Delivering food, shelter, and hope to the poorest of the poor
Help Children Blossom
Change Lives With Education, Food and Hope
St. Therese of Lisieux tells us that even the littlest children can hope to become saints. But without a solid education – and the knowledge of Jesus Christ – impoverished children are trapped in a lifetime of poverty, hunger and despair.
This fall, Cross Catholic Outreach is fundraising to help children blossom. We will partner with Catholic ministries in Haiti, Peru, Kenya and Ethiopia to send 2,970 impoverished children to Catholic schools, giving them access to high-quality education, nutritious meals and hope. Your gift today will change the lives of each of these desperately poor children — and it will do so much more.
Early childhood education has proven benefits. Investing $10,000 in education programs in low-income countries generates an additional $52,000 in increased lifetime earnings. Studies also show that when parents complete secondary school, their children grow up to earn more money and have better standards of living and safer housing.
Empower Generations to Escape Poverty
A Three-Pronged Approach to Eradicate Poverty
Education
Building a Foundation for Success
In Haiti, Peru, Kenya and Ethiopia, families often struggle to provide their children with the education they deserve. Schools may be too far away or understaffed, and the cost of books, uniforms and supplies is a barrier for the poorest students.
All six ministries we’ve identified offer a quality education. At St. Joseph Training Institute in Haiti and Brother Beausang Catholic Education Center in Kenya, teachers equip children with accelerated learning opportunities. From kindergarten through high school, a solid Catholic education yields brighter futures — and empowers children with the skills and knowledge to break the cycle of poverty once and for all.
Support Schools for the Poor This Year.
tuition scholarships
Poverty will no longer be a barrier for children to access a high-quality education.
technology
Students will learn to use computers and will be prepared to enter the modern workforce.
job training
Teens can earn professional certifications in high-demand jobs such as IT, electrical & plumbing.
Meet Gelana
At just 5 years old, Gelana Reta’s siblings already rely on him to help put food on the table. Gelana works alongside his mother to collect and sell firewood, earning about $1 per day — barely enough to survive on. Gelana’s mother wants to give him a better future, but she can’t afford the tuition for kindergarten.
Cross Catholic Outreach wants to sponsor 40 scholarships to help children like Gelana attend Shambu Catholic Kindergarten in Shambu, Ethiopia. You can bless these children with a head start on their education — and a pathway to one day escape poverty.
Ayantu Desalegn knows that education can help her son, Gelana Reta, secure a better life.
Be a Blessing. Send Children Like Gelana to School.
One of the cornerstones of Heart of Jesus School in Peru is ensuring that children have enough food to eat.
Food
Learning on a Full Stomach
In Haiti, Peru, Kenya and Ethiopia, hunger is a daily struggle for many children. When a child is malnourished, it’s impossible to focus on lessons. Sadly, malnourished children are much more likely to drop out of school altogether.
All six partners we’ve identified offer food as a part of their ministry. At Marie Louise Bayle Center in Haiti and Heart of Jesus School in Peru, daily nutritious meals are provided to all students, and during the COVID-19 pandemic, food is being distributed to families. These balanced meals help students excel at their studies.
Prevent Malnutrition. Fuel Their Future.
DAILY MEALS
Hunger will no longer prevent children from being able to focus on their schoolwork.
BRAIN BENEFITS
Vitamin-packed meals are scientifically proven to improve brain development and memory.
IMPROVED HEALTH
Healthy meals promote heart health, stronger muscles, and a reduced risk of certain diseases.
“Even if you are very poor, we will try to lend you a hand so you can recover your dignity,” says Sister Yolande Chene as she holds Rose Melanda.
Meet Rose
To outsiders, 5-year-old Rose Melanda seemed like a lost cause. She suffered from polio and extreme malnutrition and was too weak to walk. But at the Marie Louise Bayle Center in Haiti, Rose received the dignified care she needed. The sisters immediately put Rose on a fortified diet, enrolled her in preschool, and introduced her to Christ’s love. Two years later, Rose can walk, play and communicate!
Cross Catholic Outreach wants to help children like Rose by providing the Marie Louise Bayle Center with the resources to feed 400 children as young as 6 months old. You can bless these children with nutritious meals — and fuel their pathway out of poverty.
Give Little Ones Like Rose a Healthy Start.
Sister Tereza Gabriel believes that building bonds with children at Shambu Catholic Kindergarten will fill them with God’s love.
Hope
Discovering Christ’s Light
Children struggling to survive might not see the path to a better future. But when the light and hope of Christ shine into the darkness of their circumstances, they begin to realize the bright future God has planned for them.
At Shambu Catholic Kindergarten in Ethiopia and St. John Bosco Rehabilitation Center in Kenya, religious sisters and lay staff model works of charity. By infusing education and food with the gift of hope, children can develop into well-rounded, faith-driven adults. The six mission partners we’ve identified are prepared to lay a foundation of Catholic values — but they need your help to accomplish this.
Act as an Instrument of Christ’s Hope.
Students at St. John Bosco Rehabilitation Center in Kenya know that spiritual formation is key to a brighter future — and will guide them to eternal life in Christ!
jennifer
“I have learned the 10 Commandments and that we are all made in God’s image.”
brian
“Our school is needed, because it helps us grow spiritually.”
agnes
“At school, I have learned to be humble.”
Meet Brian
From Embulbul to Harvard
To call Brian Nzuki an inspiration would be an understatement. This young man is now a Harvard student, but his education began thousands of miles away in Embulbul, Kenya, where he received scholarships throughout primary and secondary school to attend the Brother Beausang Catholic Education Center. Brian graduated at the top of his class and excelled at extracurricular activities including debate and choir.
Right now, 635 boys and girls at Brother Beausang Catholic Education Center are praying for a brighter future. They deserve to seize their God-given destiny, just like Brian has. Join us to show these children that God hears their prayers and has a special plan for their lives. Bless them with the gift of hope!
Brian Nzuki – now a Harvard student – attended Brother Beausang Catholic Education Center in Kenya.
Be a Blessing of Hope for Children in Need.
Children Will Blossom With Your Help
Bless Young Souls With Education, Food and Hope
“If a little flower could speak, it seems to me that it would tell us quite simply all that God has done for it, without hiding any of its gifts.”
- St. Therese of Lisieux -
As Catholics, we know that even a child born in the most humble of conditions can change the world. Together, we can help little ones go discover their God-given talents so they can conquer poverty once and for all.
Give Impoverished Children the Future They Deserve.
Angeleline (left) prays for a brighter future for her daughter, Leika (right).
Children of Light
Trapped in Darkness
At 9 months old, Leika doesn’t understand the pain she feels in the pit of her stomach. She has only known a life of hunger. Leika’s mother, Angeline, dreams of a brighter future for her daughter, but in Ouanaminthe, Haiti, poverty traps generation after generation. In a country where 42% of women can’t read and write, Angeline knows that education is an escape — a pathway for Leika and other children to seize their God-given potential.
Leika’s mother can find inspiration in the communion of saints, beginning with St. Therese of Lisieux. The Little Flower’s path to sainthood began in childhood — and it was reinforced in a Catholic schoolhouse. Therese knew her vocation by age nine — and the Benedictine nuns who ran her school recognized her gifts. Impoverished children from Haiti, Peru, Kenya and Ethiopia can also fulfill their Godly purpose — but they need your Christlike intervention!
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Cross Catholic Outreach
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.
Get the latest news and updates on how we’re transforming the poor and their communities.
Proceeds from this campaign will be used to cover any expenditures incurred through June 30, 2021, the close of our ministry’s new 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.
