Give Poor Children the Quality Education They Need
Our collaboration with Mano Amiga is foundational to Catholic World Mission. With your help, we have been uplifting students for 25 years at campuses around the world.
Mano Amiga schools provide a high-quality Catholic education that gives children the tools to break free from spiritual and material poverty. Mano Amiga graduates have gone on to become doctors, lawyers, dentists, business professionals, loving parents and involved members of the community. More than 85% of Mano Amiga students proceed to institutes of higher learning; 83% of graduates are formally employed.
Please help Catholic World Mission raise the funds needed to renovate an outdated chemistry lab for the 798 bright, young students at Mano Amiga Monterrey, Mexico.
Learning about science is vital to a child’s formation; helping to unlock their unlimited God-given potential. Ana wishes to grow up and be a pediatrician one day, so she can help heal sick children. Guillermo dreams of becoming a dentist working in a community where care is hard to come by. And José Manuel, with his creative and curious mind, desires to be a scientist whose research uncovers the cure for a disease like Alzheimer’s.
They need your support today to realize the promise of their future!
Through YOUR abundant generosity, you can ensure children like Ana, Guillermo, and José Manuel can learn in a safe, well-equipped environment that affirms the dignity of each student.
Teaching children about the material world helps them better understand the God who created that world. St. John Paul II wrote in his encyclical Fides et Ratio:
“Faith and Reason are like two wings on which the human spirit rises to the contemplation of Truth.”
In partnership with other Catholic World Mission supporters, you can ensure that young students have the tools for hands on learning, experimentation, and exploration as they soar into their bright futures. Please give as generously as you can. God bless you for your love and kindness.
Any dollar counts, Donate Now
Mano Amiga was founded in Mexico to bring a higher level of education that is rich in Catholicism to impoverished areas of the country. Since founding, 22 schools have opened in Mexico alone. Those 22 schools in total provide an education for over 15,000 students and give jobs to 1,200 people. Mano Amiga graduates have gone on to become doctors, lawyers, dentists, business professionals, loving parents and involved members of the community. More than 85% of Mano Amiga students proceed to institutes of higher learning; 83% of graduates are formally employed.
“A teacher affects eternity: he can never tell where his influence stops.” – Henry Adams
Meet the Students
Mexico confronts serious problems including poverty, violence, corruption, drug trafficking, and social inequality, most of which are rooted in lack of education and opportunity. Mano Amiga grew in response to these problems. Only quality education can bring long-lasting change to the country. Read about some of the Mano Amiga campuses in Mexico here.
Acapulco, Guerrero
Students: 765
Founded: 2001
Mano Amiga Acapulco is located in one of the poorest and most violent communities in the country. Parents are desperate for a safe place for their children to learn and grow. Mano Amiga Acapulco is the answer to their prayers.
Cancun, Quintana Roo
Students: 875
Founded: 2009
Located just miles away from the beach and the tourist district, Mano Amiga Cancun serves the students and families of the surrounding region. Cancun is the most popular tourist destination in the Caribbean, but many of the local residents grapple with poverty. Mano Amiga provides high quality, Catholic education in a loving, family-like environment.
Valle de Chalco, Solaridad
Students: 949
Founded: 1993
Mano Amiga Chalco was founded in response to a visit from Pope St. John Paul II in 1990. He urged the people to take care of their youth, and the people of Chalco responded. The school was built as 3 preschools, and has now grown to include every grade! Mano Amiga Chalco has matriculated over 10 graduating classes. 70% of the students go on to study in universities and technical schools.
Conkal, Merida
Students: 404
Founded: 2005
Mano Amiga Conkal was founded after Hurricane Isidore hit Mexico in 2005. Mano Amiga is a comprehensive education center where children and young people in need receive the tools necessary to become successful people. Mano Amiga Conkal accomplishes this by meeting the poorest families’ needs and forming them spiritually, intellectually, socially, and on a human level.
La Cima, Mexico
Students: 423
Founded: 1991
Mano Amiga La Cima is a fantastic school with lots of beautiful and hardworking students. Several years ago, the school’s fencing was damaged by Hurricane Alex. As a result, the school was exposed to gangs who vandalized it constantly. Your generosity allowed Mano Amiga La Cima to rebuild its focus!
Monterrey, Nuevo León
Students: 950
Founded: 1974
Mano Amiga Monterrey serves students grades Pre-K through high school. Because of limited space, students attend school in shifts: boys in the morning and girls in the afternoon. The average student at Mano Amiga Monterrey has approximately 50% of their tuition covered by scholarships—provided by donors like you!
