What is MISSIO Invest?
The Salina Diocese and the Catholic Rural Life Commission for the Diocese has teamed up with the MISSIO Invest program that provides loans to Catholic owned farms in Africa. We have become a pilot program providing mentors to the operation managers of these farms in Africa. There are Catholic communities, parishes, schools, medical facilities, seminaries, and other entities that have farms to provide food and income to those communities. MISSIO Invest is an effort to provide loans for specific business growth to help the organizations become self-sufficient and grow in the efforts to provide nutrition and jobs for their communities. MISSIO asked if our rural Diocese of Salina would try to provide mentors to the managers of some of the operations. The mentor communicates mostly via Texts messaging with the managers as we learn about the opportunities they face in a developing Ag setting. The mentor has the opportunity to provide input and understanding of some of their struggles. Mostly it is an effort to provide discussions that show empathy to them in their work. For some it has become a way to become very connected personally and prayerfully with someone a world away. We have put together a few short videos from people involved it the program that can hopefully provide some insight into the importance of the program.
How do I get involved in MISSIO Invest?
If you have any interest in becoming a mentor, please contact the Chancery office and they will direct you to the right people to get you involved. It is extremely rewarding and costs nothing except a little time and effort. Please consider helping us grow this program.