Bangladesh’s top government official praised Caritas Bangladesh for aiding in the country's socio-economic development.
“After the independence of Bangladesh, Caritas Bangladesh and some other NGOs played a significant role in the country's socio-economic development. During the last 50 years, they have been working for the betterment of the marginalized and poor peoples of the country,” said K.M. Tariqul Islam, Director General (Grade-1) of the NGO Affairs Bureau.
K.M. Tariqul Islam spoke during a courtesy visit of Dr. Aloysius John, Secretary-General of Caritas Internationalis, to his office in Agargaon in Dhaka on February 24.
Caritas Asia’s President Dr. Benedict Alo D’ Rozario, Caritas Bangladesh’s Executive Director Sebastian Rozario, Director-Programs James Gomes, and Director, Finance & Administration Joachim Gomes were also present at the Sagor-Runi Auditorium of Dhaka Reporters’ Unity, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
K.M. Tariqul Islam thanked Dr. John for visiting his office and requested more support for Bangladesh. Caritas Bangladesh’s Executive Director Sebastian Rozario, Director (Finance & Administration) Mr. Joachim Gomes, and Director (Program) Mr. James Gomes accompanied Dr. John during the visit.
The Director-General of NGO Affairs Bureau praised Caritas Bangladesh. “Caritas Bangladesh has been working in education, health, agriculture, disaster management, and other sectors. I think cooperation of Caritas Bangladesh will be continued,” Islam said.
He also assured of continued cooperation in the future from the government.
Dr. John described the role of Caritas Internationalis and Caritas Bangladesh in the social upliftment of the poor people.
“Collaboration between civil society and government of Bangladesh is a very good example,” said Dr. John, thanking Tariqul Islam for his cordial collaboration with Caritas Bangladesh.
Dr. Aloysius John said, “The objectives of the visit is to show solidarity with Bangladesh government for showing generosity by accepting the Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Citizens in Bangladesh as well as to Caritas Bangladesh for standing beside them with its support.”
Dr. Aloysius said, “Since the independence of the country Caritas, Bangladesh has been serving the people with utmost dedication and willingness. I came to know about Caritas Bangladesh in 1992. Its ability to respond to any disaster is highly appreciable. I met with the Director-General of NGO Affairs Bureau, K. M. Tariqul Islam. His openness fascinated me. His words of appreciation and acceptance of Caritas Bangladesh are very significant to me.”
Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 162 member organizations working at the grassroots in almost every country of the world. It has its headquarters in Rome – coordinating emergency operations, supporting integrated human development, and advocating for a just and better world.
Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle is leading the confederation as President, while Dr. Aloysius John has been Secretary-General since May 2019. Caritas Bangladesh is one of the member organizations of Caritas Internationalis.
Dr. Aloysius John visited Caritas activities and visited Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh for the Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Citizens and Host Community in Cox’s Bazar. He also distributed the clothes to a Rohingya refugee in Bangladesh.
Earlier, Dr. John visited Archbishop George Kocherry, Nuncio, at Vatican Embassy in Gulshan and Caritas Bangladesh Trust CORR-the Jute Works. At the same time, Caritas Asia’s President, Dr. Benedict Alo D’ Rozario, also accompanied him.
Caritas is a Latin word. It means “charity” or universal love. Caritas was founded in 1967 as the eastern branch of Caritas Pakistan. Following the cyclone of November 1970, it was re-organized and became known as CORR (Christian Organization for Relief and Rehabilitation) and took on the character of a national organization on January 13, 1971. The name Caritas was re-introduced in 1976.
Caritas Bangladesh is a Bangladeshi, local, national, nonprofit development organization established by the Catholic Bishops Conference of Bangladesh (CBCB) to carry out activities of integrated social welfare and development, especially for the vulnerable poor, and marginalized, with equal love and respect for all-to attain integral development, human dignity, social justice, and peace.
Caritas Bangladesh has its Central Office in Dhaka. There are eight Regional (or Diocesan) Offices in Barishal, Chattogram, Dhaka, Dinajpur, Khulna, Mymensingh, Rajshahi, and Sylhet. Caritas is operational in Integrated Development, Disaster Management, and Human Resource Development in all these places under central management. Caritas restricts itself at present to 208 Upazilas (sub-districts) for integrated human development work. During emergencies, such as natural disasters, Caritas is operational in any part of the country.
Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a media platform of the Catholic Church, aims to share Christ. RVA started in 1969 as a continental Catholic radio station to serve Asian countries in their respective local language, thus earning the tag “the Voice of Asian Christianity.” Responding to the emerging context, RVA embraced media platforms to connect with the global Asian audience via its 21 language websites and various social media platforms.
Latest News
