How it adds up

We are so proud of the unstoppable leaders in El Salvador, Rwanda, and Haiti who pressed through the troubles of the past year to protect families from the pandemic, build health clinics, provide access to clean water, and advance land reform. Behind each of these stories is a deeper story of the institutional change and long-term community impact. Grassroots leaders are making their governments accountable to direct needed resources to benefit the most vulnerable.

This past year’s COVID pandemic and political turmoil also made it clearer than ever how interconnected we are. We are grateful that last year, 840 people could participate in webinars to learn about our international affiliates and support efforts to address COVID and continue their organizing campaigns. We will keep you abreast of upcoming virtual gatherings so you can learn more and join grassroots efforts to influence U.S. policies toward Central America, Haiti, and Africa.

Thanks to those who provided financial support, OPODNE carried out a successful COVID prevention and public education effort in Haiti. Those efforts will grow in 2021. We are now engaging an ongoing discussion of opportunities created by Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s election to fundamentally change U.S. policy toward Haiti. Click here if you want to participate in our next Haiti webinar on Thursday at noon EST.

Our organizing in El Salvador grew significantly in 2020 and will expand to Guatemala in 2021. Read below about the exciting land reform campaign COFOA has launched. COFOA is also helping shape our “Root Causes Initiative“ to fundamentally change U.S. policy toward Central America to address the unemployment, climate change, corruption, and violence driving people north. You can join the hundreds of organizations and individuals by signing our petition here.

In Rwanda, our organizing strengthened the public health system by building a third community clinic. This work is leveraging investment in schools, roads, water, and electricity that now benefits hundreds of thousands of families. Exploratory conversations about organizing continue with faith leaders in Ghana and South Africa.

We will share more about these exciting developments through our 2020 annual report. In the meantime, we will invite you to join future webinars so we can continue to know, love, and work with one another in more powerful ways in 2021.

We are grateful for the 300+ individual who provided financial support last year, helping us raise  $309,631 to support grassroots organizing in some of the most challenging parts of the world, and to the thousands of people in the U.S, Central America, Haiti, and Africa committed to creating a more just world.

John Baumann, S.J., Faith in Action Founder and International Director