Baylor University and Compassion International Announce Partnership

Both organizations commit to addressing the issues that keep too many people living in poverty

WACO, Texas (Oct. 27, 2020) – Baylor University and Compassion International, headquartered in Colorado Springs, Colorado, today announced a partnership to bring about global human flourishing for children and families in poverty — and to create transformational experiences for their constituents that ultimately lead to poverty reduction.

Based on the shared faith commitment and similar core values of the two organizations, the leadership teams at Baylor and Compassion International have been in conversation for several months to explore how their particular capabilities and expertise could be leveraged for reciprocal growth. Illuminate, Baylor's strategic plan to expand the institution's impact as a Christian research university, directly aligns with Compassion International's missional commitment to better understand the root causes that prevent children living in poverty from flourishing in the 25 countries where the organization operates and to engage the next generation of young people in releasing children from poverty in Jesus' name.

Baylor's commitment to achieving Research 1 status as an institution of higher learning has empowered University researchers to better address the world's most significant challenges, including poverty, with a sense of urgency and increased financial resources. Baylor hopes the partnership with Compassion International will lead to meaningful solutions to current critical issues through ground-breaking research. The University also hopes to establish a foundation for future discoveries, signaling the depth and continued growth of Baylor's Christian commitment to Latin America and the world. In turn, Compassion International hopes the alliance will create opportunities for innovation and more collaboration that will exponentially increase its capacity to serve the millions of children in extreme poverty around the world, as well as actively engaging Baylor constituents and current students to serve the poor.

"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. Even in this early stage, I'm seeing how this partnership will expand our reach and impact to better care for more than 2.2 million children living in unacceptable poverty."

One of the first areas of partnership between Baylor and Compassion International will focus on Guatemala. The two organizations will begin by collaborating with pastors in Guatemala, equipping them with biblical training from Baylor's George W. Truett Theological Seminary and learning about the context in which they live and work. Once the initial research phase is complete, Compassion International and Baylor plan to expand into neighboring Latin American countries, such as Honduras, Nicaragua and Mexico.

"We are grateful for the opportunity to enter into a partnership between Baylor University and Compassion International — two faith-based organizations whose complementary programmatic capabilities and research expertise will serve communities around the world, as well as enhance both organizations' growth," said Linda A. Livingstone, Ph.D., president of Baylor University. "Our Christ-centered collaboration will expand the kingdom of God through a diversity of initiatives, including this initial effort to equip pastors in Guatemala with critical training as a component of the Baylor in Latin American initiative within our Illuminate strategic plan."

ABOUT BAYLOR UNIVERSITY

Baylor University is a private Christian University and a nationally ranked research institution. The University provides a vibrant campus community for more than 19,000 students by blending interdisciplinary research with an international reputation for educational excellence and a faculty commitment to teaching and scholarship. Chartered in 1845 by the Republic of Texas through the efforts of Baptist pioneers, Baylor is the oldest continually operating university in Texas. Located in Waco, Baylor welcomes students from all 50 states and more than 90 countries to study a broad range of degrees among its 12 nationally recognized academic divisions.

ABOUT COMPASSION INTERNATIONAL

Founded in 1952, Compassion International is a Christian child development organization that works to release children from poverty in Jesus' name. Compassion International revolutionized the fight against global poverty by working exclusively with the Church to lift children out of spiritual, economic, social and physical poverty. Compassion International partners with more than 8,000 churches in 25 countries to deliver its holistic child development program to over 2.2 million babies, children and young adults. Its child sponsorship program has been validated through independent, empirical research.