Many of the world’s poorest families live in crumbling mud houses or other fragile, leaky shelters. These makeshift dwellings offer little to no protection from the rain or vermin, let alone natural disasters such as hurricanes and earthquakes. They also provide little privacy or security and require frequent repairs.
Last year, friends like you helped Cross Catholic Outreach build or repair 356 homes for more than 1,800 people in 13 developing countries. This year, join us in giving even more families a safe place to live by supporting the efforts of our frontline ministry partners around the world.
Build a future of hope for impoverished families.
Poverty in rural Guatemala is not a choice; it’s a trap. The obstacles are so great that nearly 6 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 broken-down old mattresses.
“We have to hold the roof when it is windy so the roof won’t blow away,” Marta said.
Guatemala
Project 9003
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!
Through our Catholic ministry partners in Guatemala, you can build safe homes for families in need. For example, Santiago’s family home is built on a steep hillside in the poor village of Laguna Seca in the Diocese of Santa Rosa de Lima, Guatemala. The small sheet-metal structure is just large enough to shelter the family of seven when they sleep and to store their clothing. They eat outside under an awning and cook over an open fire.
Hundreds of families in Guatemala are living in substandard housing — parents earn around $8 a day working in the fields, so they can’t afford much else. These homes let in the rain, snakes and insects, and families lose self-confidence in such an undignified environment.
Your gift can help provide a concrete-block home that will be wired for electricity and include a sanitary latrine and an exterior washbasin. Such a gift is a true miracle for families that yearn for a safe and secure home.
With your help, we can bless poor families in Guatemala by affording them greater security, improved health and a tangible reminder of God’s love — all by giving them a new home!
This project is part of a larger initiative to support Cross Catholic Outreach’s Guatemala Relief Fund. Donations made to this project will provide families with safe homes, food, clean water, education, medicine, agricultural support and other lifesaving aid.
A sturdy home provides safety and security for families living in poverty. Your support can make lifelong dreams of safe shelter come true!
It costs $21,225 to build each home, but any size gift can go a long way toward changing a family’s future. Please give generously to share hope and help build a home in Guatemala.
Your donations are the driving force behind our mission.
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!
The Cross Catholic Outreach Christmas Catalog makes it fun and easy to extend the joy of Christmas to the poor. Instead of being filled with retail items, the catalog contains meaningful gifts for some of the world’s most impoverished families. Some gifts are lifesaving items such as Food, while others are large projects such as Safe Homes or Clean Water. All gifts are sent on your behalf to grateful families in developing countries.
It’s easy to shop through the Cross Catholic Outreach Christmas Catalog. Simply browse through the categories and choose an item within your budget and close to your heart, such as Box of Joy or Catholic School Scholarships for children. 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 overseas. It’s that simple!
Blessing the poor happens year-round. Some gifts in our Christmas Catalog are sourced locally, so there is no need to worry about international shipping. For items that require shipping, Cross Catholic Outreach works with partners in every country we serve to ensure Christmas Catalog gifts are delivered in a timely fashion.
Yes! Making a gift in honor of a friend or family member is a fun and easy way to share Christmas joy. Once you complete the checkout process, let them know by sending a printed certificate or e-Card.
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.