Annual report 2021

A glimpse of our work in 2021.

Although these words are written in a moment of suffering and darkness in Europe, it is with sincere and heartfelt gratitude that I look back on the year 2021, and to the work that we accomplished together. The Caritas network truly did contribute to the common good, with the many and different gifts we have, learning from one another, and in a spirit of solidarity, respect and mutual support.

I thank all Caritas employees and volunteers, and all people of good will, who work for justice and solidarity. The time of immense suffering is also a time in which the greatness of love is shown, the common strength of our network, Caritas Europa, but also the strength of solidarity of our global confederation, Caritas Internationalis.

Msgr. Michael Landau, President of Caritas Europa

2021 was a new and joyful beginning for Caritas Europa. We adopted our Strategic Framework 2021-2028, which gives us a firm basis on which to achieve our common mission as Caritas, ensuring that we truly respond to the needs of the people we serve through action at the European level. Innovation, youth engagement and sustainable development are cornerstones of our strategy and will be integrated into all dimensions of our work in the years ahead to allow us to succeed in our core mission: to fight the injustices which lead to poverty and the exclusion of people in the most marginalised and vulnerable situations.

In this report you will read about some of the highlights of the year. While there were a lot of positive achievements, there were also numerous challenges. The year continued to be deeply marked by the COVID-19 pandemic, which severely impacted on the European region and the whole world, affecting the people that Caritas serves the most. The pandemic exacerbated already existing inequalities, and the number of people living in or at risk of poverty increased, as made clear by our European CARES! poverty report 2021. The Caritas network worked tirelessly to respond to the situation by assisting and providing services to people in need, as well as by presenting alternatives to address unfair structures and policies.

However, the year was also marked by many humanitarian emergencies. There were floodings, wildfires and conflict raging in the European region. By year end, the protracted crisis in Ukraine had escalated further and, as I write these lines, it has developed into a full-scale war, with disastrous consequences for millions of people. Our response to these natural and man-made disasters will be, as always, Caritas: love.

Caritas stands with the people in the most vulnerable situations, allowing for their dignity to be upheld, and allowing for hope to emerge in the most challenging contexts.