[3] Swanson had traveled there to preach the gospel to the US Army troops, but during his visit he was deeply moved by the plight of the scores of abandoned children he saw.

In 1953, he began to raise funds, and the next year he developed sponsorship programs to help support orphans for a few dollars a month.

[9] This approach goes well beyond simply providing food and medical aid, involving education and training to prepare the individuals for contributing back to their communities.

As of November 2023[update] the cost to sponsor a child through Compassion was US$43 (£32)[14] per month, and globally there were over two million babies, children, and young adults in its programs.

[20] In 2013, a primary research report in the Journal of Political Economy provided evidence in support of the conclusion that child sponsorship via Compassion International resulted in significant positive outcomes for the children in the study set.

[28] Compassion said that attempts were made to force the ministry to divert funding to non-Christian Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh groups.

After talks back and forth, in 2017 the BJP-led Indian government barred Compassion from transferring funds into India, forcing the group to close its operations in that country.

[32][33] As a result, Compassion's Donor Confidence Score fell from 97 to 73 on MinistryWatch, and the organization is no longer rated on Charity Navigator due to the lack of Accountability & Finance beacon.