Since 1996 the CRIS Foundation has strived to make the love of Jesus Christ a reality for the indigenous people in Guatemala.

The CRIS Foundation's primary objective is to respect the peoples we encounter and among whom we work. We engage in activities in villages only after we have secured the full cooperation and collaboration of the indigenous residents. Our ideology is that it is imperative that we as Christians first learn to love people as they are, accept their cultures and their customs, adapt ourselves to understand the ways of the people as they are and build life-changing relationships through friendship and meeting needs. By following these five essential guidelines, Christ and his love can be sown on fertile grounds and hearts. Furthermore, indigenous people can develop healthy economic systems that can be sustained, as well as lead to a future full of hope through development by their own peers.

The CRIS Foundation supports individuals and entire communities seeking a better life for themselves and their communities through integrated sustainable development programs.

In a variety of different ways the CRIS Foundation is working to make a difference in Guatemala:

• Medical support through primary health care education
• Home Bible studies
• Medical clinics in remote areas
• Christian video outreach and support of Christian video production in indigenous languages
• Christian leadership seminars for pastors, priests and lay persons
• Leadership training programs for indigenous women
• Economic development through the operation of a sheet metal vocational school in Patanatic, Solola
• Social justice for socially marginalized women facing discrimination, abuse and murder
• Educational scholarships for indigenous young people desiring higher education
• Education, protection and promotion of environmental issues
• Disaster seminars for Christian pastors, priests, and lay persons and public service first responders

It should be noted that the CRIS Foundation is by its very nature non-denominational and generally acts cooperatively with any Christian organization confessing the Nicene Creed and/or the Apostle's Creed. By the same token, we cooperate and coordinate with local municipalities, other NGOs, and the Guatemalan national government in areas of public health, disaster preparedness, and disaster relief.

The CRIS Foundation is directed by a Board of Directors based in Washington State. The Board comprises five officers plus at least five additional advisory members. Since the outreach itself aims at interdenominational cooperation, the Board and advisory members represent a mix of Evangelical, Roman Catholic and Charismatic backgrounds from the United States and Canada.