Caritas Australia
| Caritas Australia Limited | |
| Predecessor | 1962–1964: Catholic Church Relief Fund (CCRF) |
|---|---|
| Established | 1964 |
| Type | Nonprofit |
| Legal status | Public Benevolent Institution, Registered Charity |
| Headquarters | Mascot, New South Wales, Australia |
| Location | Mascot, Sydney, Australia |
| Coordinates | 33°55′33″S 151°11′18″E / 33.92581°S 151.18824°E |
| Origins | Catholic Social Teaching |
| Region served | worldwide |
| Fields | social work |
| CEO | Kirsten Sayers |
| Main organ | board of directors |
| Affiliations | Caritas Oceania, Caritas Internationalis, ACFID |
| Budget | Part of Australia's Official Development Assistance (ODA); specific figures available in annual reports (2023–2024) |
| Revenue | 45.8 million AUD[1] (2023) |
| Expenses | 54.6 million AUD[1] (2023) |
| Funding | private donations (62%), one-off government grants (32%), other (7%)[1] |
| Staff | 137[2] (2023) |
| Volunteers | Community and office-based volunteers across Australia; active in fundraising, advocacy, and support roles (Ongoing volunteer engagement; includes long-term and seasonal volunteers across Australia) |
| Students | Thousands of students from Catholic schools across Australia participate annually in Project Compassion and educational initiatives (Thousands of students participate annually in Project Compassion and Caritas-led educational programs) |
| Award | Caritas Australia Art Award (annual student recognition) |
| Website | www.caritas.org.au |
| Formerly called | 1964–1966: Catholic Overseas Relief Committee (CORC) 1966–1996: Australian Catholic Relief |
Caritas Australia is an Australian Catholic agency for development cooperation and humanitarian aid.
Caritas is a member of Caritas Internationalis and its region Caritas Oceania, as well as of the Australian Council for International Development (ACFID).
History
Caritas Australia's predecessor was the Catholic Church Relief Fund (CCRF), established in 1962 and whose name was changed two years to Episcopal Committee for Catholic Overseas Relief (COR). Later that same year, in 1964, the Catholic Bishops started the Catholic Overseas Relief Executive Committee, whose members were lay people. It became the Australian Catholic Relief in 1966 and Caritas Australia in 1996.[3]
In the 1960s, parish communities in Adelaide, Sydney and Wagga Wagga were collecting funds during Lent for missionary projects and activities to reduce poverty at home and abroad. This practice, renamed "Project Compassion" in 1965 and adopted by all Australians dioceses,[4] developed over the years and is still Caritas Australia's main fundraising appeal.[5]
Activities
Caritas Australia works according to the localisation principle, meaning that it supports local partner organisations and communities abroad and does not implement activities directly through country offices.[6] In 2022 and 2023, the organisation worked with 90 partner organisations in 36 countries in Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Middle-East. Its projects supported around 1.5 million persons in need.[1]
Within Australia, Caritas works with Indigenous Australians on programs that focus on strengthening cultural identity and spirituality, intergenerational healing, livelihood opportunities, as well as on advocacy.[7]
References
- Back to citation occurrence 1.0 Back to citation occurrence 1.1 Back to citation occurrence 1.2 Back to citation occurrence 1.3 "Annual Report 2022-2023". caritas.org.au. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- Back to citation "Caritas Australia Limited". Australian Charities and Not-for-Profits Commission. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- Back to citation Rice, Robert (1 March 2019). "James William Gleeson, Archbishop Of Adelaide, PhD Thesis, College Of Humanities, Arts And Social Sciences, Flinders University" (PDF). Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- Back to citation Brinkworth, J., "From little things big things grow", in The Southern Cross, March 2024, page 11
- Back to citation "Caritas Australia celebrates 60 years of love and compassion in action". therecord.com.au. 26 April 2024. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- Back to citation "Caritas Australia". workplacegivingaustralia.org.au. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
- Back to citation "Caritas Australia and Kinchela Boys Home Aboriginal Corporation call on government to close the gap for First Australians". catholicoutlook.org. 12 June 2022. Retrieved 29 April 2024.
External links
- Official website (in English)