CAFOD's policies and practices

What is CAFOD’s policy on the use of condoms in relation to HIV prevention?

As the official agency of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales and respectful of Catholic teaching and beliefs, CAFOD does not fund the supply, distribution or promotion of condoms.

CAFOD asks all partners working in the area of HIV prevention to give individuals full information about all means of HIV prevention and that this advice is scientifically correct.

CAFOD policies and research on HIV

Why does CAFOD campaign when it’s a charity?

CAFOD’s stated aim is to fight the worst manifestations of poverty overseas and its charitable status is built upon this.

Some of the causes of poverty are rooted in man-made or political structures and systems, and as such, can be tackled through debate, lobbying and campaigning.

One example is the world trading system, which is regulated and influenced by powerful countries or groupings such as the World Trade Organisation, and often works against the best interests of the poorest countries.

Through engaging with trade ministers within the richest countries, development agencies such as CAFOD are bringing pressure to bear on such organisations to make the playing field a more level one for developed and developing countries alike.

Where the link between a particular system, organisation or policy and the creation of poverty can be made, CAFOD is permitted to voice its concerns and campaign to change things.

It is never supportive or critical of individual political parties, but, under Charity Commission rules, is able to be critical of their policies where they prove to have a negative impact on poor communities or countries.

Are things getting better in developing countries or worse?

Eradicating poverty is a global challenge, and one for which the international community has set targets. While the task is huge (one quarter of the world’s population lives in severe poverty), progress is being made.

According to the United Nations Development Programme:

• the proportion of people living in poverty has fallen faster in the past 50 years than in the previous 500 years
• since 1960 child death rates in developing countries have more than halved, malnutrition rates have declined by almost one third and the proportion of children not attending primary school has fallen by more than 50 per cent
• over the past 30 years, the number of people in developing countries with access to safe water almost doubled, from 36 to 70 per cent.

What is poverty?

The poverty line is recognised by international organisations to be living on less than $2 per day – $1 per day for those in extreme poverty.

The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) estimated that in 1998, 1.3 billion people world-wide had consumption levels below $1 a day – 24 per cent of the population of the developing world – and 2.8 billion lived on less than $2 a day.

UNDP stated in its 1998 Human Development Report: “More than a lack of what is necessary for material wellbeing, poverty can also mean the denial of opportunities and choices most basic to human development – to lead a long, healthy, creative life; to have a decent standard of living.”

This means that alleviating poverty is not just about providing the bare necessities, but ensuring that people have “quality of life” too.

Why don’t the people in some of CAFOD’s pictures look really poor?

CAFOD’s images try to reflect the reality of the lives of the people for whom it works. They try to show the work being done, the people doing it, and, where possible the conditions in which those people live.

Sometimes people may not fit the “stereotype” of poverty that we may carry in our imagination, because – like the rest of us – they wish to appear as dignified and positive as they possibly can.

Through the images it uses, CAFOD wants to challenge stereotypes and offer the people and communities being helped by its partners the chance to show themselves not as downtrodden victims, but as active citizens who are doing their best to cope with sometimes immense hardship.

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