The urgent need for churches, schools, and water wells around the world is keeping Maranatha Volunteers International busy in 2026. This year’s project scope includes the construction of 140 churches total in Brazil, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Zambia, Kenya, and India. Maranatha is also planning to build on seven school campuses, drill 300 new water wells, and conduct maintenance and repairs on many more existing wells–including a return to Mozambique to repair and maintain wells that Maranatha drilled previously. Work in Cuba, where the organization has been involved since the 1990s, is facing an uncertain future, in light of geopolitical tensions. Maranatha is, however, continuing to explore possible responses to significant needs there. In the United States, volunteers are scheduled to complete 20 construction and renovation projects at Seventh-day Adventist churches, schools, and summer camps.
“God has guided our work for fifty-plus years, and we believe He’ll do it again for 2026,” said Maranatha president Don Noble. “Decisions about our work are always made prayerfully–whether choosing a country or choosing where to pour a sidewalk.”
Maranatha operates responsively to requests from the Adventist Church around the world. During the organization’s early days, volunteers completed projects one at a time, finishing at one site before moving to the next. Today, Maranatha is working in several countries simultaneously. To maximize efficiency, we set up headquarters and fabrication shops in a country to carry out many projects there before moving on. Later this year, we hope to start working in new countries that have appealed for our help.
“Committing to work somewhere new doesn’t happen on a whim,” explained Noble. “We are evaluating options in terms of immediate need and potential locations for volunteer groups to serve.”
In addition to requests from the Adventist Church, Maranatha’s project scope is dictated by an incredible community of donors. One hundred percent of every gift goes directly toward funding the program each donor indicates, and Maranatha can only build as much as these gifts afford. As we embark on meeting urgent needs for churches, schools, and water wells in new places, we hope you will join us in prayer, service, and financial support of this year’s project scope.
Maranatha Volunteers International, a supporting ministry of the Adventist Church, mobilizes volunteers to build churches, schools, water wells, and other urgently needed structures around the world, including North America. Since 1969, Maranatha has constructed more than 16,000 structures and more than 3,500 water wells in nearly 90 countries.