World Day of the Poor: Caritas Guinea-Bissau Outlines Ongoing Social Initiatives Benefiting Vulnerable Persons

The Caritas official said that the ECOWAS project also includes intensive technical training for 75 young people in professions such as electrical work, construction, carpentry, mechanics, and welding.

“These young people are being trained because they will continue maintaining the facilities being constructed in Buba,” Cassamá said, adding, “Of the 75 trainees, 15 are women, most of whom are focusing on IT, while one is training in electrical work.”

Since Pope Francis established the World Day of the Poor in 2016 to be annually celebrated one week before the Solemnity of Christ the King, he has continued the tradition of welcoming Rome’s poor into the Vatican to dine with him.

This year, the Holy Father is set to have lunch with 1,300 people, who he has said “hold a privileged place in God’s heart” on Sunday, November 17 at the Vatican as part of the eighth World Day of the Poor celebrations.

In his message for the eighth World Day of the Poor, which he issued on June 13, the Feast Day of St. Anthony of Padua, Patron of the Poor, Pope Francis reflects on this year’s theme, “The Prayer of the Poor Rises Up to God (cf. Sir 21:5),” and emphasizes that care for those in need must go beyond the provision of material aid. 

“We need to make the prayer of the poor our own and pray together with them,” the Holy Father says, and adds, “The worst discrimination that the poor suffer is the lack of spiritual care.”

In the same message, in anticipation of the Catholic Church’s 2025 Jubilee Year to be marked under the theme, “Pilgrims of Hope”, Pope Francis underscores the importance for the people of God to be aware of the presence and needs of the “poor whom we encounter daily.”

“As we journey toward the holy year, I urge everyone to become pilgrims of hope, setting tangible goals for a better future. Let us not forget to keep ‘the little details of love’ (Gaudete et Exsultate, 145): stopping, drawing near, giving a little attention, a smile, a caress, a word of comfort,” the Holy Father says in his June 13 message.

In the November 14 interview with ACI Africa, the Bissau-Guinean Caritas official also spoke about the maternal and child health support in the Diocese of Bafatá, an initiative that he said is “funded by the World Bank in partnership with Guinea-Bissau’s Ministry of Health”, which “aims to strengthen maternal and child health services.”

The initiative has so far provided care for 877 women diagnosed with high-risk pregnancies, Cassamá said.

“We are setting up reception centers for women at obstetric risk. Currently, there are seven centers in operation, and with this new project, we have added three more,” he said, adding that Caritas teams conduct community screenings to identify expectant women at risk and bring them to these centers, where they give birth before returning home.

In addition to health and infrastructure projects, Caritas Guinea-Bissau is promoting climate change adaptation efforts with funding from Caritas Germany, Cassamá told ACI Africa.

This project, he said, “focuses on building wells, drilling boreholes, and creating gardens for women. We also provide training to local producers to improve the cultivation of cassava, yams, and other tubers and supply machines for processing rice and vehicles to transport products to markets.”

In education, Caritas Guinea-Bissau operates a school feeding initiative in partnership with the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Cassamá  told ACI Africa about the initiative that he said benefits 350 schools nationwide, providing food supplies such as rice, peas, and cooking oil, alongside locally purchased produce. 

“The goal is to ensure children have proper breakfast and lunch while in school,” he added.

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Cassamá said that Caritas Guinea-Bissau facilitates community savings among groups in schools, and explained, “These groups, comprising up to 30 members, meet weekly to save and contribute to a solidarity fund. This fund supports schools, and communities, and provides loans for small business initiatives.”

Caritas Guinea-Bissau is also dedicated to supporting vulnerable children, including maintaining an orphanage currently caring for 68 children, 36 of whom have disabilities, he said, adding that the Catholic entity whose programs he coordinates has established an inclusive school in the orphanage, where children with and without disabilities learn together.

“We are promoting social inclusion from childhood. At present, we have 36 children with special needs, and we are training teachers to effectively meet these needs,” he said.

Looking into the future, Cassamá underscored the need for more partnerships in the ongoing initiatives to reach out to the needy, especially the vulnerable in communities. 

“While we’ve made significant progress, financial challenges remain. Caritas Guinea-Bissau continues working to ensure these communities have the quality of life they deserve, but we need resources to sustain these projects,” he said.

The Program Coordinator of Caritas Guinea-Bissau added, “International partnerships remain crucial, though we are also striving for greater community self-reliance.”