Projects

For years Pope Francis and the Iraqi Church have asked us for solidarity with our Iraqi Christian brothers and sisters, who have suffered the harsh persecution of Isis and have lost everything. In 2014 Asia News brought about the "Adopt a Christian from Mosul" campaign to stay close to them.  This movement has made it possible to meet the daily needs of Iraqi refugees who fled Mosul and the Nineveh Plains. Many of them still live in Kurdistan and cannot return to their homes. The local Church is caring for their social reintegration, which is difficult in a country that struggles to find peace and economic development amidst the Islamic State. Asia News invites readers and friends to continue supporting the "Adopt a Christian from Mosul" campaign to keep close our brothers and sisters who have suffered so much. 

PIME Missionary Fr. Raul Bonte Có works in the Amazon in Brazil.  His parish, Our Lady of Navigators, is located at the mouth of the Amazon river among hundreds of islands.  The parish encompasses about 20,000 people in 121 villages and the riverbanks are populated with shacks of the people who are just getting by. Descended from the ancient inhabitants of this region with a past of almost slavery-like conditions at the hands of large traders, more recently the people created popular movements to reclaim their lands.  Fr. Raul explains that in this remote and harsh environment, they must go out and meet the people where they are and not wait for them to come to Church.  For this purpose, Fr. Raul requested assistance for $16,512 from the PIME USA Mission Center to support the annual pastoral outreach done by their community coordinators.  Can you help bring Christ to those most in need along the Amazon?  

PIME AsiaNews has launched a campaign to help families dealing with the toll of heavy monsoon rains that hit most of Pakistan recently and is still getting worse by the hour. Almost 70 percent of the country is struggling with the calamity. More than 1,200 people have lost their lives so far – thousands have been injured, more than 800,000 livestock have been washed away and a million homes have been destroyed. Such a picture of widespread devastation cannot leave AsiaNews indifferent. We have decided to expand the Pakistan fund – our active campaign in support of workers at Pakistani brick factories – in order to help the victims of the country’s latest calamity. 

PIME Missionary Fr. Paolo Ballan works in the Suihari Mission in Dinajpur, Bangladesh, a Christian community in a mainly Muslim area. His rural mission includes 48 villages and has about 4,800 parishioners. Most of the people in Suihari are of the ethnic Santal group or other ethnic tribes (Oraon, Mahali, Bormon). Fr. Paolo saw a great need for strengthening the catechists of his mission villages. With proper training and materials, they can assist and support area youth through their pastoral work. Many youth leave their villages for work or school so those that remain are often the weakest academically or otherwise disadvantaged. To respond to this need, Fr. Paolo created a 3-year project for strengthening and training catechists that requires $16,241 annually. Your assistance for this project will support the catechists in Suihari, helping them uplift the youth of Dinajpur.

PIME Missionary Fr. Danilo Fenaroli works in the Far North region of Cameroon in Africa, where water is a scarce and precious resource. In this region, water determines every aspect of life from agricultural production and health to development and productivity. Without a stable source of water, agriculture and livestock production depends on rainfall, which is seasonal and unreliable with no source for irrigation.  At certain times, rivers also dry up forcing women and children to travel great distances to obtain water of poor quality that impacts their health through parasites, infection, and disease; it is also highly time-consuming and unproductive. Lack of rainfall can lead to food shortages also impacting health.  To all of this, the threat of terrorism is added from the Boko Haram sect that spread fear and crisis in this area. In 2022 and 2023, the PIME US Mission Center and its supporters funded 6 wells for $66,570 with Fr. Danilo. Wells were dug in the villages of Zarmazougui, Ligasang, Mobono, Moudawa, Zouzoui, and Mahai benefitting over 7,900 residents.  We continue to help Fr. Danilo provide water for three more villages: Magada, Broui, and Barawa chef.  These 3 wells will be built for $11,793 per well in benefit of over 2,800 people. Can you help Fr. Danilo provide the most basic of needs to the people?

PIME Missionary Fr. Ace Marbella Valdez works in the slums of São Paulo, Brazil, in an area known as “Comunidade Anchieta”. On the southern outskirts of the large city of São Paulo, this slum is made up of 5,000 people living in poverty in makeshift houses of waste wood and junk materials. Most people are barely able to provide enough food for their families during the month. Despite Brazil being a mainly Catholic country, most people in the Anchieta community haven’t received the sacraments of initiation (Baptism, Communion, and Confirmation). It is a context in which “primary evangelization” and basic Catechism is much needed, even for adults. A special place in the community is the São José de Anchieta Chapel, a small chapel in the slum where the faithful gather for Mass and prayer. The “Oratório São José de Anchieta” is an activity on Saturdays for children ages 6-12 next to the Chapel. Assisted by volunteers, Fr. Ace starts the day for the children with a moment of prayer in the chapel followed by a simple breakfast and then games, sports, and crafts. In addition, other volunteers go door to door visiting families in need providing them some basic food items. The day ends with a simple Catechism and a prayer. In 2024, Fr. Ace reached out to the PIME U.S. Mission Center for help of $5,556 to support these simple but deeply meaningful activities that enrich the life of his community. Thanks to direct contributions and 2024 Giving Tuesday donations of PIME USA supporters, the $5,556 was raised for Fr. Ace to bring Christ to the children of the Anchieta slums in 2025!    In addition, the project has been so successful, it has been extended for two more years (2026-2027). Support for $7,222 is needed annually to continue the activities of the Oratório. Can you help Fr. Ace and the volunteers to continue bringing Christ to the children of Ancheta in São Paulo?

