Caritas Jerusalem was founded in 1967 in the aftermath of the Six Day War. It serves the social, economic, health and emergency needs of the Palestinian population in the West Bank, the Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem; it also advocates for the empowerment of the Palestinian people to realize their full potential and acts as “a voice for the voiceless”.

The organization seeks to achieve this mission through enhancing the quality and accessibility of social and medical services for the poor, the elderly and the marginalized, empowering young people as leaders, improving food security, creating economic opportunities through soft loan schemes and job creation, providing emergency humanitarian aid in times of crisis and advocating for the Palestinian cause on the international stage.

Caritas Jerusalem also works with other Caritas organizations and international partners to support the sick and the vulnerable, for example by helping to bring doctors into Gaza to carry out surgical procedures at an affordable cost and by sending food parcels and medicines to needy people. The organization runs education assistance and family support programmes, obtains rehabilitation equipment for people injured in military actions and carries out needs assessments in the occupied Palestinian territories.

The cash-for-work programme run by Caritas Jerusalem focuses on providing people with short-term employment opportunities so that they can earn a living with dignity while helping their communities. The programme includes refurbishment of schools, roads and drainage channels, tree planting and making embroidery items for sale.