Mere material aid helps alleviate suffering, but it can only be a temporary solution to the issue of extreme poverty. It’s a bandage over a bullet wound. For lasting change, the cycle that produces generations of poverty must be broken.
As a Catholic ministry, we are devoted to breaking that cycle of poverty through integral human development and the transformative power of the Gospel. This material and spiritual approach to tackling poverty empowers the poor to become self-sufficient while providing the lasting hope and joy to be found in Christ Jesus.
Guatemala is one such area where Cross Catholic Outreach is committed to empowering the poor and improving their material and spiritual well-being. Poverty here is so severe, particularly in rural areas, that many men feel compelled to leave the country in search of jobs and opportunity. This leaves women and children alone in the attempt to survive on subsistence farming. Earning a living is difficult and contributes to the overall cycle of poverty.
By empowering the poor we can help impoverished individuals attain economic independence to provide for their families and communities.