Caritas Africa Urges Member Organizations to Integrate “voluntary service” in Operations

“Important to note that the year 2020 presented to us unique challenges following the outbreak of COVID-19, but you still continued to serve and to show your love through sacrifice,” the Archbishop of Ghana’s Kumasi Archdiocese further says in reference to Caritas volunteers across Africa.

On IVD, “we celebrate all our volunteers,” the 60-year-old Ghanaian Archbishop who has been at the helm of Caritas Africa since May 2015 says.

The Local Ordinary of Ghana’s Kumasi Archdiocese encourages Caritas volunteers to keep contributing to the mission of the Church entity adding, “whatever you do to the least of your brothers and sisters, you are doing it for Christ our King.”

“Our colleagues in Jordan aptly put it, ‘Caritas is not a job, it is a mission…’ of love, hope, peace, solidarity, justice and a display of our Christian faith through service,” Caritas Africa Regional Executive Secretary, Albert Mashika has been quoted as saying in the December 1 statement.

To the entity’s volunteers, Mr. Mashika says, “Thank you for committing yourselves to serve the most excluded through the social pastoral ministry of the Church in Africa.”

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“The mission of Caritas in Africa is inspired by the combination of volunteering with our Christian faith and the Catholic Social Teaching,” the entity’s officials say and add, “As we serve people who need help from us, we get to listen to their stories of suffering and in the same fashion we are encouraged by their stories of resilience.”

The principle of participation is about recognizing that we all have a role to play in our communities, Caritas Africa officials add in the December 1 statement.

As the world prepares to mark the day on December 5, officials of the Togo and Kenya-based entity invite all to reflect on the day’s theme, “Together we can through volunteering.”

Instituted by the United Nations in 1985, IVD offers an opportunity for people to promote volunteerism, encourage governments to support volunteer efforts, and recognize volunteer contributions to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at local, national and international levels.

With 46 National Caritas Organizations and presence in at least 508 Dioceses  in Sub-Saharan Africa, Caritas Africa officials facilitate the realization of initiatives around human development, peace building and economic justice. Practically, they respond to some of the world's largest and most complex humanitarian emergencies.

Some of the emergencies include those occasioned by conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and food crises in the Sahel in the West and the Horn of Africa in the East.