Gift Aid: A Simple Choice That Can Do Even More

It only takes a few minutes to Gift Aid your donations. But it can make a huge difference.

It’s a simple process to Gift Aid your donations. But it can make a world of difference.

What’s great about Gift Aid? The UK government pays it, so it doesn’t cost you anything extra. When you choose to Gift Aid, charities receive an extra 25% on top of your donation, provided you’re a UK taxpayer. Every £1 donated to Compassion will be worth £1.25 if you choose to Gift Aid your donations.

For many of us, deciding to Gift Aid our donations is as easy as ticking a box. But for the children and families, Compassion serves, that simple decision can be a lifeline.

Gift Aid funds are being used to support unsponsored children

Stephen with his mum

Twelve-year-old Stephen from Uganda has been part of Compassion’s programme since he was seven. Initially, he was sponsored quickly, but sadly, when they had to cancel, he spent a year waiting for another loving person to come alongside him.

Thanks to the Unsponsored Child Fund, Stephen continued to receive the life-changing support he needed to thrive.

“What I love the most at the project are the teachers, says Stephen. “I like Uncle Geoffrey. He taught me about the story of Noah. It is my favourite Bible story.” 

For Stephen’s mum, Marie, had peace of mind, even when Stephen was waiting for another sponsor. “The project has helped me a lot. Now, Stephen is never chased away from school because he does not have the school fees.”

Gift Aid funds are being used to support disaster relief

Last summer, when an earthquake struck southern Haiti, Vania and her six children lost everything. Amid the heartbreak, Compassion’s local church partners were ministering in their communities. Thanks to Gift Aid donations, temporary shelters were constructed, meaning families had somewhere safe to live. For Vania, it meant her family didn’t have to sleep outside.

Vania and her family standing outside their new home

“Where people see a shelter, I see a palace.”

“I lost my house with everything in the earthquake, but God preserved my family. I know He had a good reason for that, and He proved to me His kindness through the support we received from [the] Compassion family. The Lord heard our cries and responded through Compassion”, says Vania. 

Gift Aid funds are helping to rebuild a community badly affected by the recent earthquakes. Temporary structures like Vania’s are now in place, but we won’t stop there. For example, we’re planning to construct schools, homes and sanitary facilities built to international para-seismic standards to keep families safe and ensure these vital infrastructures stand firm.

At the start of the year, Compassion UK was also able to release £1.4m in Gift Aid funds to support 89,100 internally displaced people, including 2,275 babies, in northern Ethiopia. This vital funding has provided essentials like dignity and hygiene kits for women and girls, plus emergency water, food packages and trauma counselling.

Child survival interventions

When his mother abandoned Thomas as a newborn, it was his aunt Adi who took him in and cared for him.

Adi was faced with a life-changing situation, taking on the full-time care of Thomas without any knowledge of newborn nutrition and unable to breastfeed him herself. Feeding him various porridges, Adi tried to keep Thomas alive. Though he was surviving, his development was hindered.

Gift Aid supports babies and caregivers

At seven months old, Thomas still looked like a newborn baby, suffering from severe malnutrition. Fearing for Thomas’ life, Adi approached a Compassion project for help.

“When I saw Thomas’ physical condition, I feared that he would not survive. He was so thin and was not moving. He was hardly breathing,” recalls Ablam, the project director.

Compassion staff took action and rushed Thomas to the hospital for intensive care. Thomas had to be admitted for more than two weeks.

“It is by the grace of God that Thomas is still alive,” says Ablam. “Thomas is a testimony to God’s grace and His work through the project.”

Baby Thomas and his caregiver meet with a Compassion staff worker

The project staff gave Adi extensive education on child health, nutrition and development. They provided infant milk every week for Thomas, ensuring his nutritional needs were being met.

Thomas’s physical development drastically changed as his nutritional needs were met. He was growing, playing, interacting and looking healthy.

“I want to thank all the project workers, may the Lord bless them,” says Adi. “I pray that Compassion donors are healthy; may the Lord reward them for their generosity.”

A boy laughs and runs in Togo

COVID-19 EMERGENCY RELIEF

A lady receives food supplies thanks to Gift Aid

Gift Aid funds have also been used to further support the COVID-19 Emergency Relief fund – a fund that helps people like Rachel with emergency food relief.

Rachel was devastated when she could no longer sell pots and charcoal stoves in the Gakenke market due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Suddenly, she had lost her income to provide for her children, including Pacifique, a Compassion sponsored child.

“With the lockdown, I was not able to get food to feed my children and myself. I earn a living making pottery. When the lockdown was announced, we were told only people selling food were allowed to sell in the market. This was a blow to so many of us. We hadn’t saved money for such times, and we don’t even have a garden to harvest from,” explains Rachel.

“I’m so excited that the [Compassion] project remembered us during this pandemic, and they have given us food. I give God the glory. We have been given maise flour, beans, cooking oil, soap, and sugar. As a mother, I’m very happy that my children are not going to die of hunger.”

Across Rwanda, Compassion has provided food relief to more than 10,000 families.

What your Gift Aid means

Lives are changed when you choose to Gift Aid your donations.

If you sponsor one child for one year, Compassion can claim an additional £84 in Gift Aid income from the UK government at no cost to you. In the last financial year, Compassion UK sent more than £5.1 million of Gift Aid funds to our projects around the world.

A boy put his hands together in a prayer pose in Thailand

How can you help?

If you pay tax in the UK, every £1 you give to Compassion UK could be worth £1.25 – additional funds that can be used where the need is greatest.

If you haven’t already done so, we’d be most grateful if you’d help by providing your Gift Aid status. You can do so by going into your myCompassion account and clicking on the button in the Gift Aid box. Or, if you’re a Compassion UK App user, you can navigate to ‘Account Details’ and select ‘Sponsorship Preferences’.

Still have questions?

We’ve put together some answers to your frequently asked questions about Gift Aid. Click on the button below to read through them.

Take me to FAQs

If you have further questions, our friendly team are available to help you out, so please contact us.

ashish yadav

Words by ashish yadav


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Compassion UK Christian Child Development, registered charity in England and Wales (1077216) and Scotland (SC045059). A company limited by guarantee, Registered in England and Wales company number 03719092. Registered address: Compassion House, Barley Way, Fleet, Hampshire, GU51 2UT.