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Courtesy: Concern America
"You can feed a person a fish. But if you teach a person to fish he can feed himself for a lifetime."
"You can give a thirsty person water to drink. But if you teach him to build a water system he can supply his whole village water."
"You can help a pregnant woman give birth. But if you train village midwives they can help the birthrate of the entire village."
We hear many missionaries preach for second collections over the course of a year of Sundays. But no words seemed to ring more clear than those of Father Christopher Smith as he spoke about Concern America at our parish a couple of Sundays ago.
As Father Chris so aptly put it, self-reliance is the mission of this development and refugee-aid organization that works in economically impoverished areas throughout the world. "What distinguishes the work of Concern America is its belief that the transformation of impoverished communities comes from engaging local members in the solutions to their problems. Concern America does this by training community members in health, education, construction, and income-generation, so that the villagers themselves become the health care providers, educators, well-diggers and cooperative members."
Concern America is not headquartered in Washington D.C., it's headquartered right here in Santa Ana, California. It's not a division of the Peace Corps. It's an independent, privately-run, non-profit,charitable organization.
Since it began in 1972, Concern America has made a difference in the lives of more than two million people in fifteen countries across three continents. It has been recognized by the Conrad Hilton Foundation and the Pan American Health and Education Foundation, has been endorsed by bishops and rabbis and awarded "Best in America" certification by Independent Charities of America. (Biggest criteria being the amount of dollars that actually go into financing relief operations.)
Currently Concern America has operations in Mexico, Central America, South America and civil war-torn Africa.
Its unique International Health Immersion Programs provide hands-on learning experiences and are currently recruiting for upcoming trips to Guatemala. It's also looking for Health Professionals and Water Technology/Sanitation Specialists to serve in Columbia.
Christ said " What you do for the least of my brethren, you do for me."
Concern America takes it one step further and helps them do for themselves.
If you can't volunteer with your time as a health care professional, engineer or educator, you can help with your prayers and of, course, your monetary donations.
To find out how, check out:
Or invite Father Christopher Smith to speak at your parish. (Besides being a board member of Concern America, he's also Vicar of Priests for the Archdiocese of Orange and frequently gives parish missions. His sermons are always fresh and upbeat and just thing to wake you up in morning. No one can relate the joy of a newly trained midwife at her first birth or share the pride of the plumber who installed his village's first water system like Fr. Chris can. Yes he will tell you what supply of prescription drugs a donation will buy or what dollar amount can purchase a water tank. But there will be no second collection. He leaves that in the Hands of the Holy Spirt and yours.
Reach him in care of Marywood Center: 714-282-3022
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