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Dear Friends of CANELA, It is no news to anyone that 2020 was an extraordinary year. The pandemic made our world a truly different place, and so many of our normal activities had to be put on hold, adjusted or simply abandoned. CANELA was no exception to this general rule. Our concentration on ongoing education, especially for adults, needed to make way for urgent humanitarian relief. It is our sincere hope that in 2021, we can shift the focus back to education. We believe it to be absolutley necessary for any kind of serious long-term progress in Latin America and Africa. Our income was also affected during 2020, and as you can see from the numbers. We came about $32,000 short of our 2019 funding. Nevertheless, the 2019 numbers were unnaturally high because of a large external grant (for about $33,000) specifically destined for completion of the building of the headquarters of the School of the Faith in Africa. So 2020 wasn’t that disappointing with regard to fundraising! Special thanks to all of you who stuck with us in 2020, sometimes at great personal cost. Your prayers and donations have kept us going, bringing “Living Water” (John 7:38) to thirsting souls.
With gratitude and prayers,
Fr. Robert Havens Chairman of the Board of Directors CANELA for Latin America and Africa
Letter from the Board of Directors.
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[Jesus] answered: It is also written, Man lives not from bread alone, but from every word that comes from the mouth of God. (Matt:4)
Why we do what we do.
Because the Catholic Association for the New Evangelization in Latin America and Africa is convinced that the true salvation of the human person comes not from economic well-being alone, but from the discovery of a loving God by each and every human person. In the last fifty years, more than a trillion dollars in development aid has been sent by religious and secular organizations to Latin America and Africa. Often sent with great love and sacrifice, this material aid has done much good. Wells, electricity, hospitals and schools: all things that might not exist today, if this help had not been sent. And yet, despite all this important material help, crime, the loss of values, and the disappearance of cultures and traditions have grown in leaps and bounds in many countries.
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This is why we support men and women who dedicate their lives to spreading knowledge of God in developing countries.
Our mission is to help existing, well-proved educational projects of the Catholic Church to form spiritual and civic values on as large a scale as possible in Latin America and Africa. We have identified some very promising programs and try to focus on them, since they have been effective and enjoy the support of the dioceses involved.
How we do what we do
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Who we helped in 2020
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In El Salvador, we support a program called “Full-Time Catechists”. This program seeks to form the capacities of lay persons in heavily-populated parishes. Generally, there is no lack of lay persons who would willingly lend a hand in the non-sacramental care of the parish: baptism preparation, confirmation, First Communion and marriage preparation, the coordination of youth ministry, ministry to the sick and elderly, coordination of the parish’s charitable activity, prison ministry, liturgy etc. etc.
The Full-Time Catechists in El Salvador
There are two principle challenges to this sort of collaboration in our socio-economic contexts. First, even the most motivated lay persons often lack the know-how to help in these areas of pastoral care. Not just the pastoral application of the Faith, but also a knowledge of the Faith itself. How many sacraments are there? What is the “Church”? What are all the areas of action that are NOT the exclusive domain of the clergy? What does the Church teach about marriage, and how can de facto situations be regularized for the good of all? 5 www.canelacharity.com
Clergy sustenance and healthcare in Latin America and Africa
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In many parts of Latin America, the clergy receive no regular salary and do not have health insurance. We try to contribute to this need for a few needy priests every year. In 2020, we also started a “Committee for Priests’ Welfare” which seeks to provide a reliable source of income for very poor priests.
With your help, the School of the Faith and Leadership has been growing rapidly throughout English-speaking Africa. This year we were able to send small contributions to the teams leading the different branches of the School, as well as provide long-distance technical Support via Internet. This was particularly vital due to the total closure of the schools’ presence-based classes during the pandemic.
The survival of the School of the Faith throughout Africa
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Food and Clothing for those left destitute by the pandemic
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In most of the countries we work in, there is no social welfare “net” to catch people when they suddenly fall victim to hardship. With your help, CANELA was able to provide thousands of meals to the urban poor in 2020, especially in the Observatorio and Lindavista neighborhoods of Mexico City.
The pandemic closed schools in all of the countries we work in. Children were told to go home and follow classes online, something impossible for families surviving on less than $5 a day. CANELA organized the “recycling” of used tablet and laptops so that poor children could keep up with their classes.
Technology for poor children to go to class online
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Basic maintenance for parishes in Latin America and Africa
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The pandemic closed churches in most parts of the world for more than a year. This also implied an almost total stop to income. CANELA has been helping poor parish communities with virtually no income in 2020 to do basic repairs, pay bills and maintain their soup kitchens.
STATEMENT OF ACTIVITY | January - December 2020 Catholic Association for the New Evangelization in Latin America and Africa (CANELA) REVENUE 4 - REVENUE 4100 Individual Contributions 4110 Corporate Grants 4120 Foundation Grants Total 4 - REVENUE Total Revenue GROSS PROFIT EXPENDITURES 6 - Expenditures 6100 Grants and Similar Amounts Paid 6110 Specific assistance to individuals Total 6100 Grants and Similar Amounts Paid 61000 Contract Services 6160 QuickBooks Software 6170 Bank Charges & Fees 6180 Advertising & Marketing 6200 Mailing, Postage 6210 Printing & Reproduction 65000 Office/General Administrative Expenses Total 6 - Expenditures Total Expenditures NET OPERATING REVENUE OTHER REVENUE 4200 Interest Earned Total Other Revenue NET OTHER REVENUE NET REVENUE
TOTAL 19,280.31 27,283.95 3,728.58 50,292.84 50,292.84 50,292.84
26,000.78 5,133.87 31,134.65 1,400.00 848.40 217.13 278.57 110.55 527.59 207.00 34,723.89 34,723.89
The Numbers
15,568.95 71.67 71.67 71.67 $15,640.62
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