Mary Mother of Peace-Medjugorje Charity, Inc.

By working with local volunteers, we can have a big impact with small amounts of money, providing essentials to war orphans, victims of natural disasters and helping poor children go to school.

Why do we exist?

Mary Mother of Peace-Medjugorje Charity exists to help war orphans, homeless children, poor families and people in need of all faiths regain dignity by improving their living and educational conditions overseas and at home.  Current focus at home is to help restore health and well-being to wounded veterans in military hospitals with the "Little Flower" project. We are now helping 12 wounded soldiers looking to find a job with resume preparation as a stepping stone to rebuild their lives in the US with dignity and hope.  We do this in partnership with the “Wounded Warrior Project” and  plan to care for new wounded men and women when they arrive at the hospital in the US from the battlefield by funding some WWP backpacks. The backpack contains essential care and comfort items such as clothing, toiletries, a calling card, a CD player and playing cards. We will also give them healing prayers cards. Current focus overseas is on Bosnia and Herzegovina (orphans, poor families) --- plus Mexico (rural poor), India (post-disaster recovery, clean water, medical care and sending children to school) and Haiti (especially poor women and children).

The CFC of the National Capital Area is a cornerstone of philanthropy for more than 3,200 charities. Mary Mother of Peace-Medjugorje Charity is just one of them. We are perhaps unique because we work with a carefully selected number of suffering families and children and for efficient results we rely on dedicated local volunteers who make sure that implementation of projects, programs and actions is accomplished as intended, with honesty, love, compassion and professionalism. How do we work?  For example, when an abandoned child is identified for the program of assistance, the first step is to protect the child by bringing him/her to a place where he/she can be taken care of in a family-like environment. See pictures 1,2,3 below in that order for the case of twin sisters Tanemozhi and Kanemozhi who were left homeless, hungry, sick and in despair after the tsunami in Tamil Nadu, India. Now an aunt is taking care of them with our support. They smile again to life.

With our humble means, we are addressing emergency and basic needs so that the few people with critical needs that we can help are fed and able to work again. We provide food, shelter, clothing, clean water, money, educational training, medical, dental and psychological assistance. We also make sure that orphans and children are protected, and can go back to school. For our wounded veterans, the goal is to help their mental and spiritual healing by offering to connect them with war orphans to mutually rebuild lives, those of American service people and of young victims abroad.  It is in giving that you receive.

What have you accomplished?

“The important thing is not how much we accomplish, but how much love we put to our deeds every day” Mother Teresa of Calcutta used to say.  We do what we can the best we can to help war orphans, homeless children, poor families, handicapped teenagers, tsunami survivors and refugees of all faiths at home and overseas.  We are a growing family each year.

Displaced by war:

For example, with the logistical help of a volunteer US Peacekeeper, Sgt Joe, we gave a tractor and a plough to minority refugees returning to their destroyed villages near Modrica in Northern Bosnia to rebuild their life. At the same time Joe distributed  winter socks and shoes to three orphanages.  Financing of the tractor and plough was made possible with the support of the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel in Vienna, Virginia and of the talent of a former US Ambassador who helped us develop and promote the project. The young Croat Pastor of Modrica is supervising the use of the tractor and is playing a key leadership role for the reconstruction and reconciliation program in this Serb area.  As a result of MMP-MC action, Finland decided to give a second tractor. A third one is needed.

Emmerging Support:

On the US front, we were deeply moved by the 9/11 tragedy. “We will always remember with faith and hope September 11 and pray in solidarity for all the suffering families of the victims”, Bernard and Claudine wrote. In early 2002 the Charity offered a one-week rest and recuperation in Florida to an exhausted firefighter from New York and his family. Nick was working for months at “Ground Zero.”

Dreams come true:

Similarly in 2001, the Charity MMP-MC helped George, a handicapped boy who just graduated from high school in Indianapolis to visit Universal Studios in Orlando. “It was the best trip of my life”, George wrote.

Citizen Diplomacy:

From 2004 to 2010 MMP-MC supported the work of the Crossroads team that is walking across the US, witnessing to the value of every human life. The students walked from California to Washington DC!  Their walk ended up at the National Shrine and on the steps of the US Capitol where the TV media and a Senator welcome them.  God bless America!

Natural Disasters:

“After the terrible tragedy in Haiti where a devastating 7.0 major earthquake hit the capital city of Port-au-Prince on January 12, 2010, killing close to 200,000 people, wounding 250,000 and leaving million of families homeless, our small but targeted recovery program will help locally about 200 children (some are orphans) and their families rebuild their lives. Project also includes (i) assisting a damaged school near Port-au-Prince; (ii) participating in the rebuilding of a destroyed clinic which was taking care of handicapped people and orphans; and (iii) developing microcredit to poor women individually and in small groups to help them generate earning activities and gain financial security with small businesses including agriculture. Implementation will take place by forming a partnership with a reliable local non-profit volunteer organization.

Haiti is the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, close to the US Southeast Coast, in the Caribbean. It has a history of instability and violence. Frequent natural disasters are periodically devastating Haiti, especially hurricanes and flooding. This time earthquakes as never seen in the region for about 250 years, has created chaos and immense human suffering. Haitians are courageous, they pray, keep hope, hang on the best they can, are grateful to international solidarity coming to their rescue, especially the US where many Haitians live, and pledge to rebuild with patience and go on with their lives. The majority of the country population of 9 million lives on less than $2 a day, out of which 3 million live in the devastated capital city area.  Many schools, homes, hospitals, government buildings, hotels, orphanages, businesses, churches collapsed killing or trapping those inside. We have already received some donations. If you wish to help you can. Rebuilding takes time and each dollar can make a difference in the life of the poor and suffering.”Photo:Earthquake Haiti

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