This is Cathiana Pierre Louis. She is 8 years old and lives in Kobonal, Haiti with her parents and two older sisters. Cathiana attends the Kobonal Mission School (La Baque School) operated by the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity.
In 2003, Father Joe came to St. Anthony Catholic Church in Oakley to promote sponsorship of children and aging through the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA). Our SCRIP Program decided, in the name of our Parish, to sponsor a child in Haiti and selected Cathiana as that child. The Program has been sending $20 each month for the past two years to provide encouragement and life-enhancing benefits to help Cathiana overcome the obstacles of poverty.
Kobonal Mission was instituted in 1989 by Father Glenn M. Meaux along with Deacon Norman Sparks and his wife, Catherine. Since 1991, the Kobonal Mission has worked with the Christian Foundation for Children and Aging (CFCA) to assist peasant families in attaining a standard of living whereby they can sustain themselves with dignity.
There now exists in Kobonal a vibrant faith community whose members reach out in loving service to others instead of the previous collection of individuals enslaved and oppressed by black magic. Where there was no potable water, there is now good drinking water; where there were few employment opportunities, there are now common agricultural projects and small businesses to offer jobs. Where there were few gardens, there are now enough gardens to sustain the community; where there was little chance for education, there are now hundreds of teenagers who have gone on to high school after being schooled locally. Find out more about the CFCA by visiting the website at http://www.cfcausa.org .