One of the most important projects for the welfare of the Tarahumara is that of providing water both for drinking and for cooking and washing dishes. In response to the serious problem of providing drinking water for the Tarahumara Father Verplancken began a well drilling project in 1994. A location to drill is the first step and Father Verplancken did this with divining rods.

Drought has afflicted the Sierra Tarahumara for the past several years, most notably in the past two years. The Tarahumara people rely almost exclusively on their crops for food. The lack of timely rain and snow has destroyed the corn, beans, squash, and potato crops and caused great hunger. In our hospital, malnutrition is the main reason both kids and adults seek treatment.

The name Cusarare means "Place of the Eagles" in the Tarahumara language. In this lovely little church that was built about 1733, twelve large paintings of the life of Mary were discovered. They were removed by Father Luis Verplancken, S.J. when the church was undergoing major repairs in 1967 due to the collapsed bell tower that nearly destroyed the church.

Realizing that education is so important for the future generations of the Tarahumara, Father Verplancken built two boarding schools. The first school was built in the late 1960's in a village not too distant from Creel, the Mission's headquarters. The second school, also a boarding one, was built in 1974 in a remote mountainous area.