The Light of Pentecost of St Louise: responding to God’s call in serving the poor

On the occasion of this month, we want to recall the experience of Pentecost of Saint Louise de Marillac, when on 4th June 1623, St Louise was moved by a deep spiritual insight. She tells us: “I was advised... that a time would come when I would be in a position to make vows of poverty, chastity...

The Cry of Street Children across the World: How the Vincentian Family is Responding

Poverty affects everyone including children, in fact, they are more than twice as likely to live in poverty than adults[1]. Poverty is not only economic but is multidimensional, affecting fundamental rights including education, adequate housing, and access to drinking water[2]. Following the...

Protecting Children’s Rights in the Netherlands

According to recent figures published by Statistics Netherlands (CBS)[1], 209,000 children in the Netherlands are living at risk of poverty, with their parents earning a salary below the national low-income threshold. The ‘Team against Poverty’ in Tilburg – with the help of many volunteers and...

From Venezuela to Colombia: crossing the borders for a better future

Since the 2015 economic crisis in Venezuela, Colombia has hosted approximately 1.7 million Venezuelans, representing more than 37% of the approximately 4.6 million Venezuelan refugees in Latin America and the Caribbean.[1] Over half of the Venezuelan population living in Colombia does not have a...

By word of mouth, the 13 Houses Campaign “travels” to new countries

The 13 Houses Campaign keeps growing: with the launch of the call for proposals on 30 August 2022, we witnessed the Vincentian desire to strengthen a ‘network of charity’ for homeless people that goes beyond geographical borders. The objective of the call was to extend a particular invitation to...

Losing everything in an instant: A new home after the hurricanes Eta and Iota in Honduras

'It only took two weeks to go from poverty to absolute homelessness in Honduras and Guatemala'. (BBC, 2020) Through these few words, we can already feel the catastrophic effects of hurricanes Eta and Iota that devastated Central America in 2020. The natural disaster affected both rural communities...

More than a home: a 13 Houses project helping people who are homeless in Asturias, Spain

Billions of people experience homelessness in the world (1), and its causes and forms are diverse. Therefore, it requires answers that go beyond providing a home but which also include wider and more holistic aspects. For example, the provision of psychological support and the promotion of...

Ukraine joins the 13 Houses Campaign: rebuilding hope for those who lost everything

Fourteen million people fled their homes in search of safety and more than 800,000 homes have been destroyed: frightening numbers that have been seen in Ukraine since the Russian invasion in February 2022 to today (UNHCR). The Vincentian Family has showed great commitment and dedication towards...

Typhoon-resistant houses and repair kits: an update on the Vincentian response in the Philippines

According to data from the Philippines' National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC), Super Typhoon Rai (local name Odette) which hit a large part of the Philippines on 16 December 2021 resulted to around 405 casualties and 78 missing people. Government reports indicate that...

Diaries of a Vincentian: Brazil

"The 13 Houses project is much more than the provision of a house; it is giving someone a space in which they can feel like a child of God, a human being and a citizen who has the right to a place to call home." M.F.S, 57 years old, widow, 3rd grade education. She lives in the city of Almirante...
Protecting Children’s Rights in the Netherlands

Protecting Children’s Rights in the Netherlands

According to recent figures published by Statistics Netherlands (CBS)[1], 209,000 children in the Netherlands are living at risk of poverty, with their parents earning a salary below the national low-income threshold. The ‘Team against Poverty’ in Tilburg – with the...

read more
Diaries of a Vincentian: Brazil

Diaries of a Vincentian: Brazil

"The 13 Houses project is much more than the provision of a house; it is giving someone a space in which they can feel like a child of God, a human being and a citizen who has the right to a place to call home." M.F.S, 57 years old, widow, 3rd grade education. She...

read more
Women experiencing homelessness: an invisible reality

Women experiencing homelessness: an invisible reality

Anyone can suddenly end up with no place to call home, but homelessness doesn’t affect everyone in the same way, with the experience of women completely different to the experience of men. (CYREANS, 2021). Whilst men are more likely to sleep rough or to make use of...

read more