Chankholombe Primary School, located in Malawi’s Diocese of Karonga, has two new classrooms.
Through education, children learn vital skills for future prosperity. Yet in many rural and remote communities in developing countries, schools are plagued by overcrowding and unsanitary conditions that make it difficult for students to learn.
Operating on extremely limited funding and resources, many schools must teach their students outside beneath the trees or in whatever crumbling makeshift buildings are available. Without desks and chairs, students sit on the floor to work. Often there are not enough textbooks and other materials to go around. Teachers do their best to keep their students on course, but in such distracting and uncomfortable environments, it is nearly impossible.
Altogether, these challenges can leave children feeling unproductive at school, and many begin to wonder whether they should keep attending at all. Without intervention, they risk dropping out and losing sight of their God-given dreams.
Please join Cross Catholic Outreach and our ministry partners in creating a brighter future for the young boys and girls in these villages. Your support will directly improve school infrastructure, expand classroom capacity, provide teacher housing, and make a quality Catholic education more accessible to children in need. Help unlock their full potential today.
Your gift can help children like Antony pursue a bright future in Christ!
Cross Catholic Outreach works closely with ministry partners in developing countries to ensure children receive a quality education, giving them the opportunity to escape the generational poverty in which they are often trapped.
In the Diocese of Karonga in Malawi, the recommended teacher-to-student ratio is 1:40 — but the reality is closer to 1:73. Such conditions prohibit learning. Poor infrastructure, teacher shortages and inadequate sanitation facilities also present barriers that discourage consistent school attendance.
Last year, friends of Cross Catholic Outreach helped construct four classrooms, giving more students the space to learn and grow.
Cross Catholic Outreach has partnered with the Diocese of Karonga since 2019. Working together, we have sought to expand learning opportunities for students in rural areas of Malawi. We have also helped the diocese conduct health outreaches by improving and constructing rural health centers, launching nutrition programs, agricultural and animal husbandry initiatives, and evangelization projects: and install clean wells.
Your generosity will make education more accessible across nations. Here are a few of the other school expansion projects your gift will support.
The Daughters of the Redeemer strive to help their brothers and sisters find fullness of life in the redemption of Christ the Lord.
Through this school expansion project in Zambia, they will be able to construct two staff houses at Kalubula Primary School. The teachers’ quarters will improve living conditions and help attract new teachers, reducing the number of students per class. The recommended teacher-to-student ratio is 1:40. The current classrooms operate at a whopping 1:60.
For years, the schools in Kpongu have been overcrowded. Right now classes meet in an old chapel surrounded by houses. The location and poor infrastructure negatively impact the school’s performance and students’ ability to learn.
Generous friends of Cross Catholic Outreach will help the Diocese of Wa build a three-classroom block for the junior high school. The new facilities will include a staff common room, a school store, an office, and student bathrooms. In addition, a junior high school will be built as well as new teacher housing to help retain quality educators.
At St. Gabriel Basic School in Tumu, the kindergarten currently occupies the parish hall.
With help from faithful Catholics, a new school block will provide an environment that’s more conducive and safer for kindergarteners. The new building will have three classrooms to decongest the overcrowded space, allowing for 30-35 pupils per class. The bigger space and new furniture and play equipment will improve the performance of instructors and students alike.
A group of school children smile while sitting in a crowded classroom in Malawi.
Christ reminds us that whatever we do for the least among us, we do for him. Today he is present in the boys and girls eager to learn, grow and serve their communities in Malawi, Ghana and Zambia.
Act now to ensure children attend schools equipped with proper space, essential learning materials and sanitation services, empowering them to overcome adversity and seize every opportunity.
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 & Central America and South America.
Thank You for Your Special Commitment to Serving the Poor!
It’s easy to shop through the Cross Catholic Outreach Project Catalog. Simply browse the categories and choose an item within your budget and close to your heart, such as Anti-Trafficking and Girls’ Rescue or Most Urgent Needs. Select and sponsor one or more of these gifts, and you’ll make a meaningful impact on the life of a needy child or family. It’s that simple!
Absolutely! Once you select your items, you’ll be given the option of sending an e-card or printing a customizable certificate. This is a meaningful way to share Christ’s love with others while also honoring friends and family.
We are a Catholic ministry that partners with bishops, priests, religious and lay workers to provide Food, Water & Health, Housing, Kids & Education, Women & Girls, Disaster Relief, Farming & Loans opportunities and the love of our Lord Jesus Christ to the poor and vulnerable in over 30 countries around the world.
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.
