Caritas Australia works extensively throughout Africa on relief,
rehabilitation and community development. Sub-Saharan Africa is a vast
and ethnically diverse region, rich in culture and natural resources,
yet with the highest proportion of people living in extreme poverty in
the world.
Africa has been frequently been hampered by instability, corruption and
violence. Significant proportions of the African population are unable
to access food and water, and disease including HIV/AIDs, malaria and
tuberculosis is widespread.
Caritas Australia supports development activities of its partners in
Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Democratic Republic of Congo,
Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa and Mozambique. We also respond to
various emergencies arising from natural disasters, food insecurity and
conflict, and provided substantial ongoing humanitarian support to
Sudan’s Darfur region. Caritas Australia programs in South Africa,
Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Uganda address the priority areas
of HIV/AIDS, sustainable agriculture, and water and
sanitation.
Featured story:
Three generations of one family in
Tanzania.
A child in Malawi.
Photo credit: Jerry Galea.
Caritas Australia works to help
rehabilitate former child soldiers.
A boy studies in Mozambique.
Photo credit: Sean
Sprague.
Children in Tanzania.
Photo credit: Sean
Sprague.
Take a look inside a Ugandan school where Caritas is helping to teach
students sustainable farming practices. [If you have trouble playing the clip, try it on TeacherTube]
Watch more movies to see how Caritas Australia has
helped Teopista's family in Uganda through the sustainable
agriculture program.
Also, read the story of Bule, a farmer in Malawi who can now
better support his son and himself because of the
training he received in agricultural techniques.
Read more about Caritas' development programs in our Annual Report -
presented as a beautiful photographic calendar.
Download the 2008–09 Annual Report Calendar (6.3Mb
PDF)
Relief and rehabilitation
Caritas Australia’s Relief programs take the form of basic food
aid and shelter in countries that are in the midst of terrible conflict
or natural disaster. Rehabilitation involves the reconstruction of these
communities. Rehabilitation can include housing reconstruction, building
of health centres, refugee re-settlement, peace-building initiatives and
psycho-social counseling.
Community development
Community development programs are long-term programs that lead to
lasting change within impoverished communities. Community development
programs involve local people at all stages of the program and aim to
develop the capacity of local communities to work for change.
Crucial to Africa’s long term development is action for change to
alleviate extreme poverty. While Africa seems unlikely to achieve all
the defined Millennium Development Goals by 2015, there is
no doubt that Caritas’ partnership and programs are improving many
people’s lives. New partnerships are being nurtured as a result of
Caritas Australia’s increased capacity to respond to issues
relating to the alleviation of poverty.
What can you do?
To help support these vital programs in impoverished countries such
as those in Africa, make a donation by calling 1800 024 413, posting
cheques/money orders to GPO BOX 9830 in your capital city, or donate online.
Africa Programs
Regional spend on development programs for 2009/10: AUD $3,723,296
Regional spend figures are not inclusive of emergency funding
that may have gone to those regions also.
Out of respect for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia, Caritas Australia acknowledges the traditional owners of the land on which all of its offices within Australia are located.
