Students at the Kobonal Mission School in Haiti gather before entering their classes.
Education is one of the most powerful paths to a bright future — but many children in developing countries cannot attend school, which leaves them trapped in a cycle of poverty. According to UNESCO, about 16% of primary- and secondary-school-aged children do not attend school worldwide. Almost half of out-of-school children are girls.
These children have dreams and ambitions for their futures. Instead of going to school, girls and young women carry out chores or work to help their families. Sometimes, young boys are the only breadwinners in their homes. Doors of opportunity close on these children before they’ve had a chance to try to overcome poverty.
Scholarships allow impoverished families to send their children to school. In addition to classroom learning, some scholarships provide school supplies and uniforms, and most schools have feeding programs offering healthy meals to their students.
Imagine being the hands and feet of Jesus and helping nourish young minds!
Your kind generosity in support of education will put a better future within a child’s grasp. Give today so that impoverished boys and girls can have a better tomorrow!
Your donations are the driving force behind our mission.
Haiti’s education system is in crisis. Internal conflict has destroyed many schools across the island nation, leaving countless children with no way to learn. The illiteracy rate is severely high and growing due to almost 50% of children not attending primary school.
But the Church has answered the call to help 1,800 schoolchildren, 143 employees and 19 teachers in Haiti.
Your kind generosity helps make it affordable for families to send their children to school. The scholarships help buy school supplies for pre-K through eighth grade students, pay teachers’ salaries, and buy the school’s food, supplies and other administrative items.
Since 2003, Cross Catholic Outreach has partnered with the Kobonal Haiti Mission to support central Haiti and the surrounding rural areas. The mission provides families living in poverty with safe homes, nutritious food, clean water, agricultural and microenterprise programs, and quality Catholic education.
Cherlie dreams of being part of the solution to Haiti’s instability.
“I want to become a police officer because I want to help my country,” the eighth grader shared with us during a recent visit to the Kobonal Mission School.
She’s one of the brightest students in her class, and like many of her peers, she treasures the Catholic education she has received. Her family cannot afford to pay for her school fees or uniforms, so the only way she can continue attending school is with the help of friends like you who value her future.
Cherlie and her classmates are eager to shape Haiti’s future and contribute to society in a positive way. Her classmates often talk about becoming accountants, engineers or nurses, or pursuing other careers that will allow them to support their parents and siblings.
A Path Out of Poverty:
Last year, a total of 4,519 scholarships were awarded to 2,765 primary schoolchildren and 1,754 adults, enabling them to attend secondary, technical or vocational schools and colleges.
Room To Learn:
Schools were expanded with the construction of 16 new classrooms and the repair of one classroom. The salaries of 117 teachers and staff members were funded.
Integral Human Development:
A quality Catholic education equips students with the tools to help them advance. The spiritual guidance they receive instills a value for service and teaches them to love both God and their neighbor — blessings that will guide them throughout their lives.
Help give hungry families the nutritious food they so desperately need. Your gift will empower a global network of trusted ministry partners, including:
The Diocese of Santa Rosa de Lima helps boys and girls access high school education. Cross Catholic Outreach helped this longtime partner build and expand the Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic School. Our supporters also provide life-changing scholarships that allow children from impoverished families to stay in school.
Estefani had to leave school for two years so she could work to support her family while her sister was having health problems. Although Estefani maintained her job, she was dedicated to her education. Thanks to the scholarship she received through the Diocese of Santa Rosa de Lima, she was able to return to school for Saturday classes. “I’m very grateful to the donors who provided my scholarship because we have many people who don’t have the opportunity to go to school,” she said.
For over 20 years, Good Samaritan Water Sanitation Services has brought clean water to Kenya and ministered to poor boys and girls in the area. A local priest with the Society of African Missionaries believes education unlocks doors for Kenya’s children. Your support for Ngong Catholic scholarships helps families afford to send their children to primary and secondary school in Kenya.
Bernard attends Empakasi Secondary School. His mother shared that because of her financial hardships, Bernard would not have been able to continue his education at all without this support. Bernard’s favorite subject is physics, and he hopes to become a software engineer or lawyer. He excels in math, science, computer studies, history and Swahili, and loves to play soccer.
In the Philippines, many young people face challenges finding work after graduating from high school because there are few opportunities. Answering the Cry of the Poor (ANCOP) is a program founded by the faith-based Couples for Christ, a Vatican-recognized international lay organization.
The ministry has been building homes and educating children in the Philippines for many years. It now wants to address the growing unemployment problem by providing vocational training to young adults. The ANCOP Scholars SDB Makati scholarship aims to lift families out of poverty by equipping students with valuable employment skills.
Scholarships for ANCOP students cover tuition fees for a year and include spiritual formation and values education. ANCOP’s partnerships with technical institutions prepare students for the workforce by providing them with knowledge and hands-on experience in technical and vocational fields.
Students are all smiles as they gather at the Kobonal Mission School
Education helps put children and young adults on the path to achieving their goals and ending the generational poverty in which they are trapped. Your kind support will ensure that scholarships provide the Catholic education students need to prepare for the workforce and a brighter future.
Please help open doors for children and young men and women in need!
The Cross Catholic Outreach Project Catalog makes it easy to support the world poverty relief and development efforts dearest to your heart. You can fund an individual project — such as one providing Food or Housing — in a specific country, or you can give to one of our various general funds. All listed projects are those we have committed to funding during our current fiscal year.
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, and religious and lay workers to support Food, Water & Health, Housing, Kids & Education, Women & Girls, Disaster Relief and Farming & Loans opportunities and to share the love of our Lord Jesus Christ with the poor and vulnerable in over 30 countries around the world.
We meticulously honor the intent of our donors. Proceeds are restricted to the specific project for which they are raised, along with the fundraising and administrative expenses of that project. If more funds are raised than needed to fully fund the project, any excess funds will be used to meet the most urgent needs of the ministry. Out of the combined total of all cash and material goods donated to Cross Catholic Outreach in a typical year, more than 94% goes directly to programs that help the poor and vulnerable.
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.
