Caritas Jordan

Caritas Jordan, a charitable organization within the Catholic Church, is a member of Caritas International that belongs to the Vatican with its head office in Rome. Caritas Jordan was registered in the Ministry of Social Affairs under the number (371) on 15 June 1968, published in the official newsletter and was issued on 15 August 1968 under number (2114). The first Caritas organization in the world was founded in Freiburg, Germany, in 1897. Other national Caritas organizations were established in the following years in Switzerland (1901) and the United States (Catholic Charities, 1910).

Caritas Jordan was established in 1967 in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the Six Days War. Since the first Arab-Israeli war in 1948, Jordan has been considered the safest and closest shelter for the Palestinian refugees coming from the West Bank. Hundreds of thousands have crossed Jordanian borders, with the inevitable effect of destabilize Jordan, both on the social and political levels. Caritas Jordan is a member of Caritas International, a worldwide confederation which figures are among the world’s largest humanitarian networks, counting more than 165 Catholic organizations working in 200 different countries and territories. Caritas Jordan is also part of the MONA regional network, which includes North Africa and the Middle East. Amman, the capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is the Head Center for the Organization's presidency. Since Caritas Jordan’s establishment many centers were opened in different areas of the Kingdom.

Caritas Jordan is one of the first charities if not the first to provide humanitarian assistance to refugees and Jordanians in need in the region. The work of Caritas with refugees and communities has extended beyond the borders and has largely contributed to reducing the suffering of disadvantaged and displaced populations.
Caritas has built a reputation throughout its 50 years of existence. The organization was founded in 1967 to meet the needs of Palestinian and Jordanian refugees affected by the Six Day War. Since then, Caritas has been working with impoverished groups and refugees from Iraq and other countries affected by the consequences of the 1991 Gulf War and the displacement of Iraqi refugees to Jordan since the invasion of Iraq in 2003 until 2006-07 when Iraq struck sectarian violence that displaced thousands of Iraqis to Jordan and then the Syrian crisis conflict erupted in 2011 and its impact which is still present so far, and finally the displacement of Iraqi families from the Nineveh Plain and Mosul in 2014.
Caritas has a stable and functional hierarchy based on the principle of interactive and integrated management, which is an integral part of the work of the volunteers. It has a General Director in Amman, where he monitors the work of the organization in general and the activities of all units and departments. Of the 12 governorates, there are offices for Caritas to serve the needs of refugees and Jordanians who live in remote areas and do not have good services or healthy homes, and lack of resources and jobs compared to the capital Amman.
Caritas operates in the following sectors: medical, education, humanitarian assistance, distribution of food and non-food assistance, psychosocial support and awareness-raising sessions among other emergency services. Caritas provides services to staff with different skills, carefully selected, dedicated to humanitarian work and dedicated to serving those in need.
Caritas continues to provide continuous training in all sectors to build capacity and enhance the skills of its staff, as well as to deal with emergencies and violence.
Caritas therefore maintains effective contacts and strong links with local and international organizations, establishes a system of referral cases, receives cases from other organizations and provides them with services according to their competence.
It was officially registered on 15 June 1968 under No. 371, article 19 of the Law of Associations and Social Organizations in Jordan No. 23 of 1966