St. Joseph Parish in the village of Kdol Leu is located on the banks of the Mekong River in the center of Cambodia. PIME Missionary Fr. Alessandro Motti works in this historic, 100-year-old community among a group of 100-150 Christians. In this mainly Buddhist country, the parish has also opened two presences nearby as a work of first evangelization where there are no Christian communities yet. St. Joseph is an active parish with about 50 children who come to the parish's Kindergarten from the nearby villages.  It is the only Kindergarten in the village, and most of the children are from rural, disadvantaged homes. Their 2-room school has teachers and a cook to provide them with instruction and nutritious food. With the growth of the Kindergarten, its teachers struggle to find an adequate space for organization.  Fr. Alessandro reached out to the PIME U.S. Mission Center and its supporters for help with a project of $5,556 to create a space so their teachers can prepare classes, meet with parents, and store their supplies. Your support for this project will help the Kindergarteners at St. Joseph in Kdol Leu to learn in the best environment.    

The economic crisis in Lebanon is putting the education system and the 100-year-old network of 330 Catholic schools at risk. In addition to providing an excellent educational (1 Lebanese child out of 5 studies in these schools), they are privileged meeting places for young Christians and Muslims removed from the sectarian tendencies that today are threatening the Land of Cedars. Operating costs, teachers' salaries, the rise in prices due to inflation, and the loss of their currency’s purchasing power are exhausting school resources and they are unable to bear the costs. For the first time, the problem of "early dropouts" has emerged strongly, fueled by two years of closures and distance learning linked to Covid-19. In response to this educational emergency at this difficult moment for Lebanon, PIME Asia News is launching a campaign to support Catholic schools and the education of Lebanese, Christian, and Muslim youth.

Our PIME US Mission Center has been supporting our PIME Missionaries in Myanmar with this Emergency Project since August of 2021. As the entire world was dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the country of Myanmar suffered doubly when a military coup took place in February of 2021. Since that time, the civil war between the people and the government has continued. There are continued military bombings and conflicts; the people there live in a constant state of fear and are often forced to flee into the forest, leaving everything they have behind. And now, on March 28, 2025, another tragedy has occurred - a powerful 7.7 magnitude earthquake struck central Myanmar, which was followed by 6.4 aftershocks causing buildings to collapse, destruction of churches, and panic throughout the country and even into neighboring Thailand. Warnings were issued in China, Vietnam and Laos, where they also felt strong fluctuations in buildings – and it is feared that this earthquake may be one of the most devastating in modern times. The governments of Myanmar and Thailand have declared a state of emergency, and the people need your support and prayers in a new way. We once again turn to our friends to assist our brothers and sisters in Myanmar in their time of need. Can you continue to help bring Christ’s light to the darkness for the people of Myanmar who find themselves in yet another desperate situation?

Several of the PIME sisters in Cameroon work in Bibemi and Djalingo in the Garoua Diocese. The people of this area do not own any land. Instead they work the land belonging to the large landowners, and when the harvest comes in, the landowners claim the majority, leaving the people with very little.  The situation for women here is even more challenging, as they are completely dependent upon their husbands for every need and are viewed as property in light of dowries paid for marriage. While the Sisters work in education with the local women to help them find equality, changing the system is not always easy. Sr. Lucia Cavallo, MDI-PIME, and her follow PIME sisters have found an opportunity to create a project to help women fight social inequality and gain financial independence. By planting and owning their own peanut crops, these women can gain some financial stability and have a decision in the direction in the lives of their families. The project also has the added benefit of reducing local alcoholism, as instead of devoting time to making a local alcoholic beverage called ‘bil bil’, the women will be harvesting their crops.  Sr. Lucia’s plan requires $6,853 annually to rent a plot of land and a plow and provide the seed for planting peanuts. The women will plant and harvest the peanuts, storing their crops locally and selling them when prices are the highest. Your support of this project will help provide equality and independence and improve the quality of life of the women and girls in Bibemi and Djalingo.   

