Education That’s Worth a 7-Hour Hike

Amidst the Sierra Madre mountains in Jalisco, Mexico, lives the Wixárika Indigenous community. 

This group is among Mexico’s poorest and most marginalized indigenous populations, living without reliable access to clean water, electricity, and other basic services. 

Despite their lack of resources, they are fiercely committed to their children’s education.

On Sunday evenings, over 100 Wixárika children hike for 7 hours through the mountains to attend Misión Santa Clara School.

They stay at the mission throughout the week and return home on Friday evenings, the same way they came. 

This weekly journey is arduous and leaves them dusty, tired, and hungry, but they persist because education is a precious gift and offers them a brighter future.

Today, this vital educational ministry faces a budget shortfall. It needs $10,000 to sustain the school and boarding program for the next six months. 

Will you help keep this mission school alive?

Misión Santa Clara has been a beacon of hope for generations of Wixárika children since 1955. Your best gift will support these children with meals, lodging, and lessons. 

Help us keep Misión Santa Clara a refuge and source of hope for these precious children long into the future.

St. Clare of Assisi School Needs More Space

Half a world away, Garo tribal children in Salbari, Northeast India, face many of the same challenges as the Wixárika children.

The Garo families survive on day labor jobs, small farming, or collecting scraps and recyclable materials. They also lack reliable access to basic services like clean water, healthcare, and education.

Since the late 1990s, Franciscan friars have run the St. Clare of Assisi School. More than 500 Garo children attend the school each year. Unfortunately, the school only goes through the 10th grade.

Will you help expand St. Clare of Assisi School to include grades 11 and 12?

Without these additional grade levels, many students have to travel 25 kilometers to continue their education, but some leave school altogether.

St. Clare of Assisi School needs five new classrooms and laboratories for biology, chemistry, and physics. 

These will allow students to complete their education close to home and graduate with the skills needed to pursue better-paying jobs to support themselves and their families.

Our missionaries have managed to secure most of the necessary funds locally, but they are short $50,000 and cannot begin construction.

Your gift today—in any amount—will help cover the remaining cost of materials and labor needed to construct new classrooms at St. Clare of Assisi School. 

You hold the power to change their lives for good!

Thank you for helping each child experience the love of Christ through the education, care, and encouragement they receive at our Misión Santa Clara School in Mexico and our St. Clare of Assisi School in India.

Be assured you and your intentions hold a special place in our daily prayers and in the prayers and Masses offered by Franciscan missionaries worldwide. It is the least we can do to show our deep appreciation for your partnership.

Con un corazón muy agradecido,
Hermano Andrew Brophy, OFM
Director ejecutivo