Caritas Denmark ( da, Caritas Danmark) is a Danish nonprofit organisation. It is the official aid organisation of the Catholic Church in Denmark and implements some social services in the country, while the core of its work are

humanitarian Humanitarianism is an active belief in the value of human life, whereby humans practice benevolent treatment and provide assistance to other humans to reduce suffering and improve the conditions of humanity for moral, altruistic, and emotional ...

and development programmes abroad. The organisation is a member of the global Caritas Internationalis confederation and of

Caritas Europa Caritas Europa is a European confederation of Catholic relief organization, development and social service organisations operating in Europe, founded in 1971 as ''Eurocaritas''. The organisation was renamed Caritas Europa in 1992 and is one of ...

Background

In 1947, Knud Ballin and Kaj F. Meldahl founded Caritas Denmark to organise emergency aid for German refugees in Europe after World War II. Since its founding, the organisation has grown from a small church initiative carried by a few enthusiasts to a professional organisation, working both through employed staff and with volunteers. In 2007,

Jann Sjursen Jann Sjursen (born 23 October 1963, in Næstved) is a teacher and a Danish politician representing the Christian People's Party. In 1986 he was elected secretary general of the Nordic Christian Democratic Youth and from 1987 till 1989 he was chair ...

, a former politician, assumed the position of Secretary General, which he held until 2019. Its values are rooted in

Catholic social teaching Catholic social teaching, commonly abbreviated CST, is an area of Catholic doctrine concerning matters of human dignity and the common good in society. The ideas address oppression, the role of the state (polity), state, subsidiarity, social o ...

and in the

UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN committee chaired by Eleanor Roosevelt, i ...

. Despite being a Catholic organisation, persons are supported based on need, regardless of religious affiliation. Its work is funded by collections and donations from individuals, companies and foundations in Denmark, including Danida. Caritas is one of the 18 strategic NGO partners of the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the 2022–2025 period. The organisation is one of the NGO partners of DG ECHO and certified against the Core Humanitarian Standards since 2018.

Work

The bulk of Caritas Denmarks work takes place at the international level. The organisation supports the development and humanitarian programmes of its partner organisations in Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Jordan, Lebanon,

Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...

, Niger, Uganda and Ukraine. Caritas Denmark works according to the localisation principle, i.e. by supporting local partners as opposed to directly implementing activities abroad. As part of this committent, Caritas Denmark is one of the signatories of the international ''Charter for Change''. In Denmark, Caritas provides social services to vulnerable populations, mostly migrants and refugees, for example by operating a clinic and a shelter for migrants. Both are located in Vesterbro, in proximity to Copenhagen Central Station. In 2022, Caritas Denmark first published its podcast ''Jeg har set verden styrte i grus'' ("I've seen the world come crashing down") with the purpose of raising awareness among the Danish public about those experiencing humanitarian emergencies.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Charities based in Denmark Social justice organizations Humanitarian aid organizations in Europe Organizations established in 1947 1947 establishments in Denmark Catholic Church in Denmark Denmark