11.1: Catholic Action against Poverty

Catholics are to help the poor both at their own and other countries. They can do this in a number of ways.

Firstly, there is political action for the cause of justice. Catholics should vote for political parties which will act justly in the world. For instance, if a party is not committed to trading fairly with the underdeveloped countries, no Catholic should support it. Catholics should also press their politicians to act in support of justice in the world. For example, many countries are so heavily in debt to European and American banks that they cannot feed their people and develop themselves. Catholics, along with other concerned people, have pressed that the debt be wiped out.

Secondly, Catholics are encouraged to buy and invest ethically. They should not invest their money in firms which act in an unjust way to the poor. If possible they should not purchase goods from such firms, so that these firms will be pressurised to change their behaviour. Catholics and people of similar persuasion will sometimes buy from organisations such as Tradecraft, which sell goods made by the Third World Poor and give them a fair price for their goods.

Thirdly Catholics will support the work of charitable organisations, such as Cafod and Christian Aid. Some will merely give money, but others will go as volunteers to work in underdeveloped places.

List the ways in which Catholics may help the poor in underdeveloped countries. For each way give examples.

Some young Catholics go as volunteers to underdeveloped countries. What sort of activities can they do when they are there?

Cafod is the official arm of the Catholic Church working for charity in underdeveloped lands. It is one of the most efficient aid organisations, because it uses existing church organisation for its activities, and thus has minimum administration costs, so much more of its money can go to Third World people. Cafod’s aim is to help the poor to help themselves. It does the following things:

• Distributes money to develop the economy of villages, e.g. building wells and pipelines for water, setting up co-operatives to help the unemployed find work etc.
• Community work in which the poor are organised to run their communities better. This might mean helping them to organise politically to defend their rights and improve their lives.
• Educational work, in which the poor are taught reading, writing, numeracy and vocational skills. They are taught village medicine. This is how to cure certain diseases without recourse to doctors, who may be far away and expensive.
• They are then enabled to help other poor people. When they have made sufficient profit Cafod takes a little back to help other poor people.
• Cafod also sends emergency aid in times of disaster, such as earthquakes.

Visit the Cafod site on the Intranet

Task RC 3

Using information in the above passage, outline the work which Cafod does.

What might be the economic needs of a small village in an underdeveloped country? How might Cafod try to meet these needs?

If you were responsible for a Cafod education programme in a Third World village or town, what would you teach and why?

What disasters might happen in a Third World Country? How might Cafod respond to them?