Overview

Caritas Cambodia has two histories in the past 30 years. In 1970, the Catholic Church in Cambodia organized an Aid Commission to help the victims of war. This Aid Commission took the name of Caritas Cambodia that was also recognized by the Caritas Internationals and accepted it as a full-fledged member in 1973. This Caritas functioned till 17th April 1975, the date when Khmer Rouge took over the political power in Phnom Penh. There was not only the closure of Caritas Cambodia and all religious activities but also there were the Vietnamese Army overthrew genocide of 1.7 million people out of the total 8 million Cambodians this regime in 1979.

Though after the Pol Pot Regime people who fled away have came back to their places in the country, practicing religion was fully banned under the Communist Regime. This continued till March 1990. In April 1990 freedom to practice religion was given to Cambodians.

The Beginnings 1990 – 1998

It was in 1990 that the Secretary General of Caritas Internationalis and Secours Catholique of Paris came together to Cambodia and registered an organization under the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Cambodia as an Antenna of Caritas Internationalis. The former present Bishop of Phnom Penh. Emile Destombes M.E.P returned to Cambodia in 1989. He was expelled in 1975 during the Pol Pot Regime. Bishop Yves Ramousse was the Bishop and was the first President for Caritas Structure. In 1997, Fr. Emile was ordained as Co-adjutore and in 2001 he became Bishop and in turn became the President of Caritas Cambodia until late 2006. In December 2007 Mgr. Enrique Fiqaredo (Kike) the apostolic vicariate of Battambang diocese became the president of Caritas Cambodia.

Value

As the social arm of the Church, Caritas Cambodia enroots its vision in the values of the Gospel and the Social Teaching of the Church. Its action stems from a strong desire to live the values of the gospel in a society where there is a need for constant dialogue and reflection. As a priority, Caritas will help the poorest of the poor without any distinction of caste, creed or religion.

In this regard, Caritas Cambodia shares the aspiration of Caritas International to promote a “civilization of love”, that contributes to create a just society where will be sharing among the people, the poor will have the possibility to ask for their rights and dues.

As the expression of the solidarity of the local Church and as a civil society organization, Caritas Cambodia enroots its mission in the following basic guiding principles and orientations.

Mission

In order to achieve this vision, Caritas will be an institution to empower the poor through animation and community organization and above all through a mutual learning process.

Consequently its mission will contribute to restore human dignity of the poor and will liberate them from the clutches of poverty.

Caritas Cambodia is the instrument of the local Church to implement the social teachings of the Church into action in the Cambodian society. As such it is the social arm of the Church to take up all activities of solidarity in the Cambodian society.

Vision

Caritas Cambodia in its quality as the social arm of the Church is entrusted with the task of fighting against injustice, promoting the dignity of the poor and above all contributing to establish the values of the Kingdom in a Buddhist society As such its vision is: