Partnership
Effective partnership creates solidarity among member organisations, other organisations that share our vision, and the communities and people with whom we work.
Subsidiarity
Central to our identity as Caritas are the national, diocesan and parish members, and we will all strive to promote and strengthen these to enable them to assume greater autonomy and responsibility.
Participation
We ensure that people we serve are involved in the design, management and implementation of the projects we undertake on their behalf and the associated decisions from assessment through to evaluation. Participation is an expression of human dignity and implies shared responsibility for the human community.
Empowerment
We help people develop and realise their full potential, and build mutually respectful relations, so they can control and improve their quality of life.
Independence
We as Caritas members determine our operational priorities and programmes and do not allow ourselves to be used as instruments of national or foreign economic or political interests, especially when such are not in conformity with Catholic Church Teaching.
Stewardship and Accountability
We will make every effort to be accountable to those whom we serve, those who support our work and society at large. We also ensure good stewardship of the resources entrusted to us.
Equality
We serve people impartially, particularly those who are poorest and most vulnerable, according to objective assessments of their situations and the needs they express, irrespective of race, age, sex, physical ability, ethnicity, creed or political persuasion, indeed without adverse distinction of any kind.
Protection
We strive to ensure the safety of those with and for whom we work.
Coordination
We coordinate closely with national governments and local authorities, churches, other religious organisations, civil society, other members of the relief and development communities, and all other relevant stakeholders.
Advocacy
We advocate – nationally and internationally – on behalf of and with the poor and marginalised to bear witness to, and address, their plight and the underlying or structural causes of poverty and injustice. We are agents of change and social transformation to promote respect for human rights.
Learning and Staff Development
We invest in our staff to ensure that they have the skills, experience and formation they need to reach their full potential and ensure that Caritas achieves its potential and makes the greatest difference for those who are poor, marginalised or oppressed.