United Nations Recognizes I.S. for Poverty Relief Work

International Samaritan (I.S.) was granted Special Consultative Status from the United Nations earlier this month, recognized by the UN as an important voice in issues pertaining to poverty relief.


“We are privileged to join with the United Nations and other NGOs in the fight to help alleviate severe poverty in developing countries,” said I.S. Founder and President Fr. Don Vettese, S.J.


I.S. was awarded consultative status for its role in helping the UN work toward achieving the following Millennium Goals: eradicating extreme hunger and poverty, achieving universal primary education, promoting equality and empowering women, reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating diseases, and developing global partnerships for development.


I.S. is the only nonprofit in the world whose work is focused on garbage dump communities. Hundreds of thousands of people live in garbage dump squalor across the globe. According the UN statistics, I.S. serves some of the most poverty-stricken people on the earth.


“There are many people who have never heard about the garbage dump dwellers, the children forced to dig through trash for food, and entire families living in garbage dumps with rats, vultures, and pigs. These places do exist. We hope, in some small way, this status will give voice to those who have no voice,” said Vettese.


I.S. representatives will be granted passes to UN meetings, able to speak at designated UN sessions, and have certain documents circulated as official UN documents. They will also have the opportunity to be a part of a larger NGO community for the purposes of information-sharing and partnering on poverty relief programs.


“There is so much good that can be accomplished if we open our minds and hearts to work with those in need who are fighting for a life with dignity and hope,” said Vettese. “We invite everyone to join us by volunteering on one of our service trips, donating to our poverty relief programs, and praying for us and those we serve.”


To learn more about International Samaritan, go to http://www.intsamaritan.org/.

Millennium Goal 1: Eradicate Extreme Hunger and Poverty

Millennium Goal 2: Achieve Universal Primary Education

Millennium Goal 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Marlaria and other diseases

I.S. School Celebrates New Seventh Grade Classrooms

Students check out their new seventh grade classrooms.


Matt Ippel, I.S. trip leader, is pictured with San Pedro Sula Mayor Dr. Juan Carlos Zuniga at the classroom dedication. Ippel described the dedication as "a very emotional event for a lot of us." Volunteer Katherine Major-Campsie said, "I felt like we were a part of something very special for the people [of Ocotillo]."



The classroom plaque commemorates all of the volunteer groups who helped with the construction this year. It reads: Special thanks to the volunteers who came from the U.S., Gannon University, Pennsylvania; Kappa Alpha Order, Miami University, Oxford, Ohio; St. Charles Preparatory School, Ohio; University of Detroit High School, Michigan.



Last year, more than 50 children were unable to attend school in Ocotillo. As the population of the garbage dump community grows, so do the needs at International Samaritan’s School. Without an education, the children will have few choices; many will end up working in the garbage dump the rest of their lives.


Wilmur Antonio Pared, vice mayor of Ocotillo, confirms that many of the scavengers are children between the ages of 10 and 14. He estimates that 16 have died in recent years after getting run over by bulldozers.


“The new classrooms will give the children of Ocotillo a real chance at a life outside of working at the garbage dump,” said Carmen Martinez, school principal, who was thrilled with the finished rooms. "This will be a huge advantage for these kids."


The average level of education in Honduras is sixth grade. I.S. is planning to build new eighth grade classrooms next year and ninth grade classrooms in 2013. We are currently looking for funding for the two new eighth grade classrooms. The school is also in need of donations for supplies, desks, books, and the school lunch program. To donate, go here or call 734-222-0701.


I.S. is looking for high school and university groups to partner with on this project. Please contact apawuk@intsamaritan.org to learn more about volunteering in 2012, or go to www.intsamaritan.org.

"I Cannot Do Everything, But I Can at Least do Something."

Kristi Braunlich, 24, wanted to put her skills as a nurse to good use and help those in need before starting medical school this month, so she contacted International Samaritan to volunteer at our medical center in Ocotillo, a garbage dump community in Honduras. Kristi spent nine days assisting the center's physician, Dr. Josue Lagos. The doctor was grateful to have her assistance; together they treated 80 and 100 people each day.

Last week, The Monroe Evening News featured Kristi in a front page article about her medical mission. In the article, she said, “I have always felt an obligation to help the underprivileged…I cannot do everything, but I can at least do something.”

If you are a medical professional who has felt called to utilize your skills serving the underprivileged, please contact International Samaritan at International Samaritan and tell us about yourself.

Click on the link to the The Monroe Evening News to view the article. Tomorrow, we will be posting a letter that Kristi wrote to us about her experience on an I.S. medical mission.

International Samaritan Featured in Yesterday's Toledo Magazine

A young boy crouches by an open sewer in a dump workers' ghetto.

Dump workers sort through materials in Guatemala City's Zone 3.

A woman carries her day's haul in the Guatemala city dump.

Photographs from Reporter David Yonke's trip with International Samaritan to the garbage dump community of Guatemala City were featured in yesterday's Toledo Magazine. The above photographs and captions by Yonke.

Toledo Blade's Yonke traveled with a group of student volunteers from St. John's Jesuit of Toledo to the garbage dump community of Guatemala City this summer. Yonke documented his travels with International Samaritan in a front-page series of articles.

Click here to view Yonke's incredible photo montage.

St. John's Jesuit Students Serve Children in Guatemala City Garbage Dump Community

Click here to read Toledo Blade article, St. John's Students Serve as Role Models, which is part of a series on International Samaritan service trips and programs.

Photos courtesy of Toledo Blade Reporter David Yonke. To view the Toledo Blade's entire photo gallery of the St. John's Jesuit service trip, click here.

Toledo Blade Series Highlights I.S. President's Work in Garbage Dump Communities

Fr. Don Vettese, S.J., Founder and President of International Samaritan, is pictured with a child who attends I.S.'s nursery in the garbage dump community of Guatemala City. The nursery provides a safe haven for the children of garbage dump workers. Photo by Reporter David Yonke of the Toledo Blade.

Homes built by International Samaritan. Photo courtesy Reporter David Yonke of the Toledo Blade.

Erica Maritz Chaj, 13, lives in a cement-block home built by International Samaritan. She is a sixth grade student at I.S.'s Franciso Coll School. Photo courtesy David Yonke of the Toledo Blade.

Toledo Blade Reporter David Yonke recently traveled with a group of student volunteers from St. John's Jesuit to the garbage dump community of Guatemala City. Yonke documented his travels with International Samaritan in a front-page series of articles.

Click here to read the second part in the Toledo Blade series on International Samaritan's service trips and programs.

Toledo Blade Reporter Travels with International Samaritan to Report on Programs and Service Trips

Toledo Blade Reporter David Yonke recently traveled with a group of student volunteers from St. John's Jesuit to the garbage dump community of Guatemala City. Yonke documented his travels with International Samaritan in a front-page series of articles.

Click here to read the first part in the Toledo Blade series on International Samaritan's service trips and programs.