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Caritas Bosnia and Herzegovina

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Caritas Bosnia and Herzegovina
Caritas Bosne i Hercegovine
AbbreviationCaritas BiH
Established28 January 1995; 29 years ago (28 January 1995)[1]
FounderEpiscopal Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina
TypeNonprofit
Purposedevelopment aid, humanitarian relief, social services
Location
Coordinates41°20′06″N 19°48′23″E / 41.3349°N 19.8064°E / 41.3349; 19.8064
OriginsCatholic social teaching
Region served
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Official language
Croatian, English
President
Archbishop Tomo Vukšić
AffiliationsCaritas Europa, Caritas Internationalis
Websitewww.caritas.ba
Formerly called
Caritas of the Bishops' Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina (Caritas Biskupske konferencije Bosne i Hercegovine)

Caritas Bosnia and Herzegovina (Serbo-Croatian: Caritas Bosne i Hercegovine) is a Catholic not-for-profit social welfare and humanitarian relief organisation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is a service of the Episcopal Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina and a full member of both Caritas Europa and Caritas Internationalis.

Structure

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Street sign in Mostar indicating the way to the Caritas Mostar rehabilitation centre Sveta Obitelj ("Holy Family").

The structure of Caritas is the same as the structure of the Catholic Church in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Caritas Bosnia and Herzegovina consists of the national office as well as of three regional, autonomous organisations, the so-called diocesan Caritas. The three diocesan Caritas are:

  • Caritas Banja Luka (Caritas biskupija Banja Luka)
  • Caritas Mostar-Duvno (Caritas biskupija Mostar-Duvno i Trebinje-Mrkan)
  • Caritas Vrhbosna (Caritas Vrhbosanske nadbiskupije)

All four entities support people affected by poverty in the country and contribute therewith to social integration.

History

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Caritas Vrhbosna (Sarajevo) was founded in 1931,[2] Caritas Mostar in 1982,[3] and Caritas Banja Luka in 1984.[4] During the Bosnian War (1992–1995), these three organisations played an important role in providing humanitarian aid to the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina and they continued after the war to be actively involved in the reconstruction efforts.[4][2][5]

The first session of the newly formed Bishops' Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina took place in Mostar from 27 to 29 January 1995. On 28 January, the Bishops founded the national Caritas organisation under the name "Caritas of the Bishops' Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina" (Caritas Biskupske konferencije Bosne i Hercegovine) and approved the statutes.[1]

In 1997, Caritas, as a sign of recognition for the help and care provided to the people of Bosnia and Herzegovina during the war, was awarded the Pope John XXIII International Peace Prize, alongside the Muslim organisation Merhamet, the Serbian Orthodox organisation Dobrotvor and the Jewish organisation La Benevolencija.[6][7]

Caritas BiH has been a member of Caritas Internationalis since 30 June 1999, and based on that membership, it also became a member of Caritas Europa. The second Statute was approved and entered into force on 14 February 2006. At their 65th regular session held in Sarajevo on 4 and 5 November 2015, the bishops approved the third version of the statutes and changed the name of the organisation from Caritas of the Bishops' Conference of Bosnia and Herzegovina to Caritas of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[1]

Work

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After the Bosnian war, Caritas implemented reconstruction projects and various activities aimed at reducing poverty and integrating vulnerable individuals into society. The organisation works among other with children, persons with disabilities, and the elderly.[8][9]

Caritas also continues its relief work, supporting for example the population affected by the large-scale 2014 floods[10] and the migrants, refugees and asylum seeker that arrived in the country since the start of the 2015 European migrant crisis. Between 2018 and 2021 alone, Caritas helped over 60,000 migrants in the country, providing among other food and hygiene articles, and operating a laundry service that allows them to wash their clothes.[11][12]

Caritas Switzerland and the American Caritas organisation Catholic Relief Services also operate country offices in Bosnia and Herzegovina and implement their own programmes.[13][14]

References

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  1. ^ a b c "25. obljetnica: 1995. -2020". caritas.ba (in Croatian). 15 April 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  2. ^ a b "Intervju s vlč. Šimićem u povodu Tjedna solidarnosti". Informativna katolička agencija (in Croatian). 10 March 2020. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  3. ^ Misijana Brkić-Milinković (11 December 2012). "Trideset godina rada Caritasa". Večernji list (in Croatian). Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  4. ^ a b "Bosnien und Herzegowina | Käse und Bier gegen die Abwanderung". meinekirchenzeitung.at. 13 September 2023. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  5. ^ Daniele Rocchi (4 April 2022). "Bosnia, 30 years after the war: From Sarajevo to Kyiv, history repeats itself". Agensir. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  6. ^ "Apostolic Journey of his Holiness John Paul II to Sarajevo (April 12-13, 1997) }| Rermarks of the Holy Father at the Award of the John XXIII Peace Prize". vatican.va. 13 April 1997. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  7. ^ "Sarajevo Jewish Aid Organization Awarded International Peace Prize". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. 17 April 1997. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  8. ^ "Persons with disabilities begin their internship in 11 organizations, institutions and enterprises in BiH". University of Sarajevo. 20 December 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  9. ^ Katharina Korf & Hannah Bessler (1 October 2017). "Mostar - die geteilte Stadt". Bund der deutschen katholischen Jugend (in German). Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  10. ^ Anna-Magdalena Druško and Benjamin Barteder (20 June 2016). "Mit dem Regen kommt die Angst". Kleine Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  11. ^ "Caritas Bosnia and Herzegovina raises alarm over plight of migrants in the country". ReliefWeb. 22 January 2021. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  12. ^ Sertan Sanderson (15 February 2021). "Bosnian Caritas director stresses importance of human kindness while criticizing EU inaction". infomigrants.net. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  13. ^ Nortbert Rütsche (29 June 2007). "Wiederaufbau von 5'500 Häusern dank Caritas". Swissinfo (in German). Retrieved 7 August 2024.
  14. ^ "Bosnia and Herzegovina". crs.org. Retrieved 7 August 2024.
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