Caritas is the largest charity organisation in Poland. It consists of Caritas Poland and 45 diocesan Caritas organisations. Caritas Poland is responsible for national campaigns and for providing international aid – supporting, in particular, victims of natural disasters and armed conflicts around the world. The diocesan organisations act at the regional level.

At the national level, Caritas Poland conducts various campaigns, such as the Caritas Christmas candle campaign in benefit of children, which has become iconic in the country, as well as scholarship programmes aimed at increasing educational opportunities for students from less privileged families. Caritas Poland works also on raising awareness about homelessness and marginalisation of people in the most vulnerable situations through food collections and carries out fundraising campaigns to collect funds for purchasing medical equipment.

Caritas Poland has implemented numerous humanitarