International Samaritan
International Samaritan strives to build good communities for the people living in and around city garbage dumps. Garbage dump dwellers are some of the poorest people in the world. They barely survive by digging through the city dump for tin and other recyclables to sell. Many eat food discarded at the dump. Most of these communities do not have running water, or electricity. Children often don?t have shoes or proper clothing. They live in homes made of cardboard, tin and other items that the families collect.
International Samaritan first starts working with local governments and other non-profits to try to bring basic infrastructure to garbage dump communities. We can then start to address the vital needs of each community. In Guatemala, that meant building a nursery first, in order to get babies and toddlers out of harm?s way. Schools are constructed so children can get an education and be fed nutritious meals.
I.S. builds homes, medical facilities, community centers, adult training schools and funds micro-loan programs in Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, Haiti and Egypt. I.S. also leads service immersion trips and medical missions.
International Samaritan serves victims of severe poverty in developing countries by partnering with them and others to alleviate hunger, homelessness, endemic disease and ignorance.
The parable of the good Samaritan teaches us to look past our differences when helping one another. In the story, a traveler is left by the road, beaten and robbed, seeking help from those passing by. Both a priest and a Levite walk by without a glance; the Samaritan did not.
The Samaritan was from a different background and had nothing in common with the traveler, yet this difference did not blind him from the traveler?s need for help. The Samaritan saw all men equal and worthy. This is a lesson that International Samaritan aspires to follow
