Delivering food, shelter, and hope to the poorest of the poor
A couple weeks ago, a motor-scooter accident I had on the way to the office gave me a new perspective on asphalt – a very, very close one. God spared me from serious injury, and I was able to pick up the bike and ride it the rest of the way to my destination, but only after leaving a layer of skin on the pavement. I bandaged my open wounds at the office, got a more adequate dressing at home that night, and later in the week – when the wound on my foot didn’t seem to be healing fast enough – walked into an urgent care center for a prescription.
Hardly a catastrophe, but it got me thinking: what if I’d wrecked the bike in Haiti instead of South Florida?
Bikes are a common mode of transportation in much of the developing world. What isn’t so common is good medical care. Or good hygiene. A man earning a few dollars a day isn’t going to spend his precious money on bandages or a clinic visit for simple scrapes and bruises. But those scrapes and bruises, if untreated, can become infected. Even if the victim does go to a doctor, the local health facility might lack the proper equipment and medications to treat his wounds. As a result, a skinned knee can lead to a festering sore, debilitating illness, the loss of a leg and ultimately even death.
My accident served to remind me in a personal way of the importance of Cross Catholic’s medical projects – and not just in terms of the big issues such as malaria and HIV, but also the little things we take for granted, like a bandage for a minor injury. We demonstrate Jesus’ love when we pay attention to the needs of the poor…even the seemingly mundane ones.
-Tony M.
Our mission is to mobilize the global Catholic Church to transform the poor and their communities materially and spiritually for the glory of Jesus Christ. Your gift empowers us to serve the poorest of the poor by channeling life-changing aid through an international network of dioceses, parishes and Catholic missionaries. This cost-effective approach helps break the cycle of poverty and advance Catholic evangelization.