Secours Catholique – Caritas France, a non-profit organisation recognised by French law, is a service of the Catholic Church in France. Created in 1946, it helps the most deprived people “without distinction of race, religion or nationality”. Since June 2014, Véronique Fayet is the President of Secours Catholique – Caritas France.

Founded on the Gospel, the organisation’s strategy is based on the social doctrine of the Church. Its driving force is its more than 68,000 volunteers and the essential dimension of giving.

Every year, Secours Catholique – Caritas France welcomes and accompanies nearly 1.5 million people in regaining footing in society. Its many fields of action make it one of the first French charities: emergency situations, homeless and poorly housed people, literacy and school support, family and childhood, migrants and refugees, prisons and detainees, employment, inclusion, microcredit, solidarity and sustainable economy, social bond, human rights and citizenship, international solidarity and development, advocacy and expertise and cross-cutting and permanent spirituality.

Overseas, Secours Catholique – Caritas France works with 3 million people in 66 countries or territories. Particularly in partnership with its counterparts in the Caritas Internationalis network, it conducts emergency, development and advocacy projects (influencing policies).

As part of its national project 2016-2025, the organisation wants to meet a major challenge: strengthen the capacity to act of people and groups in precariousness whom it supports. The organisation considers that people in poverty are the first experts on their situation and can play a major role in their development. It is committed to fighting the causes of poverty and exclusion and promoting human development in all its aspects.

The commitment of people in precarious situations alongside volunteers and employees to imagine new forms of solidarity and development will be the major challenge of the next ten years to grow the fraternal Revolution.

Secours Catholique – Caritas France in figures: 4.5 million people benefiting from the organisation’s actions in France and in the world, 74 delegations; 3,500 local teams; 68,400 volunteers; 2,440 places of welcome; 3 specialised centres: Cité Saint-Pierre in Lourdes for poor pilgrims, the House of Abraham in Jerusalem, CEDRE in Paris for asylum seekers, 19 reception centres run by the Association des Cités of Secours Catholique – Caritas France.