Monsoon season is more complicated this year because people are fighting water-borne diseases and COVID-19. See our complete coronavirus coverage here.

In Bangladesh, pandemic restrictions were a blessing in disguise.

(Photo courtesy of Compassion International)

“Before the floods started, Compassion was already providing food packages due to COVID-19 pandemic [lockdowns],” Compassion International’s Prince Saha says.

As a result, “the families are safe. They are surviving, and there has been no severe effect of the floods on them since they have food at their home.”

Flooding compounds COVID misery

Compassion International works alongside local partners in Bangladesh to care for kids in poverty. When COVID-19 cases began appearing this spring, believers worked quickly to protect vulnerable families while still meeting their daily needs. More about Compassion’s COVID-19 response here.

“During this COVID-19 situation, people have been jobless, and they need support,” Saha notes.

Seasonal monsoon flooding adds another layer of misery and challenge. Only two of 174 Compassion projects have been affected so far, but that could quickly change as flooding spreads.

“We are monitoring the flood, and if it gets worse, then we may need additional support,” Saha says.

“There can be food crises, outbreaks of water-borne diseases; and, children are [especially] at risk when there is water all around.”

Click here to send help through Compassion International’s Disaster Response Fund. Most importantly, pray. “Please pray to the Lord for His hand of safety and guidance upon all flood victims. Especially for the children, since they are the most vulnerable,” Saha requests.

“Pray for the first responders and volunteers who are working [to help] the flood victims.”

Header image depicts Moyna, a 19-year-old Bangladeshi student who wants to become a doctor. Photo courtesy of Compassion International.

Brazil has become an epicenter of COVID-19, even as the country proceeds with its reopening. President Jair Bolsonaro, who has been vocally dismissive of the virus, has tested positive.

But poverty in Brazil is making the crisis even worse. Vanessa Viotti of Compassion International says, “When this kind of situation happens in poor communities and poor cities, it [gets worse] dramatically because they don’t have any research or support to face this.”

Most people in Brazil work every day to earn food money for that day. Lockdowns severely disrupt this system, making the cycle of poverty even worse.

This is where the Church steps in. Viotti says, “During this season, their families don’t have basic food. So the sponsorship in this season is even more key because, with the sponsorship support, the Church is able to provide food for these kids and their families.”

What Compassion International is doing

Domestic abuse cases have skyrocketed around the world as lockdowns have been installed. Compassion International has a hotline that kids can call if they need help.

In addition, the ministry usually hosts a parade to bring awareness to sexual abuse. That can’t happen this year, but it has been replaced with an online competition in which children participate through music, theater, or art. Compassion International has also used this campaign to bring awareness to their hotline.

So far, Compassion International has distributed over 250,000 kits of food and 150,000 hygienic items to these families. The ministry also works with local hospitals, providing them with 200,000 pieces of protective equipment.

And you can be a part of this ministry, Viotti says. “In Brazil, we have almost 7000 kids without a sponsor. So, through sponsorship, you can be part of this big movement of COVID-19 response in the world.”

Aside from aid, the churches in Brazil have been very creative during the pandemic and lockdowns. “They are using WhatsApp, YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, and Zoom. They continue to serve the kids and the families, preaching the Gospel and supporting them in that emotional way.”

Pray that COVID-19 would recede from Brazil soon. Thank God that the Church is working, and pray that many would be drawn to Christ as a result.

The header image shows Rio De Janeiro in Brazil. (Image by Nuno Lopes from Pixabay)

Sidney Muisyo from Compassion International lays out some of the countries now being most affected by COVID-19, including many in South America. “Currently we are seeing Brazil just shooting through the roof. Peru is one more country that we are concerned about. Ecuador has also gone through a very difficult time. The other countries that we are watching are Bangladesh, Indonesia, and Tanzania.”

As COVID-19 spreads, the poorest families will be hit harder than anyone else. Even at the best of times, Muisyo says, the healthcare system in these countries can’t keep up with diseases like malaria or even routine vaccinations.

