Caritas Colombia

Colombian Catholic charity organisation.
4°40′58″N 74°04′25″W / 4.682905800387362°N 74.07363667672628°W / 4.682905800387362; -74.07363667672628OriginsCatholic Social Teaching
Region served
Colombia
Secretary General
Rafael Martín Castillo Torres
President
Luis José Rueda AparicioAffiliationsCaritas Internationalis, Caritas Latin America and Caribbean
Revenue
COP 65,719,026,510[1]Websitecaritascolombiana.org

Caritas Colombia (Spanish: Cáritas Colombiana, officially Pastoral Social Cáritas Colombiana) is a Colombian nonprofit organisation. It is the official aid organisation of the Catholic Church in Colombia.

The organisation is a member of the global Caritas Internationalis confederation and of Caritas Latin America and Caribbean.[2]

Caritas Colombia is a network of different structures. The national secretarit is known as Secretariado Nacional de Pastoral Social (SNPS).

Background

Since 1913, the Colombian Episcopal Conference has been promoting social welfare activities in the country. In 1956, during the civil war, the Bishops decided to establish Caritas Colombia as the coordinating body of Catholic social work. It was decided that this body was to report to the Social Pastoral and Charitable Commission of the Bishops' Conference.[2][3][4]

During its first years of existence, the work of Caritas was focused on food distributions to people in need in parishes. In the 1960s, Caritas Colombia started creating special "food houses". In the backdrop of evolving political dynamics within the country, new challenges emerged; in rural areas, the ongoing clash between guerrilla groups and armed forces prompted the Church to take initiatives to support rural families, including helping them to increase their agricultural output.[5]

On 4 August 1977, the National Secretariat of Social Pastoral (SNPS) was legally created to coordinate the pastoral care activities and to promote integral human development.[3] Around that time, the organisation also started supporting those affected by natural disasters and displacement. Caritas Colombia was involved in the relief and reconstruction efforts for the victims of the Popayán earthquake and the victims of the 1985 Armero tragedy.[5]

In 1982, Caritas Colombia launched its first fundraising campaign during lent. In the 1990s, urban violence caused by drug trafficking became a major issue in the country, to which the organisation adapted by starting to implement peacebuilding projects and being involved in truth and reconciliation initiatives. At the same time, it continued to provide humanitarian aid to populations affected by natural disasters. In 1996, it co-founded the Working Group for Colombia (GTC) to strengthen the SNPS's work for peacebuilding and reconciliation. In 2000, it convened the first National Congress of Reconciliation.[5]

Structure and work

The organisation is structured into 10 regions grouping 13 archdioceses, 52 dioceses, 10 apostolic vicariates and one military ordinariate.[3]

In 2023, Caritas Colombia implemented 62 projects in 51 geographical areas of ecclesiastical jurisdictions, with a total budget of almost 66 billion Colombian peso.[1]

External links

  • Official website (in Spanish)

References

  1. ^ a b "Informe de gestión 2023" (PDF). 2024. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Where we work: Colombia". caritas.org. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  3. ^ a b c Castillo Cadena, Hugo Andrés (2010). "fortalecimiento de la planeación estratégica en el Secretariado Nacional de Pastoral Social SNPS" (PDF). Pontifical Bolivarian University, School of Engineering and Administration, Faculty of Industrial Engineering Bucaramanga. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  4. ^ Jhon Fredy, Ramirez Cardozo; Salamanca Rodríguez, Germán David; Sepúlveda Zotaquira, Luis Alejandro (2017). "La evangelización del Papa Francisco. Una propuesta misional para los jóvenes de confirmación de la parroquia Nuestra Señora de la Consolación". Universitaria Agustiniana; Faculty of Humanities, Social Sciences and Education; Specialisation in Pedagogy. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b c "Breve recorrido histórico de Cáritas Colombiana, en sus 60 años de servicio solidario". caritascolombiana.org. 20 September 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2024.
  • v
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Caritas Internationalis Member Organisations and Regional Secretariats
Caritas Africa Member Organisations
   

Angola Caritas Angola
Benin Caritas Benin
Botswana Caritas Botswana
Burkina Faso Caritas Burkina Faso (OCADES)
Burundi Caritas Burundi
Cameroon Caritas Cameroon
Cape Verde Caritas Cape Verde
Central African Republic Caritas Central African Republic
Chad Caritas Chad
Comoros Caritas Comoros
Republic of the Congo Caritas Congo-Brazzaville
Democratic Republic of the Congo Caritas Congo
Ivory Coast Caritas Côte d'Ivoire
Equatorial Guinea Caritas Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea Caritas Eritrea

Eswatini Caritas Eswatini
Ethiopia Caritas Ethiopia (ECC- SDCO)
Gabon Caritas Gabon
The Gambia Caritas Gambia (CaDO)
Ghana Caritas Ghana
Guinea Caritas Guinea (OCPH)
Guinea-Bissau Caritas Guinea-Bissau
Kenya Caritas Kenya
Lesotho Caritas Lesotho
Liberia Caritas Liberia
Madagascar Caritas Madagascar
Malawi Caritas Malawi (CADECOM)
Mali Caritas Mali
Mauritius Caritas Mauritius
Mozambique Caritas Mozambique
Namibia Caritas Namibia

