An eager student smiles during his lunch break at the Kirumbi Primary School in Kenya. School dropout rates are highest among children whose parents are HIV positive or have died of AIDS. Catholic Relief Services supports this school and others like it through the Archdiocese of Mombasa, which provides 150 of the school’s orphans and vulnerable children with uniforms, counseling, books and medical care. Photo by David Snyder for CRS.

A student runs through a rice paddy outside of the Sangoil School in Bangladesh. Catholic Relief Services works through our local partner, Caritas Bangladesh,to advance  education in Bangladesh by improving  teachers skills, strengthening relationships with the community and increasing children’s access to education. Photo by David Snyder for CRS.

One girl was sold into slavery by her father and later raped. Another was forced to work and beaten with a strap. These are just some of the stories of girls who receive help at the Father Benito Ibaretta Home for Young Girls in Bohicon, Benin. With support from Catholic Relief Services, the center helps rescued girls who have been trafficked for forced labor or sexual exploitation.

The girls at “Hogar de Querubines” pray before lunch time. The center, sponsored by Catholic Relief Services, helps girls 12 to 18 who have been sexually exploited, abused, and trafficked, the only such center in Honduras and all of Central America. “Hogar de Querubines” or Cherub Home is located in the capital, Tegucigalpa. Photo by Hilda M. Perez for CRS.

Niramure Joselyne sews for one of her clients in Bungwe, Rwanda. With the help of Catholic Relief Services and our local partner, Caritas Rwanda, orphans in this small central African country learn vocational skills through structured training. Photo by Rick D’Elia for CRS.

An employee of Cheese Dedic prepares cheese for packaging at a small shop outside of Sarajevo. Supported by Catholic Relief Services through the Empowerment for Prevention of Trafficking project, the cheese shop helps empower women, and provides them with a steady income, reducing the need to try risky ventures that could lead to trafficking. Photo by David Snyder for CRS.

A woman celebrates independence day in Ghana’s capital, Accra, at a large official ceremony at Independence Square. Recognized by the international community as a democratic and economic leader in Africa, Ghana has taken center stage in the fight against poverty. Catholic Relief Services is a longstanding partner in Ghana’s development. CRS Ghana was established in 1958, just one year after Ghana gained independence.
Photo by David Snyder for CRS.

Seven-year-old Carmelita Dolcy is one of thousands of Haitian refugees living in the Dominican Republic. Carmelita’s family, now resettled in Santo Domingo, was forced to leave Haiti in 2004. The family has been assisted by Catholic Relief Services through our partner the Haitian Archdiocese which helped Carmelita’s mother set up her small used bedding and linens business.

Ester Daudi, small-scale farmer in Tanzania, used loans she secured through her village savings group to hire help to plant rice on her five acre farm. Catholic Relief Services has helped thousands of villages and small-scale farmers throughout sub-Saharan Africa form Savings and Internal Lending Communities. These groups, consisting of about 10-20 members, pool their savings and disburse loans to members to help meet their financial needs.
Photo by David Snyder for CRS

A father holds his newborn child at the House of Mothers in Bafata, Guinea-Bissau. The center, supported by Catholic Relief Services, provides nutrition and health education for at-risk pregnant women. Guinea-Bissau has one of the highest maternal mortality rates in West Africa. Some men resist sending their wives to the House of Mothers, opting to keep them in the village to give birth with a traditional birth attendant. At the center, CRS also provides food that helps women maintain their health during and after pregnancy.
Photo by Lane Hartill/CRS