Vision, Mission and Values

Pupils at the Knowledge and Service Secondary School in Accra, Ghana, take part in a workshop about HIV and AIDS [Annie Bungeroth]

CAFOD shares in the task of transforming the world to reflect the Kingdom of God, through solidarity with the poor and action for justice

Vision

Drawing inspiration from Scripture, Catholic social teaching and the experiences and hopes of people who are poor, marginalised, or oppressed, CAFOD is committed to building a world free from poverty and injustice where:

• the rights and dignity of each person are respected, discrimination is ended and all are gathered into a single human community from which no one is excluded.
• the good things of creation are developed and shared by all, and the structures that rule people’s lives express justice and enable peace.
• the lives and choices of rich and poor alike have been transformed by solidarity.
• all have access to food, clean water, shelter and security; to a livelihood, health and education; all can participate in shaping their societies and their world.

Mission

CAFOD’s mission is to promote human development and social justice in witness to Christian faith and Gospel values. To fulfil this mission CAFOD raises funds from within the Catholic community and beyond so that it can:

• work alongside people in need to reduce poverty and bring about sustainable change through development and humanitarian programmes.
• increase understanding of the causes of poverty and injustice and encourage the Catholic community to embrace values, attitudes and lifestyles that are rooted in the gospel.
• challenge governments and international bodies to adopt policies that promote social justice and end poverty. This is done both directly and by rallying the Catholic community.

Values

The values that inspire CAFOD’s work are:

Compassion

Confronted by global poverty and suffering, our fundamental response is compassion. We are deeply affected by the suffering of our brothers and sisters in the global family and alongside them take action to alleviate it.

Solidarity

We stand alongside poor and marginalised communities in solidarity, uniting them in prayer, making their cause our own, sharing our resources, supporting them in their advocacy and challenging the policies and systems which keep them poor.

Partnership

We build partnership between poor communities overseas and our supporters at home, recognising the importance of learning from and trusting each other, of receiving as well as giving, and of working alongside each other to change our world.

Environmental justice

We recognise the intimate relationship between protecting and sustaining the environment and promoting human development. We aim to take proper account of ecological sustainability in our work and in our lifestyle.

Stewardship

We strive to be good stewards of all the resources entrusted to us, openly accountable for our work, systematic in evaluating our impact and effectiveness and professional in managing our resources.

Hope

Our hope is inspired by Christian faith and by the strength and resourcefulness of our partners and their communities. Our vision is that a better world can and must be achieved so that all can enjoy fullness of life.

Dignity

We believe in the intrinsic dignity of every person. We work with all people regardless of race, gender, religion or politics. We seek to be an inclusive diverse organisation which celebrates difference and creates relationships of mutual respect.

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