Delivering food, shelter, and hope to the poorest of the poor
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Michele Sagarino
- May 25, 2023
Catholics Help Build Bright Futures in Haiti
Thanks to those who support ministries to help the poor through Cross Catholic Outreach, lives and communities are being transformed by the Lord in Haiti’s impoverished Central Plateau.
His wisdom is evident in the confident smiles of children as they master multiplication in schools built specifically to serve the poor. His joy echoes in the belly laughs of toddlers who are no longer plagued with hunger or thirst. His mercies are reflected in a mother’s prayers of thanksgiving when she tucks her children into bed in the family’s new, safe home.
Most powerfully, hundreds of families in Haiti’s Central Plateau are experiencing the presence of our Lord in the Holy Eucharist every Sunday. As they gather for the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass, a material and spiritual transformation is taking place — because the compassionate friends of Cross Catholic Outreach chose to help them pursue brighter futures.
Our supporters helped Father Glenn Meaux and his team at the Kobonal Haiti Mission bring out the God-given potential of these men, women and children, and through that growth, each has begun to claim the greatness God has in store for their lives. Because Cross Catholic Outreach believes in integral human development — an approach to charity that encompasses every aspect of life and tries to address every need in a community — the mission focuses on providing safe housing, clean water, Catholic education and healthy food, plus opportunities for microenterprise and agriculture.
Donate to Fight Poverty in Haiti
How Safe Housing Changes Lives
As of now, the Kobonal Haiti Mission has built 23 new homes and repaired 30 existing homes, blessing 98 adults and 267 children with safe places to live. With an average of one additional home being finished each week, the ministry teams will soon complete their goal of building and repairing 78 homes!
Each four-room concrete-block house includes a heavy-duty galvanized steel roof, lockable doors and windows, and a solar panel that provides reliable, safe, zero-cost indoor electricity.
One of the grateful housing recipients is Rosenie Aimable, her husband, Thelius, and their children. Rosenie and her precious family suffered for years with frequent illnesses brought on from living in a leaky, unsanitary tin-roof shelter. Every time it rained, water would pool on the muddy floor, and the family would have to wait until the sun came out to dry their meager belongings outside. But now rainstorms are no longer a source of stress and concern!
How Catholic Education Is Transforming Haiti’s Families
Cross Catholic Outreach supporters blessed 1,647 children in kindergarten through sixth grade with a quality Catholic education at the Kobonal Mission School’s two campuses. The school is able to hire excellent teachers, offer scholarships and provide nutritious meals through outreaches that also emphasize the importance of spiritual values — a gift that will guide each of these young people for a lifetime.
Children are growing closer to the Lord through the Sacraments. In the coming months, 36 students will be baptized, 169 children are preparing for their First Communion, and 12 are studying for their Confirmation. The mission’s scholarship program has sponsored 532 secondary and college students to continue their education.
A Haitian Mother’s Success Story
Kobonal’s families often benefit from multiple outreaches, and this wide-ranging and integrated approach is bearing fruit in all aspects of the community.
As Fr. Meaux explains, “We are a family. Every one of us, we belong to each other. We are living out Catholic Social Teaching, and when people understand these principles, it transforms them.”
The Pierres are one of the families that have been transformed. When Thomas and Noufie Pierre were first introduced to the mission, they were raising eight children as an unmarried couple. All 10 of them lived in a tiny thatch-and-mud-brick shack with no clean water, not enough food and no employment opportunities.
The Kobonal Haiti Mission changed their lives forever. The couple grew in faith, got married and became involved in multiple outreaches. They received monthly food staples that are provided by friends like you to the 250 poorest families. They received a safe, sturdy home and access to clean water, and their children were enrolled at the Kobonal Mission School.
For several years, Noufie worked at the school as a cook. Noufie was also able to receive a small business loan, which she has used to sell food and drinks. Noufie’s business has allowed her to better support her children. She is also able to give back; she recently opened her home to a traveler, providing food and a place to sleep out of the goodness of her own heart.
Noufie says every bit of success in her life is a gift from God, and she is grateful to now be in a position to be a blessing to others. The Pierre family prays for Catholic friends who selflessly support the mission, and she knows that, through God, the possibilities are endless!
Catholics Are Building a Brighter Future in Haiti
Cross Catholic Outreach has empowered the Kobonal Haiti Mission to transform lives — glorifying God in the process. This generosity empowered the area’s families to continue learning God’s truth and to enjoy the blessings Christ’s gift of salvation brings!
Michele Sagarino
Proceeds from this campaign will be used to cover any expenditures incurred through June 30, 2024, the close of our ministry’s fiscal year. In the event that more funds are raised than needed to fully fund the project, the excess funds, if any, will be used to meet the most urgent needs of the ministry.