Barreirinha, is a municipality in the interior of the state of Amazonas, located in the remote micro-region of the city of Parintins, along the Amazon River in Brazil. This region is composed of Indigenous families and communities living in a dire state of poverty with houses built of wood that are flooded and washed away by the river during the rainy season.  Due to the lack of employment and other social and economic difficulties in this area, created by its isolated location, members of the community are extremely needy with low resources. With this project of $6,444, PIME Missionary Fr. Suresh Kumar Dowluri, or Fr. Bosco as he is known, will support the Sisters of Mother Teresa (Missionaries of Charity) with the work they have been doing for nearly 25 years in this mission - feeding underprivileged children five days a week at their Soup Kitchen.The goal will be to feed, to bring hope, and to create moments of joy for 1,350 children and their families each month. 

PIME Missionary Fr. Dowluri Suresh Kumar, or Fr. Bosco as he is known, recently became the pastor of Our Lady of Good Help Parish in Barreirinha in the Brazilian Amazon. His new mission includes not just the river city of Barreirinha and its outskirts, but also the people who live on the riverbanks and in the Indigenous lands of the Sateré-mawé and Quilombola (Afro-descendant) ethnic groups. Many of the communities of his mission live in extreme hardship, with houses built of wood that are flooded and, at times, washed away by the river in the rainy season.     Our PIME USA supporters helped Fr. Bosco in 2023 and 2024 to distribute food to the needy when he was a pastor in the slums of São Paulo. Father Bosco is now continuing this same ministry among the people of his new mission. With $6,111 the food basket project for his new communities will provide monthly necessities to dozens of families in extreme need for over 6 months. Aside from satisfying physical hunger, Fr. Bosco is concerned with bringing spiritual comfort to the many souls entrusted to his care. Your support for this project brings a sign of light and hope to these remote communities and impacts the growth of parish activities in support of their needy families.

The Far North region of Cameroon in Africa, as well as parts of neighboring Chad, has some of the harshest and poorest conditions on the continent. In 1997, PIME Missionary Fr. Danilo Fenaroli established the Bethlehem Foundation to assist the people in this region. The Crèche was established as a vital part of the Foundation in 2002 to care for the youngest and most vulnerable. The Crèche welcomes and cares for babies who lost their mothers in childbirth hosts sick children, and provides food to malnourished children 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Aside from nurses and aides, The Crèche also has social workers who keep in touch with the families of the babies to return them to their relatives or extended families at the age of 2 or 3. Francesca Bellotta is a PIME Lay Missionary working in The Crèche. She tells us how every day is a challenge to keep the children healthy and well-fed. PIME USA donors purchased powdered milk for feeding the babies at The Crèche in the fall of 2021. Now Francesca has asked the PIME Mission Center for additional support from 2023-2025 of $23,500 annually for the ongoing nutritional needs so these little ones can start life with a head start. Can you help the most precious and vulnerable in need of basic sustenance?

Algeria is in Northern Africa and has a population of about 45 million. Islam is the majority and state religion and Christians here are a minority. Of the population, .01-.02% are Catholic with about 60 Catholic priests in around 30 parishes.    PIME Missionary Fr. Davide Carraro was appointed Bishop of the Diocese of Oran, Algeria, at the end of 2023. The Fr. Pierre Claverie Centre is located in the heart of Bishop Carraro’s Diocese and is the most important Catholic Center in the area. It is the place where Blessed Pierre Claverie is buried and a vital place for promoting dialogue between cultures and religions. Seeing a great need to strengthen the efforts of the Center, Bishop Carraro reached out to the PIME U.S. Mission Center with a project for support. $5,556 is needed for the reception and accommodation of those welcomed at the Center such as church members, migrants, rural travelers, or Sub-Saharan students.  The Fr. Pierre Claverie Center promotes fraternity and harmony between those of different generations and cultures, among different Christian denominations, between Christians and Muslims, and among those of different social classes. Through a message of the love that dwells in us all, all are welcomed at the Center. Your support for this project will promote unity among people and religions in Algeria at a time when it is most needed.

The Bibemi Medical Dispensary is a health center that distributes medications in rural areas that do not have access to hospitals or other healthcare services. The Missionary Sisters of the Immaculate (PIME Sisters) manage the dispensary, which is located in the interior of the North of Cameroon. The closest city, Garoua, is 50 miles away, making the dispensary in Bibemi the only healthcare option for a geographically isolated agricultural population. Many here do not eat if the harvest is bad, and they can never afford the necessary medical treatments - which are often provided only at exorbitant, Western prices. Eye diseases are especially prevalent in Africa due to excessive sun exposure, a common problem for farmers and other day laborers. Recent studies have shown that glaucoma - a disease that eventually leads to blindness - affects Africans more than any other population in the world.  Sr. Vinija Nirrapel, MDI, of the Bibemi Medical Dispensary needs $13,182 to purchase a tonometer, a device to measure eye pressure for comprehensive eye examinations. These examinations will help to prevent premature blindness and provide proper eye care to the people of this area. Will you help Sr. Vinija equip the Bibemi Medical Dispensary and prevent blindness for these vulnerable people?

The Religious Institute of the Franciscan Sisters of St. Joseph (Hermanas Franciscanas de San José) was founded in Mexico City in 1946 by Mother Maria de San Jose Vera Mancilla. In Mexico, the sisters serve in seminaries, have started missions in some Mexican states, and care for the needy. The sisters also have a long history and many ties with the PIME missionaries in the U.S. The sisters served for years at PIME’s various U.S. locations: in the 1960s in Oakland, N.J., in the 1960s-90s in Newark, OH, and from the 1980s-2000 in Detroit. In the 1990s, they also helped Fr. Luigi Maggioni and Fr. Steve Baumbusch set up PIME’s mission in Mexico in the Archdiocese of Acapulco, Guerrero. PIME Missionary Fr. Bruno Piccolo also worked with the sisters for many years and has kept in touch with them since they left. In 2023 several sisters celebrated their Silver Jubilee, and Fr. Bruno and PIME U.S. Mission Center Director Fr. Daniele Criscione were their guests for the celebration. Recently the sisters’ General Superior, Sr. Celiflora Gonzalez, reached out to the PIME U.S. Mission Center in need. Sister Celiflora presented a project for $11,111 to support the elderly sisters of their congregation with healthcare expenses, including medicine and food. Your support for this project will help the sisters who are now in need and who for so many years served PIME’s U.S. family in so many ways

After the country’s independence in 1960, the capital of Cameroon, Yaoundé, experienced a huge expansion that included the arrival of people of different ethnicities from all over the country. Today the city of over 4 million has the problems of a large city such as overpopulation, uncontrolled expansion of poor neighborhoods lacking infrastructure, distinct class lines, unchecked influx of people coming from rural areas, and immigrants coming in from over the border. The parish of Ntem-a-si, where the PIME missionaries began their pastoral work in November 2005, is also one of the very poor neighborhoods of the capital. This is where PIME Missionary Fr. Fabio Bianchi works and lives among the people bringing Christ closer to them. Located on the slopes of a hill, this large district is mainly made up of dilapidated houses of both wood and earth. Unemployment, a poor standard of living, and lack of access to healthcare in this area are especially high for the most vulnerable, that is, women and children. In addition, infant mortality remains high and malaria is ever-present.  In 2023 & 2024, Fr. Bianchi completed a two-year project for the healthcare needs of the women and children of his mission with the PIME U.S. Mission Center.  He was grateful to our PIME U.S. donors who supported this project through direct donations and PIME’s MDP Medical Fund for $33,323.  In 2025, Fr. Bianchi made a new request for the help of the U.S. PIME Mission Center and its supporters for $17,338 annually for 3 years (2025-27).  Working together with the skilled personnel of the PIME Sisters dispensary in Yaoundé and with your help, Fr. Bianchi will continue to help the vulnerable poor of his mission to continue to have access to healthcare in 2025-27. Your support for this project brings the healing touch of Christ to the children and their mothers in need in Yaoundé.  

Bangladesh is one of the poorest countries in the world with an extremely precarious national healthcare system. Public institutions are becoming more and more private, excluding the weakest segments of the population. The consequence is that healthcare is a privilege of the few while most of the population is excluded from the most basic services. PIME’s missionaries in Bangladesh have operated the Assistance Center for the Sick for years, recently moving it within the compound of the PIME House in Dhaka.  In 2022 they took care of over 1,000 patients and hope to increase the care they provide each year.  The PIME Missionaries in Bangladesh needs annual support of $8,138 to help poor patients with their health options locally or at central hospitals, including expensive procedures and testing. Can you help provide basic care for the vulnerable and sick in Dhaka?

Radio Sol Mansi (RSM) is a Catholic radio station in Guinea-Bissau, Africa, founded by PIME Missionary Fr. Davide Sciocco in 2001.  What began as a community radio station in Mansoa has grown and is currently heard by many Catholics and those of other religions, especially Muslims, across the country, even in remote areas. From the beginning, Radio Sol Mansi has often been the "first missionary" arriving in the homes and villages of many Guineans. Aside from social outreach, music, and sports, the station’s news is considered one of the most reliable in the nation. Its programming also includes education on human rights, women's issues, children's rights, health, protection of the environment, drug use prevention, juvenile delinquency, peace education, as well as religion. Education for peace and the development of interreligious dialogue is fundamental to RSM.    Fr. Davide is in need of support for Radio Sol Mansi for $12,043 to help them implement human trafficking and drug use prevention programs as well as to provide some much-needed equipment.  Your support of this project will help Radio Sol Mansi promote the mission of Catholic radio through peace and interreligious dialogue throughout Guinea-Bissau.

The city of Tozeur, Tunisia is located on the border with the Sahara Desert. Since 1990, it had centered its local economy on tourists flocking to the famous desert. In 2011, this business stream was brought to an abrupt halt, permanently and negatively affecting the people of this area. The unemployment rate in the Tozeur region is the highest in Tunisia, with young people now being particularly impacted. Just north of the city of Tozeur, in the Rass Edhraa District, there is a high concentration of young people growing up with few prospects of future employment opportunities. According to national statistics, more than 100,000 students drop out of the school system each year. The NGO New Humanity has partnered with a local educational support center to welcome 150 students per year and provide them with multidisciplinary educational and vocational activities.  PIME Brother Marco Monti is seeking $16,667 to support the scope of this program, aimed at keeping youth in school and off the streets. Assistance will also ensure proper resources for the kids welcomed into this program. Will you give the young people of the Rass Edhraa District the opportunity for a brighter future?

PIME Missionary Fr. Simone Caelli works in Parañaque in the Philippines in the parish of Mary Queen of Apostles, the same parish in which American missionary Fr. Steve Baumbusch worked during his years in the country. The parish extends over two cities (Parañaque and Las Pinas) and has about 150,000 inhabitants. Fr. Simone explains it is difficult to calculate exactly how many people are in the area as it is a mix of illegally occupied land managed by the government, squatters who set up makeshift homes in a slum, an area with large depots of transport companies, as well as some middle-class homes.  Unfortunately, corruption in the Philippines is widespread and the wealth disparity is huge between the ultra-rich, or “dynasties” as they are known, and the poor. This hugely limits economic opportunities, especially for the Filipino youth. Fr. Simone One way out of this vicious circle is through education, and a university education dramatically increases the chances of students finding a good job in the Philippines or abroad. It also improves the situation of the whole family and the local community in general. In 2024, Fr. Simone reached out to the PIME U.S. Mission Center and its supporters for help with a project to support the higher education of students in his parish, all of whom come from disadvantaged families. His project needs $8,917 USD per year for 4 years (2024-2028) to help 10 young people from 19-24 years of age with their higher education. Aside from helping them with fees, university reporting, materials, clothing, and teaching tools, he will also offer them spiritual training and space for study, as their homes are often inadequate. These 10 students are studying varied careers such as Tourism, Hotel Management, Criminology, Psychology, Information Technology/Systems, Culinary Arts, and Hospitality Management. Your support for this project can break the cycle of poverty, helping these young people find opportunity and a brighter future.

PIME has been working in Northeastern Bangladesh in the Diocese of Dinajpur for almost 170 years, and PIME Missionary Fr. Fabrizio Calegari has worked in the country for the past 28. Aside from the duties of his mission, he began to work with the Diocesan Youth Commission two years ago. This is a vital role among the mostly poor tribal people of this rural region who are often discriminated against. In addition, the Christian community in this area is scattered in many different villages and formation can at times be lacking. Fr. Fabrizio recognized the great need to strengthen the identity of his community, especially for their youth. He created a 3-year program supported by the PIME U.S. Mission Center to accompany area youth from 16 years old through university. Each year his project requires assistance of $12,982 for human, Christian, and social outreach which includes training, health information, games, celebrations, a magazine, and a Facebook page. They publish around 1,700 copies of the bi-monthly magazine, “We Together”, which includes profiles of local religious, stories of youth and how they overcame obstacles to be successful, gospel passages, comics, advice of relationships, and more. Your support for this project will help these young people to become well-rounded, supported individuals with a clear identity and a brighter future through 2025 and beyond.   

The MDP Medical Fund exclusively supports medical needs in PIME’s missions.  These needs vary from assisting those suffering with Hansen’s disease (leprosy), AIDs/HIV, tuberculosis, malaria, malnutrition, to providing hospital equipment, medical clinics and many other medical needs the poor face worldwide. The MDP Medical Fund highlights the mercy and healing of Jesus’ words to the sick, the oppressed and the poor: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest” (Mt 11:28).  In these words Pope Francis tells us that “they depend entirely on God and, beneath the burden of their trials, stand in need of his healing. Jesus does not make demands of those who endure situations of frailty, suffering and weakness, but offers his mercy and his comforting presence. He looks upon a wounded humanity with eyes that gaze into the heart of each person. That gaze is not one of indifference; rather, it embraces people in their entirety, each person in his or her health condition, discarding no one, but rather inviting everyone to share in his life and to experience his tender love.” We thank all those able to contribute to this fund on a one-time or continued basis.  Through this medical support we thank you for looking into the heart of each person, discarding no one, and sharing the comforting presence of Jesus’ love with others.

Sr. Roberta Pignone is a Missionary Sister of the Immaculate (PIME Sister) and a medical doctor. She works amid the poor in the slums of the Diocese of Khulna in Bangladesh treating those who come seeking help, especially those with leprosy and TB. Sr. Roberta is not only the director of the 33-bed Damien Hospital, but she is the only doctor on staff and also oversees 3 clinics and 15 TB control centers. In addition, Sr. Roberta and the PIME sisters in Khulna are involved in intensive outreach efforts where the poorest and most vulnerable in their area are - in the slums around them. They crisscross the streets of Khulna to educate people and treat those at highest risk for spreading these diseases. They visit areas such as factory or mill sleeping quarters and rickshaw garages known to be pockets of disease. Venturing onto the streets and into the slum villages, Sr. Roberta and her team show graphics alerting the local people as to what the disease symptoms might look like while also using a loudspeaker to broadcast information from their van. In 34 years of their work here they have treated over 4,800 leprosy patients in the Khulna metropolitan area, and they have helped 6,795 TB patients since 2001. The goals of their leprosy program are the detection and treatment of undiscovered cases, prevention, ulcer reduction, and social rehabilitation. For TB they expect to detect at least 70% of new cases while curing 85% of them. Their ultimate goal is to create greater awareness of these diseases among the general population and to remove the stigma associated with them. Not only does Sr. Roberta’s work keep these infectious diseases under control but she provides physical and emotional healing to the suffering.  In 2021 and 2022, PIME USA supporters helped Sr. Roberta stock a new dispensary with medications for her TB and leprosy patients, helping her to raise the amount that was so desperately needed. Sister Roberta and especially her patients are grateful to their PIME USA supporters for this life-saving help.   In order to maintain this vital assistance to the most vulnerable, Sister Roberta’s dispensaries will continue to need annual assistance of $11,000 for three additional years. While funding for 2023 and 2024 has been raised, support for 2025 is still needed. Sr. Roberta and the PIME sisters in Bangladesh bring healing, hope, and love to the suffering in some of the most deprived areas of the country. Can you help Sr. Roberta provide healing and bring the mercy of Christ to the sick?   

After the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, Myanmar experienced a military coup in February of 2021. Both events have brought the country conflict and suffering with economic instability, strikes, civil conflict, and unrest over the past few years. In addition as of May 2024, the United Nations estimates over 3 million individuals have been displaced. When schools in Myanmar reopened after the pandemic, only an estimated 10% of eligible students returned to classes. Thousands of teachers joined civil disobedience movements and did not return to school. Before the pandemic, education in Myanmar was very neglected, and compulsory schooling was only until the age of 10. The civil strife of the past few years has dismantled an already precarious education system. Loikaw in the eastern part of Kayah State has been the site of especially intense fighting with an estimated 200,000 or more residents leaving their homes. Many Karenni tribal Catholics in this area have become internally displaced, going in search of safer places. Thousands of displaced individuals arrive daily in Taunggyi City, where the NGO New Humanity International is located. With the influx of displaced families in Taunggyi City, New Humanity together with several other NGOs have set up a primary school to receive displaced children. The educational approach combines the study of the traditional Burmese curriculum with the organization of workshops and group activities, overseen by a psychologist. This approach addresses the dual need of filling an educational void that has persisted for several years and supporting children from a psychological perspective. The project the children have named “Our School” in honor of their education and a peaceful childhood will support 350 children from 5 to 15 years old with annual support of $39,319 USD. Your support of this project will help ease the pain of the ongoing traumatic experiences in Myanmar and provide some stability for learning amidst the challenges the country continues to face.

The PIME Mission Development Projects (MDP) General Fund supports mission projects in many of the 19 countries where PIME is present. This fund assists projects with all types of needs – Social Development, Education and Training, Transportation and Technology, Emergency Disaster Aid, and Pastoral projects, among others. The majority of the projects supported by the fund often fall under the category of greatest need and are especially essential for our missionaries. The mission cannot operate without vehicles or transportation, equipment, fuel, staffing/salaries, repairs and expansions of chapels and buildings, Catechism, pastoral materials, utilities, and even computers. These areas are all a necessary part of the work the PIME fathers, brothers, and sisters carry out daily in their missions but many of these projects lack funding. The MDP Projects General Fund allows PIME to fund these essential needs so the work in the missions continues smoothly.     In his message for World Day of the Poor in 2024, Pope Francis reminds us, “We are called in every circumstance to be friends of the poor, following in the footsteps of Jesus who always began by showing solidarity when dealing with the least among us.”  We are especially blessed by those who help our missionaries in solidarity as friends of the poor through this fund, assisting wherever the need is greatest.  

