Friends of the Poor

Friends of the Poor began construction on the Village of Maryhaven in 2011, and dedicated it to the care of orphans as a self-sustaining complex in Minna, Nigeria. Due to extreme poverty and high mortality rates, many children are orphaned or sold into slavery where they are overworked, mistreated or sexually abused. Here, they are protected, loved, nurtured and educated. Farm crops and animals provide a renewable food supply. The starting class numbered 200, the school has now grown to 400 students. The following components were built and maintained by FRIENDS OF THE POOR: 1 - Stella Maris Academy, a K-6th grade boarding school (all operating costs, including teachers' salaries, are funded by Friends of the Poor) and middle and high school classrooms; 2 - Trade School - Job training augments the high school curriculum, allowing students to graduate with marketable skills or trades. Other accomplishments in Africa are: Science Center, a state-of-the-art addition to the Kupiec Academy for Girls (boarding school built by Friends of the Poor which saw its first graduating class in 2015); Job Training Centers, built for young mothers struggling to raise their children and support their families; The Marriott Daughters Day Care Center, provides critical daycare to mothers attending the Job Training Centers; in Idah, two convents are being built after the destruction of the convents in Boko Haram, in Northern Nigeria; a new hospital is being built in Idah. In 2015-2016, animals and seeds for farming were purchased to provide famine relief in the area.Earlier accomplishments include: HIV clinic and hospital (2005), clean water projects (2004 - present), home health care services where home health care workers are provided with mopeds and medical supplies to administer in-home care to critically ill patients who are unable to travel, an orphanage, teen center, and the initial project in Africa, St. Paul's Cathedral.

In August, 2019, in partnership with St. Bonaventure School and Mission, Friends of the Poor completed the building of a 22,000 Square Foot Multi-Purpose Sports Facility that includes 1) Larger Basketball Court - with Bleacher space for 400 people, 2) Smaller Basketball Court - with Bleacher space for 200 people, and 3) Multi-Purpose area for Volleyball, Games, Concession Stand and Office Space in the rural community of Thoreau, New Mexico. 80% of Thoreaus 4,500 residents are Navajo, a proud, dignified, yet struggling people who have a 40% unemployment rate. Issues of suicide, depression, substance abuse, and hopelessness afflict numerous Navajo teenagers, as well as many adults. The center serves the community and its residents.

Casa de los Pobres is an urban relief center in Tijuana, which offers food, medical care, clothing, and educational aid to the very poor. With assistance from FRIENDS OF THE POOR, Casa serves more than 275,000 hot meals per year, and distributes 30,000 bags of groceries. More than 15,000 people annually receive needed medical attention. Casa de los Pobres also housed and fed 120 Haitian migrants seeking asylum in the U.S.The Hospital San Ignacio de Loyola is an in-patient mental health treatment center near Rosarito, Mexico, that is an extension of the Casa de los Pobres. It was established in 1998 in response to the immense need for psychiatric and substance abuse services among the poor, for whom there were literally no services available. The Hospital suspended operations in 2019. Funds are being collected for its reopening.