New Baylor partnership with Compassion aims to help kids in poverty worldwide

Compassion International has long worked to release children around the world from poverty. Chances are good you’ve seen a photo of a sponsored child on the fridge of a friend or family member; perhaps you’ve even supported a child yourself.

Compassion’s newest partner? Baylor University. The two are teaming up, with BU putting its research abilities to work studying what prevents kids living in poverty from flourishing so that Compassion can more effectively help these children in the short- and long-term.

One of the first areas of partnership between Baylor and Compassion will focus on Guatemala, where the two organizations will begin by working with local pastors. Truett Seminary professors are working with these locals to develop a Spanish language curriculum for Guatemalan pastors that meets their specific needs — something more than just regular Truett classes translated into Spanish. Along the way, the pastors will share with Baylor and Compassion officials more about the communities in which they live and work. Future plans call for similar efforts in neighboring Latin American countries such as Honduras, Nicaragua and Mexico.

“I can’t tell you how grateful I am to partner with Baylor to help release even more children from poverty in Jesus’ name,” said Santiago “Jimmy” Mellado, Compassion International’s CEO. “Innovating with a premier academic and research institution who shares our faith and our passion to serve the world’s most vulnerable children will be nothing short of transformational.”

Down the road, the hope is that the partnership will lead to meaningful solutions to critical issues, creating opportunities that will exponentially increase Compassion’s capacity to serve the millions of children in extreme poverty around the world.

The partnership obviously fits Baylor’s mission, but it’s also a natural fit for the university’s growing research efforts. Research at Baylor isn’t done just for research’s sake; the goal is to tackle some of the world’s most significant challenges. Children in poverty certainly seems a good place to start.

Sic ’em, Baylor and Compassion!