The Voice of the suffering in Latin America

The wide plains of Upper Apure in southwest Venezuela are a meeting point for Andean heritage and the identity of the plain dwellers, with a strong indigenous presence and contact with Colombians just across the border. In the middle of this landscape rises the Christ of the Savannah, which has become a symbol of faith, identity, and resilience for the Diocese of Guasdualito, which was created only nine years ago, in December 2015, and is supported by Aid to the ...

To commemorate World Radio Day on February 13th, Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is highlighting its ongoing support for Catholic radio, an essential tool for both spreading information and evangelizing throughout the world. In 2024, the charity committed over $570,000 to 22 radio projects in 19 countries.  Hundreds of Catholic radio stations are operating in the most forgotten places on the planet. Many of them do so thanks to the benefactors of Aid to the Church in Need ...

With 54 years of service in a rural parish in the Diocese of Guaranda in Ecuador, Salesian Father Antonio Polo has changed the region through pastoral and spiritual labor – but also, with the help of the local population, through business ventures such as the development of Salinerito Cheese. When Father Antonio Polo arrived in Salinas, Ecuador from his native Italy, over five decades ago, he was not only struck by the beauty of the landscape, but also by the difficult ...

Gang violence, forced migration, and poverty continue to plague Haiti. The Bishop of Fort-Liberté, Quesnel Alphonse, tells ACN about looting by gangs, the growing influence of Islam, and the trauma of a population that “feels completely lost.“ Haiti is experiencing a very difficult time, marked by an increase in gang violence and a collapse of basic services. Would you say that the situation is getting worse?  Definitely, yes. If I had to pick a word to describe the situation, I’d ...

In one of Mexico’s most dangerous states, the Working Sisters help children who are exposed to violence. With ACN’s support, they also train novices who grew up in difficult environments, preparing them to bring hope to vulnerable communities.   “One of our children saw his father be killed,” says Sister Rosalina during an interview with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN). “We had another case of three children who witnessed the murder of their mother in front of their house. ...

In the face of rampant violence, which is paralyzing Port-au-Prince and isolating Haiti from the rest of the world, the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Haiti, in a message received by ACN, calls on the government to act and appeals to every Haitian to work for peace and overcome hatred. In response to a catastrophic situation, and the continual deterioration of security in Haiti, the Bishops’ Conference of Haiti issued a “cry of alarm” for peace on November 15th, 2024, in ...