Founded in 1964, and called Australian Catholic Relief from 1966, the agency changed its name to Caritas Australia in 1996. Australian Catholic Relief changed its name to Caritas Australia to reflect an increasing emphasis on community self-reliance and development beyond its traditional role in emergency and relief programmes. Caritas Australia implements its principles by (i) encouraging self-reliance through development programmes that focus on integrated development of health, water and sanitation, education, housing, literacy, women’s rights, income generation and sustainable agriculture, (ii) providing disaster relief with local partners to deliver food, clothing, shelter and medical attention and (iii) educating people in Australia to promote a just and compassionate society.

Caritas Australia supports long-term development programmes in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Pacific and Australia that help poor and disadvantaged people to take greater control over their lives. It collaborates with international partners to provide food assistance in Niger and relief work in Darfur and has continued to promote development in Cambodia through enhanced child health and nutrition.

Domestically, Caritas Australia supports sustainable development projects designed and implemented by indigenous Australians.

Operational areas

The areas in which Caritas Australia supports programmes designed to promote development and self-reliance include:

• Africa: Botswana, DRC, Kenya, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe; plus regional programmes
• Asia: Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Nepal, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, East Timor and Vietnam
• Latin America: Bolivia, Brazil, El Salvador and Peru
• The Pacific: Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Melanesia, and Oceania
• Australian indigenous communities: Northern Territory and Kimberly