Founded in 1982, Friends of the Poor is a nondenominational service organization that works in partnership with relief workers in various parts of the world to provide necessary funds, material goods, medicines and food to aide in the alleviation of poverty and suffering.

In 1998, Jean Colarusso, President of Friends of the Poor, began organizing the first of many missions in Africa. Because of the growing needs in Africa, Friends of Africa was established in 2006 as an additional focus to the mission of Friends of the Poor.  The current project of Friends of the Poor-Africa is to provide funding and supplies to build the Dr. William Kupiec Academy for Girls.

Friends of the Poor-Africa partnered with the Carlsbad Marathon as an official charity for a major fundraising event held on January 25, 2009. Click on their logo to the left to find out more.

To find out more information about the projects and to find out how you can help, please review the links provided to the left.