Caritas Swaziland was founded in 1977 to empower communities and reduce the chronic poverty under which 70% of the population lives. Due to drought and disease, one in four people struggle to feed themselves. Since its inception, the organization has helped 500,000 people in a country with very high unemployment and the highest HIV/AIDS infection rate in the world.
Caritas Swaziland’s social welfare programs and services provide assistance to over 23,000 beneficiaries per year.
Caritas Swaziland participated in the Caritas Internationalis “HAART” campaign, a campaign for highly active antiretroviral treatment that was launched by Caritas in 2009 to ensure that children infected with HIV have access to medication.
Trainings include capacity building to ensure that institutions are in place to support development work, and monitoring and evaluation to improve projects. Loans and grants have helped the creation of small businesses. More immediate assistance includes food and clothing.
Caritas Swaziland’s greatest challenge is to address the social inequalities that contribute to poverty.
The Caritas Swaziland headquarters in Manzini coordinates local and national projects through a small staff and volunteers to carry out its activities. The headquarters works closely with the 17 Parish Caritas in the Diocese of Manzini.
As a member of Caritas Africa and Caritas Internationalis, Caritas Swaziland receives support from the global Caritas network, such as Catholic Relief Services USA, Caritas Italy, Caritas England and Wales-CAFOD and other partner organisations.
While officially registered as Caritas Swaziland, we are known as Caritas Eswatini as the country changed name in 2018.
Find Us Here
Our Address
Caritas Eswatini
Next to St Theresa’s Clinic
Manzini M200
If I was to meet those slave raiders that abducted me and those who tortured me, I’d kneel down to them to kiss their hands, because, if it had not have been for them, I would not have become a Christian and religious woman
– St. Josephine Bakhita
Who We Are
Our Team & Leadership
Dr Diana M. Earnshaw – Caritas Eswatini National Director
Appointed national director on 01 January 2025.
Dr Diana M. Earnshaw
Caritas Eswatini National Director
Bishop José Luis Ponce de Leon IMC
President
Fr Sakhile Peter Ndwandwe
CPLO Director
F.A.Q.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is “Caritas internationalis”?
Caritas Internationalis is confederation of over 160 members who are working at the grassroots in almost every country of the world. When a crisis hits, Caritas is already on the ground. The diverse members give us our strength – from small groups of volunteers to some of the biggest global charities. Inspired by Catholic faith, Caritas is the helping hand of the Church – reaching out to the poor, vulnerable and excluded, regardless of race or religion, to build a world based on justice and fraternal love.
When was Caritas Internationalis born?
From the founding of the first Caritas in Germany in 1897, to the setting up of Caritas Internationalis in 1951, until today, Caritas has a rich history of listening respectfully to the suffering of the poor and giving them the tools to transform their own lives. The deep moral and spiritual principles of dignity, justice, solidarity and stewardship still guide Caritas today.
What has Pope Francis told Caritas members?
“It is important to return to the source, God’s love for us, precisely because the identity of Caritas Internationalis depends directly on the mission it has received. What distinguishes it from other agencies working in the social sphere is its ecclesial vocation. And what specifies its service within the Church, compared with many other ecclesial associations and institutions devoted to charity, is its task of assisting and supporting the Bishops in their exercise of pastoral caritas, in communion with the Apostolic See and in harmony with the Church’s magisterium. In this regard, I am aware that you are working on partnership and fraternal cooperation as fundamental pillars of the Catholic identity of Caritas: I thank you and I urge you to continue along this path.” (11 May 2023)
Who is “Caritas Africa”? When was it born?
Caritas Africa is formally linked to the Catholic Church as its social pastoral ministry in Africa. The Africa Region, as one of the 7 Regions of the Caritas Internationalis Confederation (162 members), was formally constituted on January 20, 1995, in Matola, Mozambique, following the approval of its first Statutes by the Member Organizations (national Caritas). It is a network of 46 National Caritas Organisations in 46 African Countries; including adjacent islands in the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Caritas Africa is headquartered in Lomé.
What inspires Caritas member organisations?
Its member organisations link together in a confederation to serve the world’s poor, vulnerable, dispossessed and marginalized.
Caritas is inspired by Scripture, Catholic Social Teaching and by the experiences and hopes of people who are disadvantaged and living in poverty.
We work with people of all faiths and those who have none.
Caritas strives for a world where the voices of the poor are heard and acted upon, where each person is free to flourish and live in peace and dignity and where our natural environment given by God is managed responsibly and sustainably in the interests of the entire human family.
What has Pope Benedict XVI told Caritas members?
“Caritas Internationalis is called to work in converting people’s hearts in openness towards all our brothers and sisters, so that everyone, in full respect for his or her freedom and in the full acceptance of his or her personal responsibilities, may always and everywhere act for the common good, generously giving the best of himself or herself in the service of his or her brothers and sisters, particularly those in greatest need.” (27 May 2011)