INTERNATIONAL PROJECT PROPOSAL PROJECT 0907 Esperanza de Vida Housing Provide Safe Housing to Poor Families Diocese of Zacapa, Guatemala Everyone then who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on rock. Matthew 7:24-25
We are a Catholic ministry that mobilizes the global Catholic Church to transform the poor and their communities materially and spiritually for the glory of Jesus Christ. Rather than create new institutions to distribute aid, we support existing ministries and churches already serving the poor. In addition to being the most cost-effective way of helping the poor, empowering these ministries allows us to support the Church s spiritual mission and its important position of leadership in poor communities. We consider every gift we receive as a precious resource from God. We direct every donation to its intended project, provide honest and accurate reports to our donors, and keep overhead costs to an industry low. We handle funds with utmost integrity and hold our ministry partners in the field to the same high standards by asking them to document costs and the impact of their outreach. We invite you to join with us as we seek to transform the lives of the poor materially and spiritually ways that please the Father and glorify him in Heaven and on earth.
Project Synopsis Description This project will build three durable concrete houses to shelter needy men, women and children. Purpose To manifest Christ s mercy by rescuing families from insecurity and deplorable, unsafe living conditions. The Partner Esperanza de Vida, a local ecumenical charity and housing provider, in collaboration with Catholic leaders in the Diocese of Zacapa. Cost $23,760 will build three homes and provide safe housing for at least 21 people. Location The mountains of eastern Guatemala, the Diocese of Zacapa and Holy Christ of Esquipulas. Highlights The Diocese of Zacapa seeks help in bestowing God s mercy on Guatemala s poor, especially single mothers and elderly couples raising grandchildren. Working with local charity and housing provider Esperanza de Vida, the diocese will identify families in urgent need of safe shelter. Your gift will provide materials and labor to build three sturdy new houses for these families. Each house has a solid foundation, waterproof roof, two bedrooms, one living room, and a lockable door and windows, plus a latrine. Each new homeowner will be presented with a Spanish Bible and will benefit from home care instruction, motivational gatherings and house visits by clergy. This will extend the impact of your gift by fostering close-knit, well-maintained communities. Be an agent of mercy today and help us give shelter to families in need! Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Psalm 127:1 1
The Need: A Place to Call Home Gustavo Belteton and his wife spend their days at the Teculután Dump scavenging for scraps of plastic to sell to a local recycling company. The air there is filled with smoke, and on a hot day, temperatures can reach up to 110 degrees. The work is backbreaking and the pay is a pittance about $10 a month barely enough to cover daily bread for the couple and their young son. There is never anything left over to repair their crumbling shack or patch the numerous holes in the roof. Sadly, Gustavo s story is all too common in the poorest areas of Guatemala, where hundreds of In Guatemala, poor families live in deplorable conditions. struggling families live in makeshift shanties fashioned from sticks, mud and pieces of plastic most scavenged from the dump. Others rent small rooms or share a crowded part of another family s shelter, but few have anything we would call a safe or sturdy home. It is common for as many as 10 people to share these crumbling one-room huts, and they typically sleep on a dirt floor with little protection from wind or rain. For these struggling families, even a simple storm can have the impact of a hurricane, buckling their flimsy house walls and drenching them as rainwater gushes through decaying roofs. One strong gust of wind can bring the entire house to the Gustavo and his wife work long hours to help their family survive. ground! These poor households are also plagued by vermin and are vulnerable to theft. Whether at the mercy of the weather or landlords who don t have their tenants best interests at heart, the poor have desperately needed help and the mercy of God. You can be the answer to their cries for help. 2
Each home built will be dedicated to the Lord by a parish priest. Ministry Description To address this humanitarian crisis, Cross Catholic Outreach and local parish priests in the Diocese of Zacapa are partnering with a local housing provider and the ecumenical charity, Esperanza de Vida, to build houses for families in dire need. Our idea wasn t only to find families who were in great need, but also to win souls for God, said Father Francisco Murcia, parish priest. Fr. Francisco, and other parish priests, have dedicated their lives to the poor in Guatemala. Understanding the needs of the people, they picked three families in the most desperate need to receive sturdy homes. The priests know better than us whom to build homes for, said Henry Cordon, Housing Coordinator at Esperanza de Vida. The homes are transforming lives. These families didn t even know what it meant to have a floor and a roof before this. Each home is built on a solid concrete foundation, and has a waterproof roof, concrete walls and floors, two bedrooms, a living room, and a lockable door and windows, plus a latrine. These simple homes provide safety, improve the hygienic conditions of the family, and give impoverished families renewed dignity and hope. Each home is dedicated to the Lord by the parish priest and every family is given a new Bible. These homes represent a fresh start in life and are a tangible reminder of God s mercy and love. 3
House Construction Plans m BEDROOM BEDROOM m BATHROOM LIVING/DINING About the House Our simple house plan offers a low-cost solution to Guatemalan families desperate need for safe, secure, sturdy homes they can truly call their own. Each house includes a solid foundation, waterproof roof, concrete walls, two bedrooms, a living room, and a lockable door and windows, plus a latrine. This simple, professionally designed and built structure provides privacy, improves hygiene, keeps out the rain and gives families peace of mind. The Value of a New Home When you sponsor a home, you provide: A new level of human dignity and hope. Protection from intruders and vermin. A secure place to keep possessions. Hygienic living conditions; freedom from illness. Freedom from rent, providing money for food, medicine, education, etc. A renewed sense of trust. Inclusion in a new community of faith. Solidarity with neighbors sharing good stewardship over their new homes. A personal experience of Christ-like love and compassion. 4
Act Now! It s heartbreaking to see the poverty in remote areas of Guatemala particularly the plight of children exposed to harsh elements and life-threatening diseases simply because of their living conditions. Will you help us put a safe roof over the heads of poor families? Others may be able to turn a blind eye to such misery, but we Catholics are compelled to confront such suffering and take action. The needs in the Diocese of Zacapa are particularly extreme and urgent. Our plan to help is sound, but we can t move forward without your generous financial support. A new home provides more than sturdy walls and a roof, it renews God-given dignity, sparks new dreams, and will strengthen faith leaving an eternal impact on the poor. As you lift these needy Guatemalan families in your prayers, we hope and pray you will also take to heart Jesus call to care for the least of these in our world by helping them achieve their dreams of safe shelter for their children. Please, act now and help Cross Catholic Outreach give the life-changing gift of safe shelter! Then the righteous will answer him, Lord, when was it that we saw you hungry and gave you food, or thirsty and gave you something to drink? And when was it that we saw you a stranger and welcomed you, or naked and gave you clothing? And when was it that we saw you sick or in prison and visited you? And the king will answer them, Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me. Matthew 25:37-40 Our Promise to You! Proceeds from this campaign will be used to cover any expenditures for this project incurred through June 30, 2018, the close of our ministry s new 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. 5 2700 N. Military Trail Suite 240 PO Box 273908 Boca Raton, Florida 33427-3908 800-914-2420 www.crosscatholic.org Copyright Cross Catholic Outreach. Cost-effectively written, designed and printed in-house. [cm1704][udv1707]