Cross Catholic Outreach

Delivering food, shelter, and hope to the poorest of the poor

Español
Delivering food, shelter and hope to the poorest of the poor.
  • Donate
  • Our Impact
  • Ways to Give
    • Give by Program
      • Greatest Needs
      • Food
      • Education
      • Water
      • Medical
      • Homes
      • Vulnerable Children
      • Elderly Care
      • Microenterprise
      • Disaster Relief
    • Give by Region
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Caribbean
      • Latin America
      • South America
    • Monthly Giving
    • Greatest Needs
    • Major Gifts
      • Water For Life Kenya
      • Kobonal Mission
      • Transform Santa Rosa
      • Help Children Blossom
    • Planned Giving
    • Foundations and Other Grantmakers
  • Get Involved
    • Box of Joy®
    • Lent
    • Advent
    • Invite a Priest
    • Food Packing Events
    • Clergy & Diocese
    • Mission & Vision Trips
  • Church & School
  • Projects Catalog
    • Programs
      • Greatest Needs
      • Food
      • Education
      • Water
      • Medical
      • Homes
      • Vulnerable Children
      • Elderly Care
      • Microenterprise
      • Disaster Relief
    • Regions
      • Africa
      • Asia
      • Caribbean
      • Latin America
      • South America
  • About Us
    • Our Mission
    • Board and Leadership
    • Financials
    • What We Do
      • Food
      • Education
      • Housing
      • Disaster Relief
      • Water
    • Where We Work
      • Ethiopia
      • Guatemala
      • Haiti
      • Honduras
      • Kenya
      • Mozambique
      • Nicaragua
    • Stories and Updates
    • Careers
    • News Center
    • God in Our Office
    • Contact Us

From Sorrow to Smiles

February 23, 2010 by Cross Catholic Blog

It is sometimes difficult to hear the heartbreaking stories of the people we help, especially when they involve children. What keeps us encouraged are the stories we receive from our partners detailing how dire situations have been turned around and lives are renewed.

(Left to right) Siblings Nancy, 5, Humphrey, 8, and John, 4, had been living on their own for three years until a Catholic school supported by Cross International Catholic Outreach rescued them and placed them in a loving home.
(Left to right) Siblings Nancy, 5, Humphrey, 8, and John, 4, had been living on their own for three years until a Catholic school supported by Cross International Catholic Outreach rescued them and placed them in a loving home.

One of those recent stories came from a Catholic school we support near the second largest urban slum in Africa.

Meet siblings Humphrey, 8, Nancy, 5, and John, 4. Four years ago, their mother sold them to a woman living in the infamous Kibera Slums of Nairobi, Kenya. When the staff of a nearby Catholic school we support found out what had happened, they helped the children enroll in school and put them in their grandmother’s custody.

But their troubles were far from over. After a few months, their destitute grandmother abandoned the siblings to go earn a living on a distant farm, and the children spent the next three years caring for themselves.

They lived in a one-room, iron sheet house in the middle of the bush. The windows and door didn’t close, the floor was made of mud, and there were gaping holes in the roof. Humphrey, who wasn’t even in third grade yet, juggled work and school, desperately trying to support his younger siblings, but they often went without food. Weekends were especially difficult because they did not receive a school lunch to fill their empty bellies.

When the staff at the school went for a home visit, they quickly realized that the siblings had been abandoned. The staff arranged for the children to stay with a catechist and his family at the local Catholic mission compound. The siblings are now clothed, well-fed, and able to attend school every day. Their happiness is evident by the gaping smiles always on their faces. They are now receiving the care and love every child deserves.

Our Catholic benefactors enable us to support several life-saving programs like this one in Kenya and other Sub-Saharan countries. To learn more about our work with orphans and vulnerable children in Africa, click here.

Filed Under: Africa, children, field report, orphanage Tagged With: Africa, children, Kenya, orphans

Project Catalog

  • Greatest Needs
  • Food
  • Education
  • Water
  • Medical
  • Housing
  • Orphans and Vulnerable Children
  • Elderly Care
  • Microenterprise
  • Disaster Relief

Project Regions

  • Africa
  • Asia
  • Caribbean
  • Latin America
  • South America

Cross Catholic Outreach
2700 N. Military Trail, Suite 300
PO Box 273908
Boca Raton, Florida 33427-3908
800-914-2420
Cross Catholic Outreach is a 501(c)(3)
EIN 65-1156061

Audited Financial for Fiscal Year 2019

© 2020 Cross Catholic Outreach. All rights reserved.

 
Contact Us | Privacy Policy
Disclosure Statement

Copyright © 2021 · Enterprise Pro on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in