Delivering food, shelter, and hope to the poorest of the poor
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Clean Water and Christ’s Hope
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A refreshing sip of clean water is a blessing to children in Guatemala’s Nuevo Bracitos community.
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Thirst, Hunger and a Longing for Christ’s Hope
Imagine knowing the dirty water you are offering to your children will most likely make them sick — but giving them that cup anyway because they must have water to survive and you have no other choice. That’s the reality families face in Guatemala’s rural Diocese of Suchitepéquez-Retalhuleu.
Together with the Church, you can help change this reality. Join us in blessing families with clean water and a Christ-centered pathway out of poverty. Together, we can offer practical solutions for brighter futures:
- Pump clean water into the homes of 300 families by building the area’s largest solar-powered community water system.
- Feed the hungry with approximately 816,480 protein-rich meals.
- Provide training, livestock and supplies for 400 farming families to increase yields.
- Bless 55 children with life-changing academic scholarships and technical training.
- Improve health by improving access to medicines and medical supplies in rural communities.
A gift of $5,108 will pump clean, safe water into the homes of three families.
Poverty in Guatemala
In Guatemala, 2 out of 3 people live on less than $2 per day, and levels of multidimensional poverty are even higher among the Indigenous Guatemalan population. While many of us have felt the pinch of global inflation, the situation is devastating for Guatemala’s poor farming families. Many have been forced to stop using fertilizer due to soaring prices, and that has resulted in lower crop outputs. Families who used to buy water can no longer afford it, so many are turning to contaminated sources that jeopardize their health.
Our Community Transformation Strategy
A Practical Solution to Meet Urgent Needs in Christ’s Name
In 2022, Cross Catholic Outreach supporters like you helped launch Stage 3 of our Community Transformation Plan in the Diocese of Suchitepéquez-Retalhuleu. Together, we blessed 162 families with clean water, enriched the minds of 46 children with life-changing academic scholarships, and laid the foundation for a new homebuilding program.
With your help, we can move to the next phase of our Stage 3 Community Transformation Plan, building on everything we’ve learned from past projects to provide practical solutions to fight poverty and restore hope in Christ.
Stage 1
Assess - 2020
Identified areas of greatest needs, testing out a home gardening program to determine the strengths and capacity of the local Caritas ministry.
Stage 2
Engage - 2021
Built a 4,300-square-foot distribution center and permanent pastoral center, allowing for future storage of food, medicines and building materials.
Stage 3
Develop - 2022
Built the first two solar-powered community water systems in the region, launched housing and education programs, and expanded food and agriculture programs.
Continued
2023
We need your help to build the largest solar-powered community water system to date, along with launching a health program and expanding food, agriculture and education programs.
Current Project Scope
Our largest solar-powered community water system in Guatemala to date. Expanding an agriculture program to provide families with a new source of income. A foundation for a new health care program with a long-term goal of building rural medical clinics. These are just some of the ways you can transform lives in the Diocese of Suchitepéquez-Retalhuleu in 2023 and beyond.
CLEAN WATER
EXPANSION
Help build the area’s largest solar-powered community water system for 2,100 people.
Protein-Rich
Meals
Feed the hungry approximately 816,480 nutritious Vitafood meals.
Long-Term
Food Security
Equip 400 families with training, livestock and farming supplies.
Academic
Scholarships
Help 55 boys and girls stay in school and learn job skills.
HEALTH AND
MEDICINES
Improve access to medicines and medical supplies in rural communities.
The solar-powered clean water system will mirror the design shown here. It will include a deep-water well, elevated storage tank and underground piping that will run directly to homes.
Meet a Family You Can Bless
Water woes impact Judith Recinos’ daily life. When we recently spoke, her oldest son, Edwin, had recently recovered from a painful waterborne illness. Edwin was fortunate this time. Tragically, 1 out of 42 children in Guatemala don’t live to see their fifth birthday, and drinking contaminated water is a potentially deadly risk.
You can end these water woes for 300 families like Judith’s — sharing Christ’s living water for those who pray for a clean, safe drink.
Download the Proposal
Proceeds from this campaign will be used to cover any expenditures incurred through June 30, 2023, 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!