Health officials clean Brazil’s transport system. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

“Secondly,” Muisyo says, “Populations that we work with have lived lives of poverty. The general immunity tends to be compromised because they’re not getting balanced meals. Nutritional intake is typically compromised. When you encounter a pandemic like this COVID-19, that tends to exacerbate the situation.”

The Church steps in

The local churches, Muisyo says, have been a huge help during the pandemic. “So many of our churches have responded and made sure that we’re providing food packs to families. The second way that the church partners have responded to this need is by providing soap, sanitizers, and masks that are locally made. So that has been really wonderful to see. ”

These churches have not been able to meet as they normally would. The leaders of these churches have found ways to meet people’s needs and stay connected, often through WhatsApp.

Women in Tanzia making liquid soap to fight COVID-19. (Photo courtesy of Compassion International on Facebook)

How you can pray

Muisyo says, “We’re praying for the churches in the developing world, praying that the leaders would have the energy, wisdom, courage, and innovation necessary to be able to meet this situation in a way that reflects the Church is truly the people of God.”

Christians can also contribute financially to what Compassion International is doing around the world. Everywhere they serve, Muisyo says, people need food, and these needs will last a long time. In Brazil, for instance, none of the parents they work with have jobs right now.

Pray that COVID-19 would die out and not wreak more havoc in the developing world.

A member of the Peruvian army and a police dog enforcing a curfew. Peru has been hit hard by COVID-19 in the last two months. (Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Provide emergency relief here.

One-third of all Ethiopians live in severe poverty, existing on less than two dollars a day. Natural or manmade disasters often hit these communities the hardest. Compassion International cares for impoverished kids, bringing them hope in Jesus’ name.

The ministry’s latest efforts in Ethiopia include a nationwide radio broadcast, Girum Getachew says. “We are collaborating with the government and with [the Council of Evangelical Christians in Ethiopia] and making every day a broadcast,” he explains.

Pandemic restrictions stopped religious gatherings of every kind, so national media outlets began broadcasting services. The evangelical council calls people to repentance, prayer, and fasting in its daily one-hour program. Getachew says a portion of the program, supported by Compassion, offers kid-friendly services, prayer, and worship.

“God has allowed us to [reach these] children and the families, and also the whole Ethiopian Christian community, to transfer our message of peace [and] encourage the children. Children are the most vulnerable parts of society at this [time].”

Ethiopia’s disasters have no end in sight

Food insecurity and drought have caused major problems in Ethiopia for years. Then, a new batch of desert locusts began wreaking havoc in February, Compassion’s Tewodros Gevremeskel says, making their way to East Africa from the Arabian Peninsula. The latest government report reveals “locusts have damaged about 200,000 hectares of cropland and also caused a serious loss of over 356,000 tons,” he states.

Desert locusts usually fly with the wind and can travel more than 150 km in a day.
(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

According to USAID, some 8.5 million Ethiopians need emergency food assistance. Another half-million to one-million people will need food aid in the coming month due to COVID-19 and locusts.

These double disasters pose a significant threat to millions of Ethiopians.

Believers cannot gather in churches or hold beneficiary programs due to lockdown restrictions. Gevremeskel says they’re finding other ways to care for vulnerable children and families. “Project staff make a phone call to the beneficiaries and encourage them with the Word of God,” he explains, “and they provide food supply.”

Food and sanitation items have been distributed to all families enrolled in Compassion’s program to “help reduce economic challenges parents may face as they stay in their homes,” Getachew describes in an email.

Find your place in the story

Compassion and its church partners stood by Elisabeth and Alemtarik when they had no one else to care for them.
(Photo courtesy of Compassion International)

Along with natural disasters, poverty was a significant problem in Ethiopia when Compassion began working there in 1993.  According to World Bank data, 61-percent of Ethiopians existed on less than two dollars a day in 1999; that number dropped to 30-percent in 2015.

Praise God for this positive development! Pray for Compassion and its church partners as they offer help and hope in Jesus’ name.

Sponsor a child in Ethiopia through Compassion International.

Header image depicts Dr. Addisalem Gebresilassie, a 27-year-old doctor who received help through Compassion sponsorship. Today she’s part of the frontline fight against COVID-19. Read about it here.