PIME Missionary Fr. Mateus Jensen Didonet works in Mumbai, India, in an area next to a garbage dump where the people have settled into makeshift housing without basic services.  Many of the people here pick through the garbage salvaging what they can to survive. Children roam aimlessly in unhygienic surroundings – because only 30% of children in Mumbai slums have access to pre-primary education. The children of the area are vulnerable and lack basic health, hygiene, and education  Fr. Mateus’ project aims at breaking the cycle of poverty by targeting the youngest children in Pre-K with quality education/academics, sports, and education on values. His program will enhance academic performance and the skills needed for primary education and beyond, boost self-confidence, reduce dropout rates and positively affect families and the community.  Thanks to funding of $16,667 from PIME’s 2023 Serata supporters, 117 children received Pre-K education in two educational centers in the year. The program had a huge impact on these young children in the slum who would not have had this opportunity without your help. Fr. Mateus and his team continue to support these children with a 3-year project (2024-2026) to provide these children an advantage through Pre-K education. The project for the 2024-2025 school year is for $17,196. Can you help Fr. Mateus provide a way out of poverty for the smallest students in the Mumbai slums?  

The Dhanjuri Leprosy Control Center needs assistance in the treatment, care and therapy of patients. This Center is a charitable program of the Catholic Church of the Dinajpur Diocese in Bangladesh. It aims for full implementation of multi-drug therapy service in partnership with the government and covers 13 sub-districts of Dinajpur, areas known as the highest leprosy endemic of Bangladesh.  Activities at the Center include case detection through the information program, house to house visits and absentee tracing, treatment of all patients, prevention of deformity (P.O.D.), community based rehabilitation, education for both patient and the public and staff development training.  Thanks to the help of PIME USA donors, those with leprosy in Dinajpur have been helped over the past few years.  The clinic continues to need annual support of $5,555 for the coming three years (2023-25). With your help, the leprosy patients of Dinajpur will continue to receive the healthcare they need for years to come.  

The parish of Sao Joaquim do Pacui in Macapá is home to subsistent farmers who earn about R$1300,00 ($350.00) per month. They live off the land and protect the forest from threats posed by agribusiness and lumber companies. The community struggles to support the parish due to financial constraints and lacks the resources to maintain its spaces. The pastoral center is in disrepair and the recent collapse of the center's roof has made the project even more challenging for the people to rebuild and renovate the much-needed space.  The parish’s Deacon, Deacon Gilson Dos Santos, has prepared a plan for the renovation that requires $20,078.  Your support for this project will help the community rebuild the parish pastoral center so they may continue to hold religious education for all levels and social meetings and gatherings in building their faith community.

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Sr. Roberta Pignone is a Missionary Sister of the Immaculate (PIME Sister) and a medical doctor. She works amid the poor in the slums of the Diocese of Khulna in Bangladesh treating those in need of medical help, especially those suffering from leprosy and tuberculosis (TB). Sr. Roberta is not only the director of the 33-bed Damien Hospital, but she is the only doctor on staff and also oversees 3 clinics and 15 TB control centers. In addition, Sr. Roberta and the PIME sisters in Khulna are involved in intensive outreach efforts where the poorest and most vulnerable in their area are - in the slums around them. They crisscross the streets of Khulna to educate people and treat those at highest risk for spreading these diseases. They visit areas such as factory or mill sleeping quarters and rickshaw garages known to be pockets of disease. Venturing onto the streets and into the slum villages, Sr. Roberta and her team show graphics alerting the local people as to what the disease symptoms might look like while also using a loudspeaker to broadcast information from their van. In 34 years of their work here they have treated over 4,800 leprosy patients in the Khulna metropolitan area, and they have helped 6,795 TB patients since 2001. The goals of their leprosy program are the detection and treatment of undiscovered cases, prevention, ulcer reduction, and social rehabilitation. For TB they expect to detect at least 70% of new cases while curing 85% of them. Their ultimate goal is to create greater awareness of these diseases among the general population and to remove the stigma associated with them. Not only does Sr. Roberta’s work keep these infectious diseases under control but she provides physical and emotional healing to the suffering. Your support for the 2024 PIME Serata will assist Sr. Roberta in bringing health, hope, and love to those suffering in some of the most deprived areas of Bangladesh.

In 1995, the St. Joseph Center in Phrae, Thailand, was created in collaboration with PIME volunteers and missionaries. The Center works to ensure reception, support, and education for children and young people with disabilities to make them as autonomous and integrated into society as possible. Children from different areas of the province of Phrae and the surrounding provinces are hosted at the facility for activities that include school integration and/or accompaniment, physical therapy, music, English language, and recreation.  Home rehabilitation services are also offered.  PIME Missionary Fr. Maurizio Arioldi works with the children at the St. Joseph Center and let us know about a recent flood that damaged a building the children use as an education laboratory.  After inspection of the damage, he was informed the building doesn’t have a stable foundation and is at risk of collapsing.  He turned to the PIME Mission Center for help to make the repairs for $5,752 USD.  Your assistance can help Fr. Maurizio ensure that these disabled children in Thailand continue to have a safe place for their education and integration into society.