Niger Caritas Niger (CADEV)
Nigeria Caritas Nigeria
Rwanda Caritas Rwanda
São Tomé and Príncipe Caritas São Tomé and Príncipe
Senegal Caritas Senegal
Seychelles Caritas Seychelles
Sierra Leone Caritas Sierra Leone
South Africa Caritas South Africa (Siyabhabha Trust)
South Sudan Caritas South Sudan
Sudan Caritas Sudan
Tanzania Caritas Tanzania
Togo Caritas Togo (OCDI)
Uganda Caritas Uganda
Zambia Caritas Zambia
Zimbabwe Caritas Zimbabwe (CADEC)

Caritas Asia Member Organisations
   

Bangladesh Caritas Bangladesh
Cambodia Caritas Cambodia
Hong Kong Caritas Hong Kong
India Caritas India
Indonesia Caritas Indonesia
Japan Caritas Japan
Kazakhstan Caritas Kazakhstan
Kyrgyzstan Caritas Kyrgyzstan
Laos Caritas Laos

South Korea Caritas Korea
Macau Caritas Macau
Malaysia Caritas Malaysia
Mongolia Caritas Mongolia
Myanmar Caritas Myanmar (KMSS)
Nepal    Caritas Nepal
Pakistan Caritas Pakistan
Philippines Caritas Philippines (NASSA)
Singapore Caritas Singapore and CHARIS

Sri Lanka Caritas Sri Lanka
Taiwan Caritas Taiwan
Tajikistan Caritas Tajikistan
Thailand Caritas Thailand
East Timor Caritas Timor Leste
Uzbekistan Caritas Uzbekistan
Vietnam Caritas Vietnam

Caritas Europa Member Organisations
   

Albania Caritas Albania
Andorra Caritas Andorra
Armenia Armenian Caritas
Austria Caritas Austria
Azerbaijan Caritas Azerbaijan (corresponding member)
Belarus Caritas Belarus
Belgium Caritas Belgium
Bosnia and Herzegovina Caritas Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bulgaria Caritas Bulgaria
Croatia Caritas Croatia
Czech Republic Caritas Czech Republic
Denmark Caritas Denmark
Estonia Caritas Estonia
Finland Caritas Finland
France Secours catholique
Georgia (country) Caritas Georgia

Germany Caritas Germany
Greece Caritas Hellas
Hungary Caritas Austria
Iceland Caritas Iceland
Republic of Ireland Trócaire
Italy Caritas Italy
Kosovo Caritas Kosovo (corresponding member)
Latvia Caritas Latvia
Lithuania Caritas Lithuania
Luxembourg Caritas Luxembourg
Malta Caritas Malta
Moldova Caritas Moldova
Monaco  Caritas Monaco
Montenegro Caritas Montenegro
Netherlands Cordaid
North Macedonia Caritas Macedonia

Norway Caritas Norway
Poland Caritas Poland
Portugal Caritas Portugal
Romania Caritas Romania
Russia Caritas Russia
San Marino Caritas San Marino
Serbia Caritas Serbia
Slovakia Caritas Slovakia
Slovenia Caritas Slovenia
Spain Caritas Spain
Sweden Caritas Sweden
Switzerland   Caritas Switzerland
Turkey Caritas Turkey
Ukraine Caritas Ukraine & Caritas-Spes
United Kingdom CAFOD, CSAN and SCIAF

   

Main Page Caritas Antilles
Argentina Caritas Argentina
Bolivia Caritas Bolivia
Brazil Caritas Brazil
Chile Caritas Chile
Colombia Caritas Colombia
Costa Rica Caritas Costa Rica
Cuba Caritas Cuba

Dominican Republic Caritas Dominican Republic
Ecuador Caritas Ecuador
El Salvador Caritas El Salvador
Guatemala Caritas Guatemala
Haiti Caritas Haiti
Honduras Caritas Honduras
Mexico Caritas Mexico
Nicaragua Caritas Nicaragua

Panama Caritas Panama
Paraguay Caritas Paraguay
Peru Caritas Peru
Puerto Rico Caritas Puerto Rico
Uruguay Caritas Uruguay
Venezuela Caritas Venezuela

   

Algeria Caritas Algeria
Cyprus Caritas Cyprus
Djibouti Caritas Djibouti
Iran Caritas Iran
Iraq Caritas Iraq

Main Page Caritas Jerusalem
Jordan Caritas Jordan
Lebanon Caritas Lebanon
Libya Caritas Libya
Mauritania Caritas Mauritania

Morocco Caritas Morocco
Somalia Caritas Somalia
Syria Caritas Syria
Tunisia Caritas Tunisia

Caritas North America Member Organisations
   

Canada Caritas Canada (Development and Peace)

Caritas Oceania Member Organisations
   

Australia Caritas Australia
Fiji Caritas Fiji
New Zealand Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand

Main Page Caritas Pacific Islands
Papua New Guinea Caritas Papua New Guinea

Samoa Caritas Samoa
Tonga Caritas Tonga