The worst desert locust infestation in decades began spreading throughout the Horn of Africa last fall, affecting eight countries. Today, new swarms are starting to form in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia, raising the crisis level even higher.  The coronavirus adds another monumental challenge.

Compassion International is doing all it can to help affected families in Ethiopia, but only the Lord can remove some obstacles. “All of us cannot [stop] the spread of the (coronavirus) disease,” Compassion’s Tewodros Meskel observes.

“So, I would like all Christians to pray for Ethiopia so that God may intervene in the situation.”

Plague one: locusts

Meskel says farmers lost most of their crops to locusts in weeks past. Today, the threat posed by new hatchlings has everyone on edge.

“The local people were trying to prevent the locusts using traditional [methods] like smoking and using different kinds of noise to prevent them from landing on their area. But, the locusts [destroyed] the crops of the farmers in the rural area,” Meskel says.

Desert locusts usually fly with the wind and can travel more than 150 km in a day.
(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Compassion provided immediate help in Jesus’ name. More about that here.  Ruin wrought by the locusts left families “for the coming six months without food support, but Compassion, [thanks] to its sponsors, we have made an intervention that will sustain them for three months,” public relations specialist Girum Getachew explains.

Through its Disaster Relief Fund, Compassion staff identified families in greatest need and supplied them with essentials like rice, cooking oil, and pasta.  By partnering with more than 500 churches in Ethiopia, Compassion helps over 120,000 vulnerable children in Jesus’ name. More about Compassion’s work in Ethiopia here.

Now, COVID-19 presents a new challenge for believers to overcome. See our global coronavirus coverage here.

Plague two: disease

Global coronavirus cases now exceed 750,000 according to the World Health Organization, with most cases occurring in the United States. Infection rates are comparatively low so far in Ethiopia, and officials want to keep it that way. But prevention comes at a cost.

(Image courtesy of phys.org/news/2017-08-d-movie-virus-action.html/Flickr.CC)

“Many economic activities are on hold; many people are ordered to stay at home. So, this will directly impact delivery [of aid supplies to church partners and needy families], even collecting the support,” Getachew says.

“People are panicking; people who [earn a daily wage] are going to be affected because the economic activities are going to be halted.”

Pray for Compassion’s staff and church partners as they seek new ways to communicate and coordinate response efforts in this troublesome time. Ask the Lord to help them overcome obstacles so they can minister in His name to people who desperately need His hope. Find more prayer needs here.

Header image depicts a swarm of locusts. Photo credit: Wild Center via Flickr.

“I’m 35 years old and I’ve never heard of any invasion like [this]. It’s new to all of us; it has never occurred [here] for the past 25 years,” Compassion International’s Girum Getachew tells MNN. Getachew serves as Public Relations Specialist for Compassion Ethiopia.

“In one kilometer square [of a locust swarm] you find 150 million individual locusts, and it destroys what 35,000 people can eat per day.”

Desert locusts usually fly with the wind and can travel more than 150 km in a day.
(Photo courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)

Compassion and its local church partners are meeting needs in Christ’s name. Learn more here.

Desert locusts add insult to injury

If not contained, desert locusts can quickly spread to South Sudan and Uganda in the weeks to come. As explained here, the outbreak primarily affects Ethiopia, Somalia, and Kenya right now. According to the World Food Program, the upcoming rainy season would prompt another breeding cycle and the crisis could spread even further.

Between 13 and 25 million people in the region already suffer from severe food shortages. Now, locusts are destroying any vegetation left standing. The laws of supply and demand lead to drastic price increases on basic food items, putting a strain on struggling families.

“Compassion works with the poorest of the poor; most of them are highly vulnerable to any ‘shocks’ (disasters) happening in the country. So, when this disaster is coupled with other types of disaster, the impact will be very huge,” Program Support Specialist Tewodros Gebremeskel says.

In eastern Ethiopia, desert locusts began wreaking havoc in November, wiping out much of the seasonal harvest. Heavy rainfall followed, destroying anything left behind by the locusts. More about that here.

(Photo courtesy of Compassion International)

Through Compassion’s Disaster Relief Fund, believers have helped 70 of the most-affected children and families in Jarsso Town. Leaders expect to provide further support in the weeks ahead.

