Golden Jubilee For Zimbabwe Catholic Bishops’ Conference Caritas Commission C aritas Zimbabwe is the official Catholic agency for humanitarian and development work in Zimbabwe. The organisation was established in 1972 as a development initiative and also responding to the emergency situation that prevailed in the country at the time that a liberation war was being fought. Since then, it has continued to provide a beacon of hope for hundreds of thousands of women, men and children in times of hardship and contributes to the development of social justice in times of peace. Caritas Zimbabwe belongs to an international confederation called Caritas Internationalis (CI) (www.caritas.org), a network of 165 Catholic relief, development and social service organisations working to build a better world, especially for the poor Mr. Marius Zibgwi and oppressed, in over 200 countries and CARITAS National Coordinator territories. Caritas is one of the largest international humanitarian networks, working with people regardless of their religion, race, gender or ethnicity. Our mandate in Zimbabwe includes integral development, emergency relief, research for advocacy and informed programming, respect for human rights and support for proper stewardship of the planet's environment and resources. The Caritas Zimbabwe's approach is based on Catholic Social Teaching, which focuses on the dignity of the human person. We believe that the weak and oppressed are not objects of pity, but agents of change leading the struggle to eradicate dehumanising poverty, unacceptable living and working conditions, and unjust social, political, economic and cultural structures. What makes Caritas Zimbabwe unique is its on-going presence in communities, before, during and after crisis situations. Important, too, is that being part of civil society and incorporating the perspective of the poor, we can continuously adapt our strategies to an ever changing environment. Caritas Zimbabwe fights poverty, exclusion, intolerance and discrimination. More importantly, it empowers people to participate fully in all matters affecting their lives, and advocates with and/or on their behalf at national and international forums. 25