Poverty in rural Guatemala is not a choice; it’s a trap. The obstacles are so great that nearly six in 10 people in rural Guatemala are born into poverty and never escape its snares (World Food Programme).
Marta, a mother of four in rural Guatemala, knows the struggles of poverty all too well. Each time it rains, water pours through the flimsy roof of the family’s tin shack, often soaking the children and their beds. It also floods their rocky dirt floor, eventually forming a large pool around one of the old, broken-down mattresses.
“We have to hold the roof when it is windy so the roof won’t blow away,” Marta said.
Sadly, Marta’s story is not unique in Guatemala. That’s why we partner with local Catholic leaders to build safe homes for the poorest families. Already, our past supporters have equipped Church ministries to build 1,201 safe homes for families throughout rural Guatemala. This year, we want to bless 240 families with safe homes — but we can’t do it without your help.
We recently received a $450,000 challenge gift to inspire an outpouring of support for this project. Your gift, combined with this challenge gift, will have an even more powerful impact!
Santiago lives with a nagging pain every day. Despite working hard in local farm fields, he can’t make enough to keep his family safe, raising his children in a crowded tin shack that can’t even keep out the rain. “All of the money we make is barely enough to buy food for the family,” he said.
Watch this video to see how you can be part of the Lord’s intervention for this precious family.
It costs $21,225 to build a sturdy new home, and a gift of any size will help protect a vulnerable family. Your support will give children a safe place to sleep, study and play.
Safe housing gives families a place to build their relationships, have regular meals together, and make memories that last a lifetime.
With a sturdy roof over their heads and a concrete foundation beneath their feet, families report improved health since they no longer battle unsanitary conditions.
For the first time, families will receive an indoor bathroom with a flushable toilet. This is a huge upgrade that brings improved health.
Cross Catholic Outreach is proud to partner with dioceses and ministries across Guatemala, including the Diocese of Santa Rosa de Lima, the Diocese of Suchitepéquez-Retalhuleu, the Diocese of Sololá-Chimaltenango, the Diocese of Escuintla, the Archdiocese of Los Altos, the Archdiocese of Santiago de Guatemala and Friends for Health and Life in Guatemala City.
Our vision for continued growth is anchored in the local expertise of our Catholic ministry partners and driven by a shared mission to bring hope. The goal is to expand these local partnerships in ways that are scalable and have a high potential to transform communities. It is a mustard seed approach — starting small and growing together.
Here are our ministry partners in Guatemala providing safe housing:
Maria’s heart aches every night. Her children are no longer near her at bedtime — the family’s crumbling home is just too unsafe.
“I worry each night. When they get sick, I don’t hear them,” the loving mother said sadly.
She and her husband, Ancelmo, decided their aging home, built with handmade mud bricks, was no longer safe for the children. Rainwater streams down a steep hillside, eroding the home’s walls and often flooding the rocky floor. The mud bricks are cracking, and one wall has already collapsed.
Afraid the entire house could fall in, Ancelmo built a separate small structure made of tin sheets, where six of the couple’s seven children now sleep. The tin house is about 20 yards downhill, so the couple’s toddler, Mercedes, must now look to her siblings for comfort at night. The only child remaining with the parents is their baby daughter, Melany.
Despite their best efforts, the family still worries that the new home’s thin walls cannot withstand the strong winds that hit their mountain community. However, building a larger and safer home is not possible. The space on the hillside and the family’s income are both too small. Ancelmo and his two oldest sons work as laborers on local farms, earning just $10 a day when they can find work.
“Sometimes we have three meals a day,” Maria said. “Other times, all we have are coffee and tortillas.”
Maria quickly adds, though, that the family is full of hope because they believe in the providence of an all-loving God. They frequently kneel in prayer at their home altar, and all the girls wear scapulars of the Blessed Mother.
“We ask God for the miracle of a new house,” Maria said. “Just the fact that you are visiting us today shows that God is at work.”
This outreach will build 240 safe homes to bless 1,212 people in 22 rural communities. These homes cost just $21,225 to build, but are priceless to each family blessed to move in.
These homes now include several new features based on insights received from our ministry partners that reflect the needs of the families. New features include:
Our diocesan ministry partners, the dioceses of Santa Rosa de Lima and Suchitepéquez-Retalhuleu, engage in multiple projects tailored to meet the spiritual and material needs of local families. In addition to providing safe homes, your generosity will give blessings such as:
Offer scholarships for 216 impoverished children and support teacher salaries and operations at a Catholic secondary school, with enrollment expected to reach 400 students.
Equip 510 families to grow nutritious food and earn income by expanding crop fields and livestock businesses or establishing home gardens.
Ship and distribute more than 5.1 million nutritious Vitafood meals to hungry Guatemalan families.
Support small-group Christian communities, seminarians and priests and provide operational expenses for Catholic lay ministry workers.
Enable 125 families to expand their home-based farming, as well as baking and retail businesses, so they can become financially secure.
Create an expanded health clinic in one village where a physician can treat patients three times a month and support the efforts of health promoters in nine communities.
Surprise children with what may be their first Christmas gift and remind them of God’s love.
The mercy of God is spreading across Guatemala, thanks to our generous friends. We are now building sturdy homes in partnership with six Catholic dioceses and archdioceses! With your help, our partners will build 240 homes in Guatemala this year and change the lives of 1,212 people forever. Give today to bless families with safe homes and hope!
Father Francisco Hernandez blesses Candeleria and her children as they move into their new home.
Donations from this campaign will be used to cover any expenditures for this project incurred through June 30, 2027, 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.
