The Catholic Agency for Overseas Development (CAFOD) is an international development charity and the official

aid agency An aid agency, also known as development charity, is an organization dedicated to distributing aid. Many professional aid organisations exist, both within government, between governments as multilateral donors and as private voluntary organizatio ...

of the

Catholic Church in England and Wales The Catholic Church in England and Wales ( la, Ecclesia Catholica in Anglia et Cambria; cy, Yr Eglwys Gatholig yng Nghymru a Lloegr) is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See. Its origins date from the 6th ce ...

. It aims to tackle poverty globally. Through local Catholic Church and secular partners, it helps people directly in their own communities and campaigns for global justice. Established in 1960,Side by Side: The Cafod magazine, published Spring 2022 it is funded by the

Catholic community in England and Wales The Catholic Church in England and Wales ( la, Ecclesia Catholica in Anglia et Cambria; cy, Yr Eglwys Gatholig yng Nghymru a Lloegr) is part of the worldwide Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See. Its origins date from the 6th ce ...

, the

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(through

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), private and institutional donors, and the general public. CAFOD is part of

Caritas Internationalis Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social service organizations operating in over 200 countries and territories worldwide. Collectively and individually, their missions are to work to build a bett ...

, the worldwide federation of Catholic aid organisations with a presence in 165 countries and is a member of the

Disasters Emergency Committee The Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC) is an umbrella group of UK charities which coordinates and launches collective appeals to raise funds to provide emergency aid and rapid relief to people caught up in disasters and humanitarian crises aroun ...

(DEC) and the British Overseas Aid Group. CAFOD's Director Christine Allen was appointed in March 2019. In 2019/20 CAFOD's income was £45million and it employed approximately 410 staff along with more than 6,000 volunteers carrying out a range of roles such as campaigning, fundraising, media, office support and youth work. CAFOD's work is based on Gospel values and

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 ...

History

CAFOD's origins can be traced back to the launch of a ''Family Fast Day'' organised by a group of Catholic women in 1960, who used the money saved through fasting to support a project in

Dominica Dominica ( or ; Kalinago: ; french: Dominique; Dominican Creole French: ), officially the Commonwealth of Dominica, is an island country in the Caribbean. The capital, Roseau, is located on the western side of the island. It is geographically ...

. The

Bishops' Conference of England and Wales The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales (CBCEW) is the episcopal conference of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. Overview The Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales is the permanent assembly of Catholic Church, ...

registered the charity in 1962. Its current governing document dates from 2015. In 2020, CAFOD launched a new strategy, ''Our Common Home'', based on

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

' encyclical

Laudato Si' ''Laudato si (''Praise Be to You'') is the second encyclical of Pope Francis. The encyclical has the subtitle "on care for our common home". In it, the pope critiques consumerism and irresponsible development, laments environmental degradatio ...

, which calls for a new definition of progress rooted in integral ecology, recognising that everything is connected and hearing both the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor, calling on all people to dialogue in society about how best to tackle the global issue. CAFOD's magazine, ''Side by Side'', is published quarterly. In September 2021, a business restructure appointed Liam Trower as Audit Manager.

Campaigns

CAFOD has had many campaigns over the years and participated in joint campaigns with other charities such as: * The Time is Now - mass lobby of Parliament * Power to be * One Climate, One World * Jubilee 2000 Their current campaigns are: * Fix the Food System * Human Rights Defenders * Push for Peace in Ukraine * Cancel the Debt

Celebrity ambassadors

Julie Etchingham Julie Anne Etchingham (born 21 August 1969) is an English journalist who works as a television newsreader with ITV News. A graduate of Newnham College, Cambridge, Etchingham joined the BBC as a trainee after completing her studies, and went on ...

Jo Joyner Joanne Mary Joyner (born 24 May 1977) is an English actress. She is known for her roles as Tanya Branning in the BBC soap opera ''EastEnders'' and Mandy Carter in Channel 4 drama ''Ackley Bridge''. Since 2018, she has starred as Luella Shake ...

Dermot O'Leary Seán Dermot Fintan O'Leary Jr. (born 24 May 1973) is an English broadcaster who currently works for ITV and BBC Radio 2. His radio career began when he worked as a disc jockey at Essex Radio, but he is best known for being the presenter of ''T ...

* Ben Price *

Emma Rigby Emma Catherine Rigby (born 26 September 1989) is an English actress. After rising to prominence for her role as Hannah Ashworth in ''Hollyoaks'', she later played Gemma Roscoe in the BBC One drama series ''Prisoners' Wives'' and as the Red Que ...

Delia Smith Delia Ann Smith (born 18 June 1941) is an English cook and television presenter, known for teaching basic cookery skills in a no-nonsense style. One of the best known celebrity chefs in British popular culture, Smith has influenced viewers t ...

International programmes

CAFOD currently has programmes in 32 countries and has offices in Cambodia, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (Goma and Kinshasa), Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Nicaragua, Niger, Sierra Leone, South Sudan, Sudan and Zimbabwe.

References

External links

* *
Caritas InternationalisCAFOD Kidzzone children site
{{Authority control 1960 establishments in England Caritas Internationalis Catholic Church in England and Wales Charities based in London Christian organizations established in 1960 Christian charities based in the United Kingdom CIDSE Development charities based in the United Kingdom Organisations based in the London Borough of Southwark Religion in the London Borough of Southwark