PIME Missionary Fr. Suresh Kumar Dowluri, or Fr. Bosco as he is known, is the pastor of Our Lady of the Angels Parish in the southern outskirts of São Paulo.  The area around Our Lady of the Angels is occupied by ever-growing slums or “favelas” with many living in extreme poverty without sewage, water, or electricity. Early in 2023, Fr. Bosco asked the PIME Mission Center for help in providing food baskets to the needy of his parish.  Thanks to your direct contributions and through the support of our 2023 Tastes of Italy event,  $7,778 was raised for Fr. Bosco to purchase basic necessities and deliver food baskets to the poor in the favelas.  In October 2023, Fr. Bosco completed the project delivering food baskets to a total of 552 families, rotating the selection over 8 months so that everyone in the parish could receive food. Fr. Bosco and the community of Our Lady of the Angels thank all their PIME U.S. supporters who helped in this act of charity, love, and sharing.   Fr. Ace Marbella Valdez has taken over as Pastor of Our Lady of Angels parish and needs further assistance of $10,000 to continue food deliveries throughout 2024.  He also continue Fr. Bosco's work to increase the number of families helped. Your support for this ministry will be a blessing to the neediest among us.  

PIME Sister Chiara Colombo works in Port Moresby in Papua New Guinea at a hostel for girls opened there in 2010. The sisters help guide the girls, providing them with formation and support as they attend school away from their families. As the country's capital, Port Moresby has some big city problems including overcrowding, poverty, unemployment, and increased crime. Recently the hostel was the object of small acts of incursion by outsiders who broke through their fence. Not only did this threaten the security of the sisters and girls, but it damaged the fence itself. In addition, the street that overlooks the entrance to the hostel becomes unsafe at night and the sisters need to increase their security and that of the girls they watch over. So Sr. Chiara turned to the PIME U.S. Mission Center and its supporters to help by providing $6,667 USD to assist in replacing and building up the perimeter fence to keep all of them safe inside. Your help for this project will bring safety to the sisters and girls in Port Moresby so they may continue their path in following their formation in Christ.

Sr. Benedetta Nya Moe is one of the Sisters of Charity of the Maria Bambina Congregation in Hsipaw in the Lashio Diocese, Myanmar.  The Sisters of Charity here have been serving the education of disadvantaged children in this rural area for many years. Every year the number of children is growing in their boarding school for girls. It is the only place where girls from this area are welcomed and assisted. With limited space and a growing number of students, Sr. Benedetta needs to improve the kitchen in the convent compound, which is in disrepair and unsafe.  Sister is requesting $7,778 from the PIME Mission Center to complete the kitchen renovation project.  Your support for this project will help Sr. Benedetta and the sisters better serve the girls in their care in rural Hsipaw, Myanmar. 

In 1934, Fr. Soichi Iwashita established the Shinsei-kaikan (“Truth” and “Light”) Center in Tokyo originally as a dormitory for young people rooted in Christian spirit and values. In January 2022, the Shinsei-kaikan Center became a Foundation for promoting well-being in Japanese society and is open to all seeking meaning or struggling with various burdens in Japan’s complex society. The competitive nature of the Japanese economy and dependence on lengthy education have led to a hollowing out of the human spirit and to suffering, especially among the youth. Problems include a rise in depression, suicide attempts, a weakening of family ties, school dropouts, family violence, hikikomori (a form of severe social withdrawal), and bullying. The Shinsei-kaikan Center offers a place for formation, learning, friendship, and relaxation to help young people rediscover the beauty of their hearts and develop a balanced mind and body. The Gospel plays a key role in the Center’s activities and features programs that include lectures on modern society, the way people live, living the light of Christianity, Christian culture and education, and the origin and the legacy of Christianity, as well as educational student programs. The Shinsei-kaikan Center provides both enrichment through the Gospel and a place for nurturing people who can contribute to Japanese society's true development and richness.  Your support for this project will help the Japanese youth find the “Truth” and “Light” in their lives through the Gospel at the Shinsei-kaikan Center.

The Diocese of Acapulco, Mexico, is divided into three regions: Costa Chica, Costa Grande, and Acapulco. PIME's mission in this diocese is located in Costa Chica at La Concordia.  The mission is in the highlands 155 miles from the city of Acapulco with a total population of about 8,000.  Here PIME Missionary Fr. Mauro Pazzi works with the local and indigenous people bringing them the Gospel and assistance. La Concordia is the parish center from which he and the other PIME missionaries visit the other 34 villages that belong to their parish. Apart from a few small stretches, the roads to reach these villages are not paved and many of them cannot be reached in the rainy season, which hinders pastoral outreach.  Fr. Mauro requested $6,500 in assistance from the PIME Mission Center to purchase a new motorcycle to help them keep in touch and accompany those in these remote areas of the diocese.  Your help can bring Christ’s mercy to most in need in the remote villages of Acapulco’s highlands.