www.catholicrelief.org

Concern for our neighbor transcends the confines of national communities and has increasingly broadened its horizon to the whole world.

Who We Are

Created in 1943, Catholic Relief Services is the official international humanitarian agency of the U.S. Catholic community.  We work in more than 100 countries around the world, providing lifesaving relief in the wake of natural and man-made disasters, as well as helping the poor and vulnerable improve their lives.  Our work touches the lives of 80 million people overseas, helping those in need regardless of their race, religion or nationality by upholding the sacredness of life and the dignity of every person, promoting international peace and justice, and creating global solidarity.

What We Do in the United States

CRS serves Catholics in the United States by helping them put their faith into action to build a world in which people live as one human family.  In partnership with dioceses, parishes, Catholic schools and organizations, we provide opportunities for Catholics at home to learn about and connect with their brothers and sisters overseas and respond to the Gospel’s call to love and care for our neighbor.  We also seek to influence our public officials to strengthen American policies and practices which contribute to international justice.

OPERATION RICE BOWL

Operation Rice Bowl

Every Lenten season, Operation Rice Bowl invites parishes, schools, families and individuals to grow deeper in solidarity with the people CRS serves overseas.  Operation Rice Bowl helps Catholics reach out to our brothers and sisters in need around the world through the traditional Lenten practices of prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, while deepening our connection with them by learning about their lives.

Seventy-five percent of the money raised supports CRS development projects designed to ensure tens of thousands of vulnerable people in more than 40 countries have enough to eat.  Where does the money go?

Small Enterprise Development, through which women and other marginalized groups receive access to credit, training in managing and using credit, and guidance in developing small businesses.

Mother and Child Health projects, which promote and protect the health of these vulnerable members of poor communities through treatment and health education.

Agricultural Training and Development projects, which provide farmers around the world with resources and training to improve and expand their production in environmentally sensitive ways.

Water and Sanitation projects, which bring to communities the clean water and sanitation education essential to good health.

Education projects, which help extend opportunities to groups often denied the chance to develop their intellectual potential.

The remaining 25 percent supports hunger and poverty alleviation efforts in the Diocese of Toledo.

To learn more about Operation Rice Bowl and how you can participate during Lent, visit http://orb.crs.org.

Catholic Relief Services is one of the largest international humanitarian organizations in the world, working in more than 100 countries worldwide to alleviate human suffering and to advance peace and the development of all people.  CRS has a two-pronged focus: to provide emergency relief in the wake of natural disasters and during times of conflict and war, and to help the poor and vulnerable improve their lives over the long term.

Learn more about our lifesaving work at www.crs.org.

Emergency Response

Whenever and wherever disaster strikes, CRS emergency response teams are among the first on the ground.  Working with long-established Church, civic and other partners, CRS is uniquely capable of mounting large-scale operations quickly.  About one-third of our annual budget is used for emergencies.

HIV and AIDS

HIV and AIDS pose one of the largest, most complex threats to human health the world has ever known.  CRS in a leader in developing innovative, cost effective and holistic community-based care and support programs that reduce the stigma associated with HIV and AIDS and help communities and families as they face the physical, economic, social and emotional complications that often accompany HIV.  We work to reduce the spread of HIV through education.  And in 2004, we began a multi-million dollar effort to provide antiretroviral drugs to over 100,000 people living with AIDS in Africa, Latin America and Asia.

Agriculture

The vast majority of the world’s poor are low-income farmers.  CRS recognizes that improved techniques in agriculture and water management are powerful tools in building rural economies and promoting long-term peace and stability in communities ravaged by malnutrition, disease and natural and man-made disasters.  CRS helps poor farmers become more self-sufficient by employing environmental stewardship, women’s empowerment, crop diversity and long-term sustainability.

Education

Education is the cornerstone for positive change in the lives of the poor and vulnerable.  Yet a decent education is far from guaranteed for many children around the world.  CRS is committed to promoting greater access to quality education by reducing child labor, training teachers and supporting adult literacy, and education.

Community Health

Millions around the world have little or no access to healthcare—no clinics, no hospitals, no doctors, no medicine.  Using decades of experience to inform our programming, CRS establishes community-based healthcare systems that empower the people themselves with the tools they need to manage their own health needs.

Peacebuilding

Much of our work occurs in places that are recovering from or are on the edge of violence and war.  The way we implement our relief and development work can help prevent and even transform conflicts.  Our peacebuilding programs work in divided communities to address the root causes of conflict and facilitate civil relationships.  In communities on the brink of war, CRS works to prevent conflict through human rights education, advocacy and support for small businesses.  And in areas recovering from war, we focus on rebuilding communities and reconciling relationships.

Microfinance

People in impoverished and war-torn regions are creating and growing small businesses with loans as small as $5.  These microloans and technical support—the heart of CRS microfinance programs—give the world’s entrepreneurial poor, especially women, a means to support themselves and their families, develop skills and self-respect, and even transform entire communities.  These affordable, essential financial services are restoring hope and dignity to more than 1 million people in 30 countries.

The Catholic Relief Services Collection

This collection is a primary source of funds for CRS and assists:
► Catholic Relief Services
► Migration and Refugee Services
► Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc
► Social Development and World Peace
► The Holy Father’s Relief Fund   

Catholic Relief Services
228 West Lexington Street
Baltimore, MD 21201-3443
1-866-608-5978
www.crs.org