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About Us
Development and Peace – Who we are
Development and Peace Caritas Canada is the member organization in Canada of Caritas Internationalis, a global Confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development and social service organizations that work on behalf of the poor and oppressed in 198 countries in Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America, often referred to as the Global South. Development and Peace, Caritas Canada is one of the largest NGO networks in the world.
Caritas works with and for those in need regardless of creed, race, gender or ethnicity. Its mandate includes integral development, emergency relief, advocacy and education, peace building, respect for human rights, and support for proper stewardship of the Earth’s environment and resources.
The approach is based on the principles of Catholic Social Teachings which focuse on the dignity of the human person and the oneness of the entire human family.
Caritas is unique in its ongoing presence in communities before, during and after crisis situations. It helps to achieve sustainable relief. By working with local grass-root organizations but by being able to draw on national and international expertise and resources, Caritas can take effective action.
In general ten percent of the funds Caritas raises provides for Emergency Aid and the rest targets sustainable development and peace. The annual Share Lent Appeal Campaign is the major source of funds for Caritas, although the year-round method of donation is encouraged. Occasional Emergency Relief Appeals may take place when emergencies arise around the world.
Structures
There is a National Council, made up of members of the Canadian Council of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), with offices headquartered in Montreal with an Executive Committee that exercise policy, approves budget and sets agenda, such as action themes. There are Regional and Diocesan Councils made up of representatives from the local Parishes. The Archdiocese is divided into Zones with St. Mark’s Parish being in the Vancouver West Zone. For the Parish of St. Mark’s Jenny Cheng and Felix Durity are the current representatives.
History
Development and Peace was established in 1967 by the CCCB in response to an appeal of Pope Paul V1 to help people in the Third World to break the endless cycle of poverty through community-based, community-identified sustainable initiatives. Since its inception D&P Caritas Canada has provided over $441 million to improve lives tangibly in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. Over 15,000 projects in 70 countries have been funded to lead to better lives in advancing human rights to food and land , to education, to peace and dignity, and equal rights for all – men, women and children. Endless testimonials from those aided in the Global South give strong witness to lives changed for the better
Fund-Raising
Originally, the Canadian International Development Agency CIDA) assisted in providing about $60 million dollars per year to Development and Peace, Caritas Canada projects but in 2013 the Harper government drastically cut support by a whopping 67% as CIDA was absorbed into the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with a changed agenda that tied aid to Canadian corporations working in areas of particular interest to the Government, fostering not the local grass-roots priorities but those groups that fitted in with the new modus operandi.
As a result, there is a compulsory even greater emphasis by Development and Peace, Caritas Canada on relying on the generosity of our Catholic and like-minded donors to fund some of the all too many unmet needs of our brethren in the Global South.
The annual Share Lent Campaign is now the very major source of fund-raising coupled with the as needs be special Emergency Relief Appeals for disaster relief (such as the West African Food drought in 2012, the Syrian Appeal and the Typhoon Haiyan Philippine Relief Fund in 2013 in very recent times).
With the full support of our pastors and St. Mark’s and Corpus Christi students, the local small Parish Community of St. Mark’s continues to distinguish itself repeatedly by the extra-ordinary generosity of its parishioners to aid our needy brothers and sisters in the Global South. Only 5% of funds donated go support communications and fund-raising with another 12% for governance and administration. The rest-83% – goes directly to the programs!
To quote Mother Teresa : ” At the end of life we will not be judged by how many diplomas we have received, how much money we have made, how many great things we have done. We will be judged by, ‘I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was naked and you clothed me. I was homeless, and you took me in.’ We can add “I was voiceless and weak and you spoke up and defended me”.
Our Local and Diocesan Vancouver council and Representatives.
The current St. Mark’s Development and Peace reps. are Jenny Cheng and Felix Durity. We belong to the Vancouver West Zone. Our executive consists of a Chair-person, Vice-Chair, Treasurer and Secretary. Our regional animator is Jeremy Laurie who faciliates our Advocacy and Share Lent workshops in B.C.
We are very desirous of having more members from any parish join us in our work. We hold member workshops throughout the year. We especially wish young people to join us in our fulfilling mission of serving the poor and disadvantaged.
Past Events
Share Lent Campaign
Create Hope. Reaping Our Rights
Everywhere on Earth, impoverished populations are facing growing challenges due to climate change, land grabbing, resource theft, soil contamination and armed conflict.
Rural populations are particularly affected by these upheavals, and Development and Peace — Caritas Canada supports them in defending their rights to life, land, water, biodiversity, justice, health, participation, decent livelihoods, a healthy environment and more.
Who would have thought that a problem faced by Canadian prairie farmers is shared in common with farmers in the rural communities of Indonesia where “agriculture is increasingly abandoned and youth migrate to the city,” the concern for rural de-agrarianization. Find out why it is high time to hear about defending rural communities’ rights.
With the Lenten call to alms-giving and with the preferential option for the poor, help Development and Peace, working with local partners, accompany our needy brothers and sisters in the Global South in their struggle for justice, dignity and the essentials of a livelihood: food, water, shelter and freedom from exploitation.
2024 Campaign "Stand For The Land"
Felix Durity and Jenny Cheng, your Development and Peace representatives, wish to thank you, our fellow parishioners, for the 185 in-person signatures for the “Stand for the Land” campaign over the past 2 Sundays. We also thank those of you that did your signature support online via the bulletin and website links, open until Feb 24. As usual, our small parish has strongly supported this campaign, which we expect will give voice to protecting rural Honduran agriculture from irregular damaging mining exploitation
“Heed the Cry of the Earth and the Cry of the poor and let’s act!
In His encyclical “Laudato Si”, Pope Francis calls us to hear “the cry of the earth and the cry of the poor”, but in the Central American country of Honduras, since 2015, several rural communities have been trying in vain for justice to maintain their traditional meagre livelihood against a rapacious open-pit iron mining company, jointly owned and funded by rich Honduran and American exploiters. Even as their vital land and water resources are polluted, they are attacked and even killed. Eight have been unjustly imprisoned for over two years, and three people have been murdered since January 2023.
Our Honduran brothers and sisters have requested us in Canada to join their plea and request that “The Government of Honduras act diligently and suspend these extractive activities, carried out irregularly with total disregard for the environment.”
Please lend your voice and support our write-in signature campaign to be delivered to the Honduran ambassador to Canada
Watch the campaign video here:
Wishes for Development and Peace's 55th Anniversary
55 years of successes fighting injustices!
This October marks the 55th anniversary of Development and Peace — Caritas Canada as the Catholic Church in Canada’s official international solidarity organization. That means we have been fighting to give a voice to our marginalized sisters and brothers in the Global South since 1967!
None of this work would have been possible without your support. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!
But our work is not done! Join us as we look to the future. Together, let’s continue to act for social justice— there is so much more to accomplish! For our 55th anniversary, several members and partners expressed their wishes for Development and Peace in this must-see video.