Delivering food, shelter, and hope to the poorest of the poor
Women in Malawi collect their water from shallow holes in the ground like this one. This water is contaminated with bacteria and parasites and is unsuitable for drinking.
WORLDWIDE
In developing countries around the world, poor families often walk miles just to collect water from contaminated ponds, streams or holes in the ground. Drinking this water leads to diarrhea, typhoid and cholera.
In addition to bringing clean water into these thirsty communities, our partners also offer them hygiene training and the hope of Christ. For families in the Diocese of Karonga in Malawi and those served by the Kobonal Haiti Mission in Haiti, your help will have a life-transforming impact for generations to come!
In developing countries around the world like Malawi and Haiti, the search for clean water can be overwhelming. Women and girls wake up long before the sun rises to collect water from contaminated sources, such as shallow holes in dried riverbeds, ponds or streams. In parts of Central America, communities will try to dig their own wells, but these are often too shallow to be effective. Sadly, drinking this water results in illnesses such as diarrhea, cholera and E. coli infections.
Worldwide, over 2.2 billion people don’t have access to water at home, and rural communities are the most affected. In Haiti, 43% of families in rural areas drink from unimproved sources of water, and in Malawi, 9% of rural families collect water from unimproved sources. Source: CIA World Factbook
Cross Catholic Outreach partners with ministries around the world to deliver clean water and spiritual refreshment in the name of Christ. Two of our partners providing clean water are the Kobonal Haiti Mission and the Diocese of Karonga in Malawi.
For over three decades, Father Glenn Meaux’s team at the Kobonal Haiti Mission has been shining Christ’s light to poor families. A critical part of the Mission’s holistic transformation strategy is providing clean water, improving health and hygiene. The Mission also provides safe housing, nutritious food, medical care, Catholic education, agricultural training, microenterprise and spiritual formation activities. As the Mission addresses both material and spiritual needs, it also strengthens families for the next generation.
The Diocese of Karonga is the newest diocese in Malawi. In keeping with its motto, “We shall go to them,” the diocese strives to reach previously unreached areas and revitalize the faith of local Catholics. Its mission is to “provide holistic evangelization through the teaching of the Word of God and facilitating development work.” The diocese installs hand pump wells in communities waiting for water access.
This guide is the perfect opportunity to engage your family with the Corporal Works of Mercy, activate compassion toward the poor, and transform lives this Lent.
Download our FREE 2023 Lent Activity Guide or visit our online lent activity guide for family-friendly activities, crafts, liturgical readings, prayers and more!
A gift to our water fund provides safe, clean water to families around the world.
Community members receive hygiene education that will help the community stay healthy.
Families receiving clean water often also receive Catholic spiritual formation that will draw them closer to the Living Water of Christ.
Lucky Msiska is a mother of five children living in Malawi. She used to wake up at 2 a.m. to collect water from an open stream with the other women in her community.
“Due to the long distance, I could make just one trip. The water was not enough for bathing, washing and other household chores. My children could not always attend school because they were feeling too shy to go to school without bathing,” Lucky said.
But the Diocese of Karonga drilled a clean water well in Lucky’s community, and it changed her life! “Now my children can bathe frequently, and they look neat,” she said. “Water from the borehole is clean and safe.”
This Lent, your support can bring the priceless gift of water to more mothers like Lucky. Share clean water now!
Each morning, Evenson Dorvil walks down a steep ravine in Haiti to collect water to bring home to his wife and four small children. The water is not clean, but Evenson has no other choice but to use this water even though it makes his kids sick.
Your support will help leaders like Fr. Meaux to build hand pumps in rural communities. Help us change lives!
Use it for reflections and notes to grow in your spiritual life. You’ll also receive a prayer request form to mail back so that we can pray for your needs. In effect, this creates a spiritual bridge to connect you to our sisters and brothers in Christ in the developing world!
Cross Mission Partners also receive a semiannual Mission Update with news, insights and information about the good work and accomplishments made possible by your support.
* Every dollar helps us bless the least of our brothers and sisters throughout Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Mexico and Central America, and South America.
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.
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!
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.