Rosario was on the brink. The mother of six was battling depression, malnutrition, diabetes, COVID, and a spider bite. “They are fighting every day with all their might not to collapse,” Chalice's Fatima site staff wrote in December 2022. They know Rosario through their sponsor site community in Cochabamba, Bolivia.

Rosario had been the sole breadwinner. With her bedridden, her eldest son, 18-year-old Moises, tried to take over. But his job at the supermarket could not support a household of seven.

The family did not have groceries, and the children frequently went to bed hungry. Rosario’s health was declining. To make matters worse, their landlords have given them notice that they would have to vacate their rented room by the end of 2022.

They were “hoping for a miracle.”

God answered.

Generous Chalice donors supported Rosario with emergency funds to cover her medications, and hospital expenses. They didn’t stop there – they also bought warm clothing and a bulk supply of food for the family. And they covered the rent.

On a visit in February, Douglas, Chalice’s International Operations Manager for Latin America, went to visit Rosario in her home. He was shocked by what he saw.

A healthy, beaming Rosario standing at the front of her property, ready to greet him.

“Her health has improved tremendously,” he marvels. “She was really happy to show us the medicines she is taking and the treatment she’s getting.”

Over the course of his visit, Rosario regaled Douglas with her ‘firsts’ since her children were sponsored: her first pair of shoes from a ‘good store’ and going to a supermarket with her children and doing a proper grocery run.

But one thing stood well above the others – Moises went back to school and will be able to complete his studies. He wants to become a lawyer.

“Rosario’s life is changing because of the support,” Douglas reflected after the visit. For him, it brings to mind the corporal works of mercy that Christ teaches in the Gospel.

“And that’s exactly what we see in the work that we do.”