In many parts of Haiti, poverty shapes nearly every aspect of daily life. Families live with constant uncertainty, especially when it comes to housing. Across crowded neighborhoods and rural hillsides, thousands of homes are built from scraps of metal and wood. These fragile shelters offer little protection from the elements, leaving families vulnerable whenever storms gather over the Caribbean.
The Catholic Church has stepped forward to answer the cries of these needy families through the faithful work of a local priest at the Kobonal Haiti Mission. For over 30 years, the Kobonal Haiti Mission has transformed the Diocese of Hinche. What was once a region marked by deep poverty has gradually become a network of stronger, healthier communities where families are supported both materially and spiritually.
This year, the Kobonal Haiti Mission has ambitious plans to build 44 safe, affordable homes for vulnerable families. These desperately needed homes will bring hope and stability to those in need. Each home will be built by local Haitian crews, providing employment, strengthening the community, and offering the blessing of secure shelter.
We recently received a $130,000 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!
Donate to bless lives in Haiti, amplifying Christ’s name by sharing his compassion with the poor. Keep in mind that just $19,148 will build an entire home for a family in need, and any gift helps us reach that goal!
For 15 long years, Chidelande and her family have tried to make a home out of a house that is slowly falling apart. The walls are thin and worn, and the roof has been patched repeatedly with pieces of sheet metal. Each repair is only temporary — another fragile layer between the children and the storms that so often sweep across the island.
When strong winds begin to howl through the night, fear fills the small house. The metal roof rattles loudly, and the children rush to hide beneath the bed or table, praying the walls will hold until morning.
Yet through every hardship, Chidelande remains a woman of faith. She lifts her prayers daily to the Lord, asking for protection of her children and hope for their future. Your gift today can help build a secure home where this faithful family can finally rest in safety.
Makenson and his wife work hard each day to provide for their three young children. Life has never been easy, but their faith has always been strong. Today, when Makenson looks at the sturdy home where his family now lives, he calls it “the greatest blessing God could have given me.”
For many years, the family struggled in a fragile home that could barely withstand the weather. When heavy rains fell, Makenson and his wife would rush to gather containers to catch the water pouring through the roof before it destroyed their few belongings. Everything changed when their family received a stormproof new home through the Kobonal Haiti Mission. Strong walls and a secure roof now protect them from storms. Makenson often speaks with deep gratitude for the people who made this possible. He prays that God will bless the generous hearts who helped his family.
Through the generosity of friends like you, many more families can receive the same life-changing blessing.
Ninety-six percent of Haiti’s population live in areas that are vulnerable to natural disasters, such as hurricanes, earthquakes, floods and mudslides (Source: The World Bank). Severe weather makes unreliable housing even more dangerous for poor families.
The Safe Homes in Kobonal outreach will build 44 new homes to provide shelter for 382 people in need. Sturdy, weatherproof housing will help lift the burden of poverty, allowing families to focus on other areas of improvement in their lives, such as spiritual formation, parish involvement, income- generating activities, and education for their children.
Home Features:
Kobonal houses are a model of quality and efficiency — and yet they take only five days of labor to build! This incredible feat is only possible because the mission has invested in its own equipment and employs a staff of experienced masons and carpenters. The mission has even helped other housing ministries in Haiti become more efficient and build better homes by generously sharing its knowledge. Here’s the plan that the construction team follows to build a home from the ground up:
Day 1: The cement foundation is poured.
Day 2: The masonry team builds the cement block walls and coats them with a layer of plaster.
Day 3: The second layer of plaster is applied to the walls. After it is finished, the carpentry team begins framing the roof.
Day 4: The carpentry team continues framing the roof and installs the doors and windows.
Day 5: The galvanized steel roof is installed, and the outside of the home is painted. The family must paint the inside of the home before moving in.
The gift of a home helps children experience the joys of childhood!
In 1989, a missionary team, led by a priest from Louisiana, arrived in Haiti’s Central Plateau. They were heartbroken by the extreme poverty they witnessed. At that time, families in the Diocese of Hinche faced extreme scarcity of food, potable water, education, jobs and safe housing.
The Kobonal Haiti Mission was formed and established a free school for children. Then, it started distributing food rations to the community’s most vulnerable: the elderly, widowed, orphaned, disabled, ill and destitute. Over time, the people began to feel the warm embrace of Jesus’ love. The community began attending Mass, and more people converted and joined the mission, receiving spiritual formation. Couples were married, infants and children were baptized, and long-held spiritual superstitions began to fade.
For nearly 40 years, the Kobonal Haiti Mission has been a beacon of Christ’s light to the poor and needy. Thanks to the tireless work of the missionary team, fueled by generous U.S. Catholics, the once desolate community of Kobonal is now a thriving, faith-filled haven for families in surrounding villages.
Cross Catholic Outreach has partnered with the Kobonal Haiti Mission to fund various programs that support and uplift the community, providing safe housing as well as food, education and material guidance in agriculture.
The Kobonal Mission School educates students from pre-K to ninth grade. Thanks to the support sent by friends of Cross Catholic Outreach, a recent expansion added three classrooms so that even more students can attend school.
In addition to providing protein-rich Vitafood meals, the Kobonal Haiti Mission supplies 250 of the poorest families with monthly distributions of corn, beans, vegetable oil and soap.
Farmers learn proven agricultural methods that they put into practice on the mission’s six farms. These community members work together to help provide fresh produce for students at the Kobonal Mission School.
With the blessing of a new home, children can focus on their studies in peace.
By empowering the Kobonal Haiti Mission to build 44 new homes this year, you will transform families’ lives. Help give them safe refuge and draw precious souls to Jesus Christ!
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.
