Sign up for E-mail Alerts

Stories About Safety Net

New Chances for Life and Education Renew Hope

A Kenyan mother too sick to support her family, much less cover fees for her children's schooling, now sees her once-distant dreams coming true. »»

'Thanks for Giving Us Food'

In a Darfur refugee camp, a well deserved rest is interrupted by a teenage boy whose courage helps a CRS staffer see his work in a new light. »»

A New Chapter for Refugee Students in Egypt

Sudanese and Iraqi families that fled war face a new challenge in Egypt: paying for education. Tuition vouchers keep their children in school. »»

Safe Jobs for Moldova's Vulnerable Young Women

Moldovan women who can't find work often sink into poverty—and sometimes slavery. CRS' Jobs Plus program helps them help themselves. »»

Traditional Skills, New Freedoms

In Pakistan, Afghan refugee women gain financial and social freedom through a CRS skills training and basic education program. »»

Perseverance Means New Home for Bosnian Family

Displaced by Bosnia's war, a woman and her children start over with help from CRS. »»

Giving Ethiopian Girls An Equal Chance

Teenage girls in Ethiopia are dreaming big after gaining the knowledge and confidence they need to realize their full potential. »»

Former Bosnian Refugee Stitches A Brighter Future

Near Sarajevo and elsewhere in Bosnia, women impoverished by war learn marketable skills like sewing. »»

The Year in Photos: A Look Back at 2008

It's been a year of great milestones in helping the world's poor. Our donors make our work possible, often from the wooden pews of their parishes. »»

In Bosnia, Home Is Where the Heart Is

Years after their homes were destroyed, survivors of Bosnia's war are getting a fresh start. »»

Timkatec Children's Center

More than a decade after Father Joseph Simon started rescuing Port-au-Prince's abandoned and abused street children, his sanctuary is thriving. »»

Milking Profits in Ethiopia

Enterprising Ethiopian women are selling cows milk collectively to increase profits, save time and improve their families' quality of life. »»

Fighting Slave Labor in Brazil

Slavery was abolished in Brazil more than a century ago, but forced labor continues to be a reality, particularly in the Brazilian Amazon. »»

Productive Farm Means Better Life for Ethiopian Family

Junedi and his family are expanding their farming capabilities with help from a USAID-funded CRS project targeting Ethiopians most in need. »»

One of Millions

Hungry and orphaned, a young boy was lured into school by a hot lunch and dedicated teachers. »»

CRS Housing Project Gives New Hope to Herders

Looking at Abdoulla Issa Khdour' family, it's hard to imagine that they lived in a cave for more than a decade. »»

Grace for Everyone

In 1951, Mother Teresa started Nirmal Hriday, her first home for the destitute and dying. Today, CRS still supports the work being done in this home. »»

Refugee Assistance

CRS' food distributions help Liberian and Ivoirian refugees maintain a healthy diet while they live in refugee camps in Guinea. »»

Palestinian Infrastructure for Needed Employment

CRS is working in parts of Bethlehem and Hebron to restore educational facilities - just one victim of ongoing tensions in the region. »»

Timkatec Children's Center

Patrick O'Shea knows first-hand what it is like to be an orphan. Now, he helps orphans in Haiti by supporting the Timkatec Children's Center. »»

The Partnership Poverty Reduction Project

The Partner Poverty Reduction Project seeks to improve the living conditions of poor households in the Diocese of Navrongo-Bolgatanga. »»

Combatting Human Trafficking

In Brazil today, thousands are working in slave-like conditions, but CRS' Trails of Liberty program is working to bring about an end to this problem. »»

Meet Nyokuru Mukamanzi

CRS is helping people in Burundi impacted by ongoing violence to reclaim their lives by giving them goats and helping to rebuild their homes. »»

The Social Assistance Program

CRS' Social Assistance Program provides support to children's shelters and other institutions helping the poorest and most vulnerable in Haiti. »»