Caritas Internationalis is sending its tributes to member organization Caritas Côte d’Ivoire as it marks 50 years of working with the most marginalised in the country.
Caritas Internationalis, the umbrella organisation of 162 Catholic national charities, says that Caritas Côte d’Ivoire has played a key role on peace building and human development in the country by supporting hundreds of thousands of people improve their own lives.
Caritas Internationalis Secretary General Lesley Anne Knight said, “Congratulations to Caritas Côte d’Ivoire. Their staff has worked tirelessly over the last half a century in the service of the poor.”
Caritas Côte d’Ivoire is involved in programmes that promote agricultural development and enhance access to clean water and sanitation facilities. It also supports projects such as income-generating schemes that aim to increase employment. Caritas Côte d’Ivoire is concerned at all levels with addressing human rights issues and with protecting vulnerable children from exploitation.
Caritas Côte d’Ivoire promotes and supports programmes addressing, health and HIV/AIDS, education, peace and reconciliation, water, sanitation and the environment, micro-credit and income-generating schemes, care for the elderly, and psychosocial counselling.
Caritas Côte d’Ivoire’s 10 national staff, 500 diocesan staff and 1000 volunteers also work on promoting peace, increasing access to anti-AIDS drugs, ending forced labour of children and building grassroots economic self-sustainability. They help under half a million people.
Celebrations in Côte d’Ivoire include a conference looking at the work of Caritas, a charity gala celebrating the history of the organisation, and a mass at the Cathedral in Abidjan on Sunday 27th.