Faith in Action

This article written by Julia Cananzi and translated by Mike Dean

ST. ANTHONY’S Charities is evolving, introducing new ways to provide support while maintaining its core mission: standing by the most vulnerable, marginalized communities, especially children.

Our initiatives raised almost €3,400,000 for 98 projects spread throughout the whole world: America, Europe, Africa and Asia.

St. Anthony’s Charities traditional activities focused on global solidarity and development in 2024, particularly benefiting vulnerable rural populations and children. Africa and Latin America received the largest share of funds, each accounting for about 41 percent of the total. The highest number of projects were carried out in Africa – 52 projects in total for 18 countries, primarily in Sub-Saharan regions.

A major focus has been the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a resource-rich nation plagued by decades of conflict, which recently escalated again. This country alone received funding for 15 projects, making up 13 percent of the total funds allocated. In Asia, which received 6.85 percent of funds, most projects centred on education.

Types of projects

Among the different areas of intervention, healthcare in Africa ranked first, receiving 24 percent of the funds for 17 projects. One particularly impactful initiative in Colombia provided essential medicine to people in neighbouring Venezuela. “This project alone will help over 9 million people, who have extremely limited access to medicines due to the critical political and social situation in the country,” says Father Valerio Folli, Director of St. Anthony’s Charities.

Education and housing are the second-largest funding areas, each receiving approximately 21 percent of funds. “By housing we mean community buildings such as dormitories, shelters, retirement homes, and hostels,” explains Fr. Valerio. “The residents of these structures are mostly school-age children or vulnerable individuals such as the elderly, the sick, and the disabled.”

In third place were projects aimed at human development, such as training in rights, healthcare, and employment for populations in marginalized or impoverished areas. Water access projects were also a significant focus in 2024, particularly in Africa, with six initiatives totalling €111,000.

The initiative launched on June 13, in honour of the Feast of Saint Anthony, involved a €134,400 investment in Guarambaré, Paraguay. Managed by Franciscan Conventual friars, the Marcelino Pan y Vino social centre serves the community, particularly children – often those from single-mothers – by providing full-day care and educational support.

Which beneficiaries?

A decade-long trend continued in 2024: projects increasingly focus on benefiting entire communities rather than specific groups. Indeed, the largest share of funds – €841,000 (37.62 percent) – was allocated to 24 projects designed to support entire populations. “Typical projects in favour of communities are those defined as ‘human development’ initiatives,” explains Fr. Valerio. “These projects help people manage emergencies, but also find community-based solutions to overcome one or more causes of poverty or hardship.”

Healthcare projects also serve broad populations, including medical clinics, maternity wards, small hospitals, and water and sanitation infrastructure. Such services are often still lacking in many parts of Africa and Asia.

Despite this broader focus, St. Anthony’s Charities remains committed to its traditional beneficiaries: children, adolescents, students, and young people. In 2024, €652,060 was allocated to 38 projects benefiting these groups, supporting not only education, but also vocational training and microfinance programs. Special attention is given to the most vulnerable, including the elderly, disabled individuals, and those with serious illnesses.

Small microprojects

St. Anthony’s Charities also confirmed its commitment to funding small-scale projects, with 36 initiatives costing between €10,000 and €20,000. More than 45 percent of projects cost less than €30,000. “There are several reasons for this,” says Fr. Valerio. “Many projects are based in Africa, where costs are lower than in Latin America. More importantly, finding trustworthy partners takes time. We take a cautious approach, breaking projects into phases, and reviewing progress at each step.”

2025 Objectives

What’s next for St. Anthony’s Charities? “Our priority remains refining how we support vulnerable communities worldwide,” says Fr. Valerio. “This is not an easy goal, as in order to limit administrative costs, St. Anthony’s Charities does not have offices abroad. Instead, we rely on long-standing local contacts and the network of Franciscan Conventual friars. It is a challenge, but one we are deeply committed to. A major goal for the future is improving healthcare access in impoverished regions, particularly by strengthening a Franciscan hospital in Burkina Faso, our 2025 June 13 Project.”

The United States

In 2024 the Anthonian Association of the Friends of Saint Anthony of Padua (AAFSAP), our Saint’s charitable organization in the USA, with headquarters in Chicago, continued to work with missionaries around the world to tirelessly serve the poorest of the poor. AAFSAP distributed a total of $300,800 USD, of which $50,000 went to sustain three Catholic institutions: the Basilica of St Josaphat in Milwaukee, WI; the Franciscan Postulancy Program in Chicago, IL, and St Bonaventure Province, also in Chicago.

$18,500 went for education, evangelization and a building project in India; $16,300 went to Kenya for education, evangelization and a water tank; $30,000 were donated to Lebanon as food; $16,000 went to Equador for building materials; $25,000 went to a kitchen in a welcome center in Madagascar; $6,000 were donated for vocational training of female inmates in Bolivia; $25,000 for a welcome center run by nuns in Mexico; $13,000 for an irrigation system in Uganda; $15,000 to feed malnourished children in Mauritania; $21,000 to foster farming in Zambia; $40,000 for the Marcelino Pan y Vino centre in Paraguay (the 2024 June 13 Project), and finally $25,000 went to Italy for a minibus for kids in a Catholic social centre in Bari.

Canada

Last year Saint Anthony of Padua Mission Aid (SAPMA), our Saint’s charitable organization in Canada likewise ensured the highest return for every dollar entrusted to it by distributing a total of $470,346 CAD, of which $95,000 were for projects inside Canada: St. Clare Inn for homeless women ($75,000) and St. Bernadette Centre ($20,000), both of which are in Toronto.

The rest of the money went abroad to specific projects. $26,000 went to the USA to fund FrancisCorps, the Gospel service charitable organization set up by the Franciscan Conventual Friars of north America. The rest of the funds ($349,346) all went to St. Anthony’s Charities, but in doing so devolved most of it to third world countries. Of this sum $96,250 were given to St. Anthony’s Charities to donate to charitable projects of its own choice, whereas the rest went to specific St. Anthony’s Charities projects dedicated to the following countries: $18,088 for an apartment in Argentina; $38,080 for a multi-purpose hall in Ecuador; $46,648 for the renovation of a health center in Venezuela; $40,800 for the construction of 4 classrooms and 8 bathrooms in Burundi; $27,200 for the manufacture of 200 animal-drawn plows in Ciad; $32,640 for the repair of a cyclone-damaged school in Mozambique; $21,080 for a well in Mont Ngafula in the DR of the Congo; and finally $28,560 in equipment for a children’s center in Zambia.

The United Kingdom

In 2024 Messenger of Saint Anthony UK donated a total of £287,000, an increase of £97,000 from last year – proof positive that our British charitable organization is really getting underway. £40,000 of this money went to Cardinal Hume Center to help homeless people in the UK. Outside of Britain all the projects were located in Commonwealth countries, with the exception £80,000, which were donated for the reception of pilgrims in St. Anthony’s Basilica in Padua, and then for the upkeep of the Saint’s Exhibition and the Basilica’s digital tour.

The Commonwealth countries received a total of £167,000 in donations, this includes £13,000 for India (St Mary’s school in Raghunatpally, Hyderabad); £13,000 for farm equipment in Tanzania (village of Maseyu, Morogoro); £6,000 for Cameroon (health support in the Yaoundé prison); £6,000 for the St Martha Health Center in Ngao, Malawi; £9,000 for a well in Uganda, and a further £11,000 for the irrigation system of a farm connected to St Joseph’s Hospital in Kitovu, Uganda; £9,000 for the St Jean de Dieu Hospital in Afagnan, Togo; £20,000 for the cyclone damaged secondary school of a congregation of nuns founded by D. Manuel Vieira Pinto in Mozambique; £18,000 went to Zambia for the food security of children at the Mazzieri center; £8,000 in Rwanda for Kinanzi Centre for the elderly run by the Sisters of Abizeramarjia, and a further £13,500 still in Rwanda to support a micro-credit project for women; £13,000 in Kenya for the St. Mary’s Mission health center in Mbita; a further £5,500 in Kenya for a water tank at the St. Francis Training College in Nyamonge; and then another £22,000 still in Kenya in support of street children in Ugunja, Kisumu diocese.

 ♦♦♦

In 2024 our charitable organizations demonstrated unwavering commitment to supporting vulnerable communities worldwide. Through strategic allocation of funds and collaboration with local Catholic communities, we were able to address critical needs in healthcare, education, housing, and human development. As we look to 2025, the focus remains to continue our mission to be there where all hope is gone.