Morelia, Michacán
Students: 620
Founded: 2009
Morelia, one of the richest and most densely populated cities in Mexico, has the highest kidnapping rate in the country. While the government cracks down on cartels and crime, one of the best ways for children and their families to escape these horrible situations is through education. Mano Amiga Morelia is one of the safe havens that helps children and their families escape the cycle of poverty that perpetuates such crime.
Puebla, Mexico
Students: 776
Founded: 2006
Our own Deacon Rick Medina got to visit Mano Amiga Puebla in 2013. He was able to give out full-year scholarships, meet a widowed mother of two and hear her story of hope, and learn about other needs at the school. Mano Amiga Puebla has a high percentage of special needs students, whom they are finding creative ways to teach and serve.
Queretaro, Mexico
Students: 595
Founded: 2005
In Querétaro, many families are poor and can’t afford to send their children to school. The average student at Querétaro has 64% of their tuition provided by partners, benefactors, and donors like you! Mano Amiga Querétaro serves children in the community as well as their families.
Santa Catarina, Nuevo Leon
Students: 850
Founded: 1989
CWM Executive Director Deacon Rick Medina got to visit Mano Amiga Santa Catarina in 2013. There, he was greeted by students, faculty, parents, and the greater community. One of the families Deacon Rick got to meet was Javier and his wife, who have 4 children. Two are grown and work as an industrial engineer and psychologist, respectively. The younger two are still in school at MA Santa Catarina. They say going to school here is worth the daily 3-mile-long walk!
Tapachula, Chiapas
Students: 774
Founded: 2006
Quality education is badly needed in Tapachula. There, about 75% of the population lives in poverty. 18 out of 100 people can’t read or write, and most drop out from school after 7th grade. Thanks to your generosity, 98% of Mano Amiga Tapachula’s students are given scholarships, making it possible for them to beat the odds. Thank you for all you do!
Tijuana, Baja California
Students: 192
Founded: 2008
Known as Mexico’s fifth largest metropolitan area, Tijuana remains a major cultural, municipal, and commercial center. The Mano Amiga School lies on the outskirts of this urban hub in a neighborhood familiar with underdevelopment and poverty.
Through the aid of Catholic World Mission, 100 percent of the school’s enrollment are granted scholarships. Because of the steadily increasing population, however, many families are still waiting to be granted enrollment and scholarship to the school.
San Antonio Zomeyucan, Estado de Mexico
Students: 511
Founded: 1963
Mano Amiga Zomeyucan was the first Mano Amiga School to be founded by the Legionaries of Christ in 1963. It started with 14 students in preschool whose parents were determined for them to have Catholic education. Today, the school has grown to include over 511 students, and international serves students in nine countries! Mano Amiga Zomeyucan laid the foundation for 22,000 students and it is still expanding thanks to your generosity.
Help a Child Today
For students from poor families, going to school is a luxury their families may not be able to afford. Thousands of Mano Amiga students rely on the donations of generous donors like you to be able to go to school. Please, give now, and help end the cycle of poverty when you make it possible for a poor child to receive a quality education.
Please help secure sponsorships for 25 first grade students this year.
CWM’s own visits Mano Amiga Cancun
November 2019
Stephanie Quinlan recently visited Mano Amiga Cancun, where she got to meet students, teachers, and administrators.
See photos from her visit below.
Deacon Rick Visits Mano Amiga Cancun
Spring 2019
Deacon Rick Medina, Catholic World Mission Executive Director, recently visited Mano Amiga Cancun!
Take a look at photos from his trip.
3 Schools Graduate Their First Classes of High School
The first students to complete high school at Mano Amiga Guadalajara, Mano Amiga Puebla, and Mano Amiga Torreón are on to the next step in their bright futures. Take a moment to pray for these amazing trailblazers!
Mano Amiga Torreón
Mano Amiga Guadalajara
Mano Amiga Puebla
New Desks for its Students in Conkal
March 2018
As a direct result of your generosity during the 2017 Back to School campaign, MA Conkal was able to buy 50 new desks for its students! Click through the pictures below to see the new desks, as well as some photos of the little ones making arts and crafts at their new desks. Thank you for your generous giving to these schools–you make it possible every day for students in the poorest parts of the world to receive quality education!
Click through the carousel of images below to see the fruits of your generosity!
New High School in Tapachula
2015
Thanks to your generosity in 2014, Mano Amiga Tapachula was able to build a new high school facility! Take a look at the photos below to see the various stages of construction progress.
