Beyond Survival

When you choose to support a non-profit organization, you want to know that their methods are effective, responsible, and appropriately paired with the mission at hand. Utilizing established research and field expertise, Dairyland’s humanitarian partner, Compassion International, meets these criteria and is leading the way in early interventions to end poverty. In this post you will learn more about Dairyland’s partnership with Compassion and what the experts are saying about why their approach matters.

All photos courtesy of Compassion International. Banner Photo by Jonatan Ruiz

Compassion International’s mission is to release children from poverty around the world through sponsorship and holistic child development. They are advocates for children, seeking to transform their lives, creating a positive ripple effect which benefits families, communities, and countries.

How We Approach Poverty Matters

When it comes to alleviating poverty, good intentions are not enough. Charitable handouts only go so far and rarely change the systems that harm people. Too often they also bring further harm.

Dairyland partners with organizations that are based on more than just good will. Compassion International’s methods aligns with our values, in that they:

• Actively structure their interventions around thorough, peer-reviewed research
• Are led by engaged community leaders to ensure that solutions meet the needs of each community
• Operate from a belief that all people—including those in poverty—should be treated with dignity, deserve protection, and have great power and potential to lead their own communities

This leads to Compassion’s focus on equipping children to reach their full potential through early survival interventions and child/youth development via sponsorship.

Photo by Fernando Sinacay

Photo by Jonatan Ruiz

Photo by Fernando Sinacay

According to leading development economists, child sponsorship and early interventions—even during pregnancy—are the most effective strategies for helping those living in poverty. Dr. Bruce Wydick, a University of San Francisco Development Economist who researches the impact of international development programs, recently spoke about what we’ve learned from decades of research on childhood interventions.

“Really good research has shown that the life outcomes of kids, even as teenagers and adults, are dramatically impacted by what happens to them when they’re in utero and then in the first two years that they’re alive.” he says. “The really good news is that interventions with low-income mothers are super effective. [What’s hard about that] is that you can’t really see it right away because the intervention happens when kids are little, but it’s not realized until they grow up.” Yet, the evidence is clear: interventions like Compassion’s that increase stability, nutrition, and nurturing caregiving practices set kids up to be healthy and resilient for the rest of their lives.

Focusing on Survival

Photo by Jonatan Ruiz

Compassion International’s Survival Initiative was built on that foundation. It begins during pregnancy and lasts until the baby’s first birthday, when the child can be sponsored. The program promotes development and survival of the most vulnerable babies while also providing education and support for the mother or primary caregiver. This program covers topics such as:

• Improving nutrition
• Supporting breastfeeding when possible
• Teaching play to stimulate cognitive and physical development
• Facilitating interactions that support secure attachment
• Providing education and livelihood resources for caregivers
• Building social support

These early interventions not only help infants become healthy children, teens, and adults, they impact the whole family and community system.

Quarterly Giving

Dairyland structures its financial giving to align with our core values and fulfil our vision of making a safer world. Our quarterly gift to Compassion International will be targeted to focus on programming that supports caregiver and baby wellbeing in the central plains of Peru. As a result, ten caregiver-baby pairs will receive personalized support.

Thank you! When you work with us at Dairyland, you help make this response possible. Together, we are making a safer world.