Compassion works with local church partners in Ethiopia to meet physical needs while sharing the hope of Christ. “While the (food) distribution is happening, we also [share] the Word of God so that they can hear the real Gospel,” Getachew says.

Learn more about Compassion’s work in Ethiopia here.

How to help

Experts expect the locust invasion to worsen in coming weeks as new hatchlings join existing swarms. “Currently, we are praying that God may intervene in the situation and stop the expansion of the locusts,” Gebremeskel says.

“Unless God intervenes in this situation, we cannot manage and mitigate the disaster.”

Join Compassion’s team in praying for immediate locust relief. Ask the Lord to intervene and have mercy upon highly-vulnerable populations. Pray church partners will have wisdom and discernment concerning aid distribution and needs assessment.

You can also provide tangible help by giving to Compassion’s Disaster Relief Fund.

Header image depicts a swarm of desert locusts in Morocco in 2004. Photo credit Magnus Ullman via Wikimedia Commons.

Typhoon Kammuri nearing the Philippines on December 2 (Image courtesy NASA, MODIS / LANCE Rapid Response )

First, Typhoon Tisoy (Kammuri, the international name) struck at the beginning of December, making landfall as the equivalent of a Category 4 Atlantic Hurricane.  The storm affected 7,364, but damage estimates are running in excess of $67 million.

Typhoon Phanfone passing through the Philippines on Christmas Day. (Image courtesy NASA)

That was followed three weeks later by Typhoon Ursula (Phanphone, the international name), which made landfall on Christmas Eve as a Category 1 hurricane.   Compassion identified the affected as 604 beneficiaries and seven Child Development Centers (CDCs).  Ursula ripped apart houses, businesses, churches, roads, and government buildings, killing at least 50. What’s more, this storm affected almost the same areas hit by Tisoy: Visayas and Luzon, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Biliran, Aklan, Oriental Mindoro, Iloilo, and Antique.

Impact on Compassion in the Philippines

For safety reasons, Compassion decided to halt many of its operations during the final weeks of December.  Compassion spokesman Mark Pitoc, speaking to MNN from the Philippines, says, “It was tough in the first days, because some of our partnership facilitators, their houses were ruined. But it’s because of the love for these children that brought us to reach out (to) those children that we are taking care of.”

As for the storms’ survivors, Pitoc says, “Some of them were relocated, but already returned to their houses, electricity has been restored. It’s just that some areas were flooded, their houses were ruined, and even their livelihood was devastated. But little by little, everything (the infrastructure) has been restored now.”

Another disaster

Then on January 12, the Taal Volcano erupted (37 miles south of the capital city of Manila), spewing tons of ash and lava. Over the last five days, seismologists recorded more than 300 earthquakes in the area. “According to the government, it’s still in level four alert—(it) means that the volcano is still active. We received some reports that five cities and municipalities in Batangas where the volcano is located were forced evacuation.”

The difficulty is in knowing when people can return home. Taal is notoriously temperamental; it’s the second most active volcano in the Philippines, with 34 recorded historical eruptions. Experts warn future volcano eruptions could cause tsunami. The volcano could rumble for days, but not blow. It could also explode magma and lava tomorrow. There’s no way to tell for sure, which makes the waiting interminable.

A cup of cold water in Jesus’ name

(Photo courtesy Compassion International)

Pitoc says while they don’t have church partners in Batanga, nearest the volcano, they are mobilizing a response. “We bought some items like diapers, clothes, towels, sanitary napkins, all the stuff that they need. We already bought it.” That shipment will go out in the next couple of days. A church pastor serving in Batanga with Asian Access says the Philippine Council of Evangelical Churches opened its training center to the evacuees until authorities send the ‘all-clear.’

The triple disasters are particularly difficult from which to recover, although the Filipinos are resilient. In the aftermath, pray:

• For children and family members who have been injured or displaced.
• For those who have lost loved ones, that God would comfort them.
• For church staff and emergency workers as they reach out to those affected by these disasters.

