high maternal death rate. A third of these deaths are teenage girls. In fact, in rural areas, the marriage of minors and children is not that unusual. A third of the children here are chronically malnourished, and they are three times more likely to die before the age of five than children in the US. And sadly, many children have to work at a young age to help make ends meet.

To get a look at how the CSP program is addressing these needs, we spoke with Fátima Romero, a project director, and Ena Liz Torrez, a CSP specialist. They described the unique challenges they face in their community.

“The challenges we face is the poverty they live in. And we also face different kinds of cultures,” Romero says, explaining that some harmful cultural beliefs are passed from generation to generation, even from grandparents to their grandchildren.

“For example, they think that it’s best for the children to [have a] bottle of milk instead of breastfeeding. We can see also, they don’t know about good nutrition during the pregnancy because they think that just eating something is going to help, and they don’t know what is [best] for them.”

Cindy, see her story below. (Capture courtesy of Compassion International).

In this area, there are many large families with few resources. Children are susceptible to disease and illness because they do not know about basic hygiene like washing hands. They walk around barefoot.

Another challenge is the work available for mothers. It’s typical to see young mothers try to eke out a living by washing and ironing. There are few opportunities for more profitable work because they have not had very much education if any.

Torrez says another major issue is malnutrition.

“Most of them, maybe 50% of the mothers, are younger than 16 years old. And they don’t know how to take care of a baby. And so, the mothers are [malnourished] and also their children are like that.”

Addressing the need

The goal of this program is to help children survive. But it is also very clearly helping children, and their families, thrive.

Romero says, “We work with pregnant women who are young, [and] babies, needy people and those in low society.

“We work with these kind of people in order to make [help with their development] and to show God’s love to the children and help to take the women and children [through] the counseling the church provides for them.”

As a church, they offer individualized and personal care to the participants of the program. This means they visit families, provide resources such as marriage counseling, and hold special services in their homes. They also provide children with classes that help them develop and grow. The mothers and their children will also receive food assistance.

“So this way, they will know a God who offers help and solution to their problems,” she says.

The program offers classes that touch upon breastfeeding, nutrition for pregnant women, nutrition for children in their first year of life, family planning, and more, depending on what information is needed in a particular situation.

Workers keep tabs on the health of children and pregnant mothers. They make sure they’re getting adequate care, including important vaccinations for the children.

In many ways, the program is also addressing the great educational and vocational needs, as well. They help the mothers get basic education, scholarships for further schooling, job training, or come up with strategies to generate income. Eventually, it becomes more about a sustainable future than just avoiding a crisis.

But along with the physical and educational help, Compassion is also introducing these women and children to their greatest spiritual help, Jesus.

Romero explains, “Considering the challenges they are facing, we bring the Gospel to them by teaching them that there is a solution for their problems, and that is through Jesus—that we can rest in Him by giving our sadness or our problems to Jesus.”

In Jesus, she says, the children and the mothers can grow.

The message of the Gospel is integrated into the lessons the mothers receive at home. Implementers of the program who do home visits carry a Bible with them and hold a small worship time. They dedicate time for prayer with the mother who is, of course, invited to church services.

Those who give their lives to Jesus can participate in a child dedication ceremony at the church, and be baptized.

Stories of transformation

Once a month, a meeting is held with all the women and the children participating in the program.

“In this meeting, all the women interact—sharing experience between them,” Torrez says.

But what are some of these experiences? Torrez and Romero each share an example that has impacted their lives.

Romero shares the story of a woman who today, is doing quite well. She has two children and is married. While typically the mothers in the CSP are single, there are many situations that make married women eligible for the program.

For this particular woman, Romero says, her husband sickness “affected the home because he couldn’t work because of his illness. [He] has spinal problems”.

Despite his serious condition, his wife trusted that God would do something about their situation. Their three-year-old girl, who is a beneficiary of the program, believed it, too.

“One day during the service, this little girl stood up and said ‘I need you to pray for my father because he was in the hospital, very sick.’

“This is the faith that this little girl had learned about in the program,” Romero says.

After this request, her father’s health was no longer as serious as the doctors had said. His improved health led him to begin attending the church. Today, he is hoping that God will heal him completely.

The story Torrez shared is not so much about improved health as it is about a changed heart.

(Photo courtesy of Compassion International)

One day, she and a program implementer were visiting a family who had a young baby. Torrez says they knew the husband was jealous and violent towards his wife. He didn’t let her work. Nor did he allow his wife to take their child to the project center.

Torrez says, “one day when his child was less than one month old, the baby got very sick. And that day the implementer had a visit, and the mother notified [them] that her baby had a high fever.”

At first, the baby’s father would not allow Torrez or the program implementer in the house. But they could see how sick the baby was, and so they kept asking.

“We told him that his baby needed to go to the hospital—needed medical attention. And because we [insisted] he allowed us to come into the house.”

However, he did not allow his wife to speak about what was happening with the child. But they learned that he prevented her from breastfeeding, and so the child was not very healthy. They were able to counsel the father until he calmed down and let them help.
Torrez and the implementer prayed for the baby and the parents. They explained the benefits of breastfeeding. After a while, the mother was able to feed her child. The baby also received medical attention. The mother was also able to get an appointment with a psychologist.

After that meeting, things changed for the small family. The father has allowed his wife to have a job. He’s now accepted the program as part of their life, and he even visits church!

Praying for the vulnerable

Because this program operates at a local level, the individual care women and children receive is phenomenal. But that doesn’t mean prayer isn’t still a big need.

Romero and Torrez ask you to pray for the women and children of the program. Pray, first of all, that they would accept Jesus as their savior, and secondly that they would live a healthy life. Ask God to provide more education and job opportunities to young women in Nicaragua, to protect children from the abuse that can go hand-in-hand with poverty, and to grow the economy of this nation. Pray for the church to be strengthened, and for more workers for to help with the CSP. Pray for the implementers of the program who also face their own, personal challenges. Pray for their protection and stamina.

The church in this area is growing, and there many more people who need help. Right now, this CSP unit is hoping to find a bigger place to help with more children. Please pray that God would provide this building.

If you’d like to help with Compassion’s Child Survival Program, click here.

https://www.facebook.com/compassionintl/videos/10155359671851655/

Mothers helping mothers

(Image courtesy of Food for the Hungry)

“We have what are called ‘care groups’ or ‘cascade groups,'” he explains. “You work with the lead mothers in communities, and then these mothers go out and form groups of anywhere from five to ten other mothers.” The program equips the mentors with resources to teach about nutrition, disease prevention, and well-baby care.

“It significantly raises the child survival rate,” shares Edmonds. “We had, in some situations, a decline of more than 30 percent in child mortality. When you look over a five to, in some cases, a ten-year time period, we’re literally seeing 5,000 to 6,000 children’s lives saved who otherwise might be lost.”

Eradicating all forms of human poverty

(Image courtesy of Food for the Hungry)

Food for the Hungry focuses on eradicating all forms of human poverty, and in the care groups, the training addresses both the physical and spiritual needs of the mothers and their children.

Edmonds explains, “We deal with the social beliefs and behaviors of the people, and so as a Christian organization, one of the pieces we will train them in is the fact that all of the children are gifts of God. Teaching another that she is the one who Jesus has appointed to love that child — and that dramatically changed the way she thought about that child. That child was no longer simply just an object, but that child was a gift given by God to her and she was appointed as the caregiver, as the one on behalf of Jesus to be the heart and the hands to show love to that little child.

“On another front, we’ll teach them how to weigh and measure a child, we’ll teach them about diet, we’ll teach them about the benefits of breast feeding and not to give solid food too early, about re-hydration when a child gets a disease and might face diarrhea.”

Setting up a care group can cost as little as $3 to $4 per person, and the benefits go beyond the health and wellness of the child. When the mothers come together in community and learn skills that will help them better parent their child, Edmonds says a sense of nobility arises.

“We’re seeing 60 to 70 percent lowering of any form of domestic violence where women come together in these care groups and learn better principles, truths, [and] processes for caring for their children.”

Sharing what works well

(Image courtesy of Food for the Hungry)

The Center for High Impact Philanthropy, based at the University of Pennsylvania, doesn’t merely look at anecdotal stories when evaluating programs for their effectiveness. According to Edmonds, every metric is studied to determine true impact. Food for the Hungry passed muster, and now other organizations are asking for guidance in developing similar mentorship programs. The ministry is more than happy to share its wisdom.

“We want to influence others, and by influencing others we want to share what works well,” says Edmonds. “We want to end all forms of human poverty, and we know therefore that for us to be able to end human poverty, it’s not going to come about strictly or solely by Food for the Hungry growing and expanding our own capacity and our own reach. It’s going to take an army of people — [more] than what Food for the Hungry can actually mobilize. And so consequently, we want to be at a posture of open-handedness. We want to have a mindset of saying, ‘Let’s share, let’s reveal, let’s open up and let others know what is working, what’s effective with us. And at the same time, let us have a posture where we can be humble and learners from others as well.”

Edmonds says supporting Food for the Hungry’s efforts with time, talents, and resources is always a blessing to those they serve in more than 20 countries.

He says, “We would pray that there would just be favor, that we would have what we need – enough to continue to carry on. In the world, there’s a lot of volatility right now. In these kind of places, I just pray that there would be peace, that there would be a place of freedom, that our staff would be kept safe and we would be able to move forward to save lives, to benefit lives of those who are the poorest, the most vulnerable around the globe.”

If you’d like to know more about Food for the Hungry’s Child Survival Program, visit their website. And consider giving to the ministry so more care groups can be formed.

See the full Center for High Impact Philanthropy 2016 High Impact Giving Guide.

Medical workers are also worried about tetanus, as well as
dengue and malaria–both mosquito-borne diseases.

Compassion International is trying to raise funds to meet these needs
during their "Help Haiti with Compassion" campaign.   

Compassion will use the funds
raised to re-equip Compassion's local support infrastructure and provide
food, water, shelter, medical and counseling services to victims of the Haiti
earthquake. They will also donate up to
25% of the funds raised to partner with other ministries to meet needs that are
beyond the scope of their program.

Lives are going to be forever changed by this disaster. MNN's Greg Yoder joined the Compassion team in Port-au-Prince. He explains that there is
tragedy, and there is hope. "Families were devastated by the 7.0
earthquake that struck Haiti January 12. One example is the story of twin
girls, Dashna and Dashne. They'll be two
years old soon. These girls were enrolled in Compassion International's Child
Survival Program.  These little girls
were getting the care they needed."

CSP specialist Terry Laura says CSP intervenes in the life
of a mom. "When she's pregnant, up
until the child is four years old, we intervene in providing medication, skilled
attendant at birth, and mom gets antenatal care. We want to make sure that
nutrition standards are sufficient for that child's development." 

However, Yoder says this set of twins will be raised by two
aunts–one 15, the other 21–because the twins' mother was killed in the
quake. Right now, they're living in a
tent in front of their collapsed home.

Laura said Compassion will help with food, water,
clothing–everything needed to help. "Compassion
doesn't do it on its own; but through the local church, they'll distribute food
and material aids that are necessary."

Yoder asked if sharing the Gospel plays a role. Without
hesitation, she responded that it is "key–it's what the church does
best."

Your gift of $200
will help people get back on their feet with food, water, medicine and even
temporary shelter–a desperate need in Haiti. Click here to help.

Because Mercedes' father had abandoned her when she was very young, Maria, Mercedes' mother, was the family's only provider. However, when Maria grew sick, Mercedes quit school to go door-to-door looking for jobs as a laundress.

One day on her way home, at only 13 years of age, Mercedes was brutally attacked, raped and left bleeding and drugged in a strange place.

"My waist hurt. I was bleeding," Mercedes said. "I got up, and everything was spinning. I could not walk; I had chills and was shivering."

Three months later, Maria became more and more concerned about Mercedes' health. When she took Mercedes into a medical clinic, they learned she was pregnant, and shock rocked their world.

Their financial situation was dire, and Maria did not know how they would make it with a baby on the way. Meanwhile, Mercedes also struggled emotionally.

With the future looking hopeless, someone told her about Compassion International's Child Survival Program (CSP).

CSP accepted her, and life slowly began to turn around.

"Without the Child Survival Program, I would have wondered what to do with my child," Mercedes told Compassion. "I believe they allowed me to become part of it because I was 13 years old and did not know what to do with the baby: whether to get an abortion or to give him away. The project opened doors for me."

As she began the program, Mercedes received therapy for her emotional trauma, training for how to care for her newborn boy, David, and an even greater hope for her future.

While attending a CSP-sponsored retreat, Mercedes publicly committed her life to Christ.

"The CSP is an instrument," said Sandra Vizueta, a CSP promoter. "God provides people to assist those in need … and uses them to fulfill His purpose."

Compassion went on to say, "Lives are saved and transformed through the work of the Child Survival Program. Not only was baby David's life spared, but Mercedes and her mother Maria have accepted Jesus as their Savior.

CSP has projects worldwide, working to provide care for primary caregivers and their children who could otherwise die or suffer because of preventable causes.

The program begam when Compassion realized that nearly 26,000 children under the age of five die of mostly preventable diseases every day. The ministry provides training on prenatal health, childbirth and newborn care for expecting mothers, as well as one-on-one training for mother's to apply the skills they have learned, literacy classes, Bible studies and medical care.

Consider helping Compassion in this endeavor. To do so, visit compassion.com and select a project for just $20 a month.

Or if you want to learn more about the Child Survival Program, click here.

The unemployment rate is roughly 70 percent, and salaries are
a mere pittance, ranging from 50 cents to a dollar a day. In Kakdwip, that translates to an infant
mortality rate of 51 deaths per 1,000 births.

With such a high infant mortality rate, the first priority
in promoting effective child development is to ensure that children survive the
early years when they are most vulnerable to disease and malnutrition.

Team members believe it is having an impact in the area, as
they help prevent disease (polio, tuberculosis, measles and diphtheria
immunizations) and malnutrition in the village. They're also teaching about
nutrition, and hygiene, and providing necessities.

Expectant mothers with infants and toddlers through age 3
get special care and guidance, as well as food, supplements, hygiene products
and clothes.  

Held in partnership with the indigenous churches, they're
working toward helping the body of Christ grow.