Delivering food, shelter, and hope to the poorest of the poor
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Transforming Lives in Guatemala
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Thirst, Hunger and a Longing for Christ’s Hope
Imagine knowing your next sip of water is likely contaminated with pesticides, bacteria and animal waste — and having no other choice but to drink it. That’s the reality children and families face in Guatemala’s Diocese of Suchitepéquez-Retalhuleu, where families draw buckets of water from backyard wells. Poverty in this region is overwhelming, with 1 out of 6 people earning less than $1.90 per day.
Together with the Church, you can help change this reality. Join us in supporting Caritas Suchitepéquez-Retalhuleu, our local ministry partner, to restore songs of praise in these bleak outskirts. Together, we can:
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Pump clean water into the homes of 140 families.
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Feed the hungry with 816,000 meals.
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Train and supply 400 families with the resources needed to grow grow fruits, vegetables and herbs.
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Bless 55 children with life-changing academic scholarships.
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Kick-start a new home-building program.
A gift of $10,594 will pump clean, refreshing water into the homes of three families.
Beneficiary Highlight
Hear From Families You Can Bless
A Guatemalan Grandmother’s Desperate Plea for Safe Water
“Even if the water is dirty, we still have to drink it. We don’t have any other option. We pray that it is God’s will to give us clean water.” ~ María de Jesús
María gets sick to her stomach from all the salt in her water — but that’s not her biggest concern. She’s worried for her four grandchildren who suffer from regular bouts of vomiting and fevers from the contaminated water. With your help, María’s family can gain access to clean, safe water, and this loving grandmother will no longer have to worry about waterborne illnesses.
You can help bless María de Jesús’ family with clean water, food and more.
You can bless Miriam Pineda’s children, Michael and Jennifer, by kick-starting the diocese’s new homebuilding program.
A Young Family Cries Out for Safe Housing
“Our house is not safe. In the wintertime, snakes come through the holes in our house. Once, we killed a snake that was coming through the roof. My children get sick a lot with the flu because the thatch roof leaks.” ~ Miriam Pineda
It’s hard to imagine the anguish Miriam feels when her children are soaked from rainstorms. There’s no stopping the rain from dripping through her thatch roof. Together, we can take the first steps as we plan a new housing program to help families like Miriam’s.
Last spring, Cross Catholic Outreach donors funded this 4,300-square-foot warehouse, allowing the diocese to accept large shipments of food and medicine and store building materials and supplies for future poverty-relief programs.
Our Community Transformation Strategy
Help Meet Families’ Most Urgent Needs
In 2021, Cross Catholic Outreach supporters like you helped fund Stage 2 of our Community Transformation Plan: the construction of a 4,300-square-foot warehouse and a permanent social pastoral center. This was an important step, as it will allow for food, medicine and building materials storage.
With your help, we can activate Stage 3 of our Community Transformation Plan. Our goal is to focus on the need for clean water while addressing malnutrition, access to education, and housing needs.
STAGE 1: ASSESS
Identify areas of greatest need with our extensive network of in-country partners.
STAGE 2: ENGAGE
Implement projects that provide practical benefits to the poor.
STAGE 3: DEVELOP
- Set the stage for self-sufficiency with faith-infused poverty relief programs with maximum impact.
STAGE 4: PARTNER
Ensure transformative efforts are sustained by supporting continued operations.
Your support will protect young children like Angela from malnutrition and life-threatening illnesses caused by contaminated water.
Current Project Scope
Families in the Diocese of Suchitepéquez-Retalhuleu are our brothers and sisters in Christ. Tragically, many lack even the most basic needs — especially clean, safe water. Cross Catholic Outreach’s plan addresses families’ greatest material needs and infuses Catholic spiritual outreach.
Quench Thirst for a community
Provide a solar-powered community water system to serve 140 families.
Protein-Rich Meals
Feed the hungry 816,000 nutritious Vitafood meals.
Long-Term Food Security
Equip 400 families to grow sustainable home gardens.
Academic Scholarships
Help 55 boys and girls stay in school.
safe
housing
Help launch a new homebuilding program.
Did you know? Vitafood is the name for all fortified meal packs Cross Catholic Outreach provides to the poor.
You Can Transform Lives in Guatemala
No child should ever have to wonder whether that next sip of water will make her sick. No mother should cry at night because she doesn’t have enough food for tomorrow’s breakfast. Your generous support can help relieve families from this intense misery and raise up an alleluia song to the Lord.
Learn more about the need, our partnership and our solution. Download the proposal.
Proceeds from this campaign will be used to cover any expenditures incurred through June 30, 2022, 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.
What Is Your Legacy Mission?
When you include Cross Catholic Outreach as a beneficiary in your will, trust, retirement account or life insurance policy, you will make a difference for poor communities by meeting both material and spiritual needs for generations to come. Create Your Legacy!