 (Headline photo courtesy Mike Gonzalez/Wikipedia/CC)

Over 200,000 people lost their lives and 3.5 million lost their homes, OCHA reports. The total earthquake-related loss was estimated at $7.8 billion – more than 120% of Haiti’s 2009 gross domestic product. Billions of dollars of aid money poured into the tiny Caribbean nation, but questions surround the fate of those investments.

“Unfortunately, Haiti has made so little recovery progress.  More than 10 years after, we still see people… living under tents,” says Ricot St. Paulin, who oversees program support for Compassion International’s Haiti office.

(Photo courtesy of Compassion International)

“Things are even getting worse and worse… A lot of this is due to anger and frustration that the Haitian government’s response… [has] not helped at all.”

By comparison, Compassion Haiti is making steady gains.  Help release children and families from poverty in Jesus’ name.

Problems vs. progress

As previously noted, significant challenges haunt Haiti’s steps, keeping it mired in crippling poverty and despair. Drought, protests, and a widespread lack of daily essentials plagued Haiti in 2019 alone.

“Over the past few months, the political instability has [crippled] Haiti’s economic and social development, causing the level of inflation to reach about 20%,” St. Paulin says. “Not much has been done [in terms of earthquake recovery] but we stay hopeful that things will be changed.”

(Photo courtesy of Compassion International)

Three days after the 2010 quake, Wes Stafford – Compassion’s International’s president at the time – described the disaster’s impact on Haitian believers, Compassion’s church partners, and local staff.  For the next decade, Compassion staff faithfully walked with Haitian believers across every hill and through valley.

Learn more about Compassion’s progress here.

“Today, we are working alongside 350 church partners to bring hope and a future to more than 125,000 children and youth… we are moving forward,” St. Paulin says.

“We rose from the rubble; the ministry [is] getting stronger.”

From child sponsorship to micro-loans, Compassion applied 22 strategies to help the poorest Haitians recover their livelihoods. “One of the goals was to provide meals… by enabling [families] to have sustainable resources to feed their children on a regular basis,” St. Paulin says.

“I personally know parents that would not have found a way out without our interventions.”

People used Compassion’s micro-loans to start small businesses, St. Paulin explains. Today, “not only [are] they still running their businesses,” he says, “but they can supply all the needs of their families and provide jobs to others. This is an encouraging thing.”

How to help Haitians

By supporting Compassion’s work, you can help Haitians change their country’s future.

(Photo courtesy of Compassion International)

“Compassion has been in Haiti for 50 years and, with faithful and devoted people like our sponsors and donors, we have formed an army of men and women of God who are aware of the need for a better future for the next generation,” St. Paulin says.

“We are still calling for people to come alongside us so that we can continue to serve more children and to release them from poverty in Jesus’ name.”

Most importantly, pray. We’ve listed prompts alongside this article to get you started. “Six million Haitians live below the poverty line on less than $2 per day, and more than 2.5 million fall below the extreme poverty line,” St. Paulin says.

“There is still need in Haiti. We’ve done much, but we have still a long way to go.”

Header image courtesy of Compassion International.

“At this time of turbulence, the international community must do far more to shoulder this responsibility together. It is a moment to build a more equitable response to refugee crises through a sharing of responsibility,” Guterres said.

Venezuelans wade across the Tachira River to seek food and other aid in Cúcuta, Colombia. © UNHCR/Vincent Tremeau

More than 70 million people are displaced worldwide due to war, conflict, and persecution, including 25 million refugees. Over 4.5 million of these refugees and migrants are from Venezuela.

National director Carlos Alvarez says Compassion International, local churches, and a regional response team are working together to help Venezuelan families in Colombia.  On International Migrants Day, he urges believers outside South America to remember Venezuela’s crisis in their prayers.

Helping Venezuelans in Colombia

According to UNHCR, the number of Venezuelans seeking refugee status worldwide rose 8,000% between 2014 and today. Venezuela’s political and economic collapse in recent years drove millions of people into countries throughout the region.

Colombia reportedly holds the most Venezuelan migrants and refugees, with Peru in a close second.  Venezuelan refugees have filed more than 750,000 asylum claims worldwide. Read our coverage of the Venezuela crisis here.

As previously noted, Colombian believers – though desperately poor – do everything they can to extend Christ’s love to their Venezuelan neighbors.  Alvarez sees these demonstrations in several tangible ways. “When [believers] give them a hug every time we come to the project,” he describes as one example.

Displaced Venezuelan teens eat lunch at a Compassion center in Colombia.
(Photo, caption courtesy Compassion International)

On Compassion’s blog, a Venezuelan teen describes how believers’ kindness affected him.

“When the Church is singing together, worshiping together, they (refugees) experience the love of Christ.”

This feeling of community extends beyond the church walls.  As part of Compassion’s program, Colombian and Venezuelan children play and learn together on a daily basis. “Right now, we have almost 1,400 registered children that are under 12 years old. They have been getting into the programmatic activities of church partners in Cúcuta,” Alvarez says.

Believers help Venezuelan mothers, too, he adds.  According to U.S. News & World Report, moms in late-term pregnancy increasingly cross into Colombia to deliver their babies. “37 pregnant mothers are receiving some support from our local churches,” Alvarez says.

Next steps

Children learn soccer skills at their child development center.
(Photo, caption courtesy Compassion International)

January 2020 will mark one year since Juan Guaidó came to power, but there’s still no end to Venezuela’s crisis in sight.  You can help Venezuelan families by giving to Compassion’s Disaster Relief Fund.  Most importantly, pray.

“Keep praying for Venezuela, that God can change things there,” Alvarez urges.  Find more prayer prompts listed alongside this article.

“We are also praying for the families that are coming in – that they can get their support – but especially that they can feel someone from another country [is] receiving them as family.”

Header image courtesy of Compassion International.

Yesterday, Colombia’s president met again with a committee representing protestors. The group listed 13 demands for President Iván Duque, BBC News reports, ranging widely from fulfilling obligations under the 2016 Farc peace deal to securing minimum wage for young people. So far, the talks are going nowhere.

Although protests are mostly peaceful, Senior Program Support Manager Carlos Alvarez says a few families helped by Compassion International are on-edge.

“Some of the families [were] experiencing a little bit of unrest, and there was actually a little bit of panic…because people were trying to break in [to their homes].”

Are Venezuelans to blame?

“We help Venezuelans because at least we have a roof, but Venezuelans are adrift.” The Numas, a family of five, have taken in two Venezuelan friends to live with them in their humble room made from plastic tarps, old wood and metal roof tiles. They share with them the little food they have.
(Photo, caption courtesy of Compassion International)

According to UNHCR, more than 4 million Venezuelans have left their homeland. Some 1.4 million are now in Colombia, a number that’s grown significantly during 2019 alone:

By the end of 2015, Colombia hosted less than 40,000 Venezuelans, a number that has grown more than 3,500%, reaching 1.4 million by August 2019, with an increase of almost 300,000 refugees and migrants in the first seven months of the year.

Some Colombians accuse Venezuelan migrants of vandalism and looting connected with protests, Reuters reports. Alvarez says a few people may fall into this mindset, but the idea isn’t widespread.

“Some might get that perspective… there might be some thoughts [like] ‘This [person] is from Venezuela; [he] is going to rob me or he’s going to do vandalism’,” he says. However, Colombian believers are quick to defend the innocent.

“We know that there might be specific cases but [it’s not accurate to assume] that someone from Venezuela is the one doing vandalism.”

Instead, believers use the little they have to help Venezuelans living among them. More about that here. “Right now, we have a total of almost 1,400 registered [Venezuelan] children under 12 years old” who are receiving benefits through Compassion and its church partners, Alvarez says.

How to help

(Photo courtesy of Compassion International)

Compassion partners with nearly 300 Colombian churches to help impoverished families in Jesus’ name. Together, they’ve served more than 90,000 children since 1974. Learn more about Compassion Colombia.

“Please keep praying for us,” Alvarez requests. Use the prayer prompts listed alongside this article.

“Donors can come in and support us as well so that more children can get the help they need through our local church partners.”

Click here to sponsor a Colombian child through Compassion International. Or, read about changed lives on Compassion’s blog.

Header image depicts a protestor’s sign during November 23 demonstrations. Photo obtained via Wikimedia Commons.