Caritas South Africa seeks to strengthen national coordination and diocesan action

Caritas South Africa is working to strengthen its national structure and improve coordination to better support the charitable work of dioceses across the country. The organization is renewing these efforts to help the Catholic Church respond to hunger, poverty, unemployment, and humanitarian emergencies.

Founded in 1970 to address inequality and poverty during apartheid, Caritas South Africa promotes human development, economic justice, peace, and reconciliation. Its programs include healthcare, food security, early childhood development, sustainable livelihoods, and assistance for vulnerable families. While diocesan structures continue to respond directly to local community needs, the national organization seeks to facilitate collaboration and bring these various initiatives together.

The Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference began discussions in 2014 to establish a more effective national agency for the Church's charitable work. These efforts increased in 2019 under Cardinal Wilfrid Napier, who was then the president of Caritas South Africa, alongside national coordinator Sr. Maria De Lourdes Lodi Rissini MSCS.