Making a difference starts and ends with us

Discover the mission and the heart behind Stop for the one!

Our teams work in over 25 countries worldwide.

Meet the founders:
Rolland Baker
& Heidi Baker

The vision for Stop for the One was born from the hearts of Rolland and Heidi Baker and the core heartbeat of Iris Global: to bring the love of Jesus to those most often overlooked and forgotten. Years ago, God gave Heidi a vision of millions of faces longing for love, hope, and care. That encounter deeply marked both Rolland and Heidi and ignited a passion to reach one million children trapped in cycles of poverty, vulnerability, and hopelessness.

Yet they understood that the only way to reach millions is by stopping for one person at a time.

This message became central to the culture and mission of Iris Global—to first stop for God, and then for the one person placed in front of us each day. Through simple acts of love, compassion, and obedience, lives are transformed one by one. The belief is simple: if each of us chooses to stop for one, together millions can encounter the practical love of God.

In 2009, Iris Global officially launched the Stop for the One program as a way for people around the world to partner in this vision through child sponsorship. Since then, what began as a sponsorship initiative has grown into a global movement of people committed to living lives of compassion, generosity, and wholehearted love for Jesus and for “the least of these.”

Stop for the One Core Values

We must first stop for God before we can stop for the one in front of us.
When we are full of God’s love and presence we are able to pour His love onto others. 

Love expresses itself in action.
Love is not just words or intention; it is compassion expressed in action. God has called us to carry His compassion and love by being His hands and feet. 

We believe that love looks like family.
Each child that comes to live with us is no longer an orphan, but a brother or sister, a son or daughter adopted by Papa God.

Every person is a unique creation with a dream and a destiny .
We constantly encourage our children to dream with God about their destinies and dreams from a place of knowing their identity in Christ.

We long for every person to find, know, and live life in relationship with Jesus. 
At the core of everything we do is discipleship. We believe that people need to be discipled to grow spiritually throughout their life.

We take a holistic and whole life approach towards serving the children and communities we are supporting.
We care for the whole person, spirit, soul, and body. We also want to meet needs throughout their whole lives.

We develop projects that break the cycle of poverty.
When communities thrive, children thrive. We believe a key to poverty alleviation is found in recognizing and activating the gifts and abilities of the community to restore hope and bring transformation.

Frequently asked questions

  • As the child sponsorship program for Iris Global, we are unwaveringly committed to the safety and protection of children, vulnerable communities, and anyone serving in our ministry. Iris Global has zero tolerance for incidents of abuse against children and other people in the communities we serve, either committed by our staff or others connected with our work. We abhor any misuse of power, status, or trusted position for any sexual or other exploitive purposes. We endeavor to expose and root out opportunities for abuse in our prevention and training efforts. Continuous improvement of safeguarding efforts, which emphasizes prevention of sexual exploitation and abuse is an ongoing effort in order to achieve the highest standards of protection. Visit www.irisglobal.org/child-protection to download our Child Protection Policy.

  • Child sponsorships provide things like food, education, medical care, gifts, clothing, spiritual discipleship, and basic necessities.

  • Your gift is combined with other sponsors whose children are a part of the same center to make sure they are cared for and educated.

  • Your contributions will be used to benefit the individual as well as his/her community. Iris combines the 'Stop for the One' gifts to empower community-based projects that improve the well-being of the center, school or village. Iris Global has learned that one of the most effective ways of helping the children is by bettering the community as a whole. We combine your gifts with those of others, rather than giving them directly to a child. This ensures that individuals in these communities will still benefit from the Iris Stop for the One program.

  • Stop for the One is a program of Iris Global, a registered 501(c)3 non-profit organization in the United States. Any gifts made to Stop for the One by US citizens are tax deductible.

  • Thank you! We are so excited to have you as a part of our Stop for the One family. Within the next month, you will receive a welcome packet with a picture of your child and more information about the program. Make sure to keep you login information (username and password) in a safe and accessible place. Once you sign up for sponsorship you can sign into your account and send your child a message! You can like our Stop for the One Page on Facebook, as we often share stories and updates from our Bases. You will also be signed up for our Center Sponsor newsletter in which we share stories and testimonies specifically from our Center Children’s lives. Once a year we send out an updated picture of your child along with a card or drawing done by your child!

Join the movement to reach a million children...