Every child deserves to have a family. Every child deserves to have a home. Things like quality nutrition, medical care, and education shouldn’t be luxuries for women and children.

With 140-200 million orphans in the world, too many children lack these very essentials. And hundreds of millions of children are malnourished or undernourished, harming their ability to survive, thrive, and reach their full potential.

Women face incredible hurdles in getting the education and healthcare they need.

• One in every 10 women is living in extreme poverty (10.3 percent).*
• Women are more food insecure than men. Gender gaps in food insecurity have grown from 1.7% in 2019 to more than 4% in 2021, with 31.9% of women moderately or severely food insecure compared to 27.6% of men.*
• Worldwide, adolescent girls aged 10-14 are twice as likely to spend excessive hours (at least 21 per week) on household chores than boys of the same age.**
• Maternal health conditions – such as hemorrhage, sepsis or obstructed labor – are the second leading cause of death among girls aged 15-19.**

In the name of Jesus Christ and in the spirit of St. Francis, we provide care and comfort to children in need, by sponsoring orphanages worldwide, building schools, educating children, and nourishing their bodies and souls.

We offer materials and essentials to women and mothers; operate medical clinics, and run day care centers, so older female siblings can attend school instead of serving as the primary care provider. And we offer pastoral support for women facing HIV/AIDS and other illnesses.

By sharing some of God’s blessings with these women and children, you can offer a beacon of hope that shines brightly—guiding them to a more promising future.

Recent Project Highlights

Providing emergency aid and ongoing support for families

Franciscan missionaries has supported dozens of programs to benefit children and women.

• Provided nutritious food for the economically poor tribal Khasi children in Nongjri Mission, North East India. 
• Operated an assistance program for women living on the streets in Buenos Aires. 
• Provided financial assistance for the disabled children in Butimba Parish, Tanzania. 
• Ran a 120-day feeding program for 25 poor children of the St. Francis parish in Rizal, Santiago City, Isabela. Philippines.
• Provided medical assistance, and food to the Tri-People communities (Muslim, Christian and indigenous peoples of Mindanao).