International Samaritan

OUR VISION Is of a time when garbage dumps of developing countries are no longer homes to human beings struggling to survive. 

WHO WE ARE International Samaritan is an international nonprofit dedicated to raising the standard of living in garbage dump communities. For 25 years, we have worked to change the lives of the most vulnerable people in the world through a unique blend of hands-on service and advocacy work.

International Samaritan was founded in 1994 by Father Don Vettese, S.J. On a school trip to Guatemala, Father Vettese’s group was diverted from their route due to traffic and drove through the garbage dump community instead. Father Vettese was horrified by what he saw and pledged to do something about it. That chance encounter led to the creation of International Samaritan.

All these years later, International Samaritan has grown beyond Guatemala, and our mission is carried out by people across many nations and faiths. International Samaritan currently has offices in Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, and Ethiopia, and gained consultative status with the United Nations in 2011. Our United States office is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan. We follow Christ by walking and working with all people, regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexual preference.

OUR GUIDING PRINCIPLES  Our name comes from the Parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37, in which Jesus describes how we should love our neighbor.  We are built on the principles of Catholic Social Teaching, which are described on the website of the US Council of Catholic Bishops as:

• Life and Dignity of the Human Person.  We believe that every person is precious, that people are more important than things, and that the measure of every institution is whether it threatens or enhances the life and dignity of the human person.
• Call to Family, Community, and Participation.  The person is not only sacred but also social.  We believe people have a right and a duty to participate in society, seeking together the common good and well-being of all, especially the poor and vulnerable.
• Rights and Responsibilities.  Human dignity can be protected and a healthy community can be achieved only if human rights are protected and responsibilities are met.  Corresponding to these rights are duties and responsibilities–to one another, to our families, and to the larger society. 
• Options for the Poor and Vulnerable.  A basic moral test is how our most vulnerable members are faring, especially in a society marred by deepening divisions between rich and poor. 
• The Dignity of Work and the Rights of Workers.  The economy must serve people, not the other way around. Work is more than a way to make a living; it is a form of continuing participation in God’s creation.  
• Solidarity.  We are one human family whatever our national, racial, ethnic, economic, and ideological differences. At the core of the virtue of solidarity is the pursuit of justice and peace.  
• Care for God’s Creation.  We show our respect for the Creator by our stewardship of creation. We are called to protect people and the planet, living our faith in relationship with all of God’s creation.

We walk and work with all people, regardless of race, religion, gender, or sexual preference.