World Villages for Children, founded by Father Aloysius Schwartz, provides financial support to the charity programs of the Sisters of Mary in the Philippines, Mexico, Guatemala and Brazil.
PROGRAMS
The Sisters of Mary Children’s Villages in the Philippines, Mexico, Guatemala and Brazil provide food, care and education for children who, through no fault of their own, fall victim to circumstances that have far-reaching consequences for their education and living environment. Some examples of these circumstances could be the loss of one or both of their parents, sickness, extreme poverty and hunger.
The children range in age from newborns to late teens. In the Sisters of Mary Children’s Villages, the children are provided with a fully accredited in-house education program from kindergarten to high school. The high school children also receive vocational training. As a result of this training, graduates have been very successful in securing jobs after completing their education. So far, World Villages for Children has helped more than 45,000 children break free from a life of poverty.
During their stay in the Children’s Villages, the Sisters of Mary provide all children with free food, shelter, clothing, and all medical and dental care they need. To enable them to become independent adults and break free from all physical and emotional scars of their former life of living in poverty, the children are encouraged to participate in sports, artistic activities and activities intended to promote local hygiene and culture.
In 2006, we cared for more than 22,000 children in villages in five countries. We are currently funding villages in the Philippines, Mexico, Guatemala and Brazil. These villages are located in seven cities; Cavite, Talisay and Minglanilla (the Philippines); Chalco and Guadalajara (Mexico); Guatemala City (Guatemala) and Brasilia (Brazil).
In Guatemala and Brazil, the Sisters of Mary also run medical clinics and hospitals where they care for sick people and children who are too poor to have access to urgently needed medical care. In 2006, our clinics and hospitals treated over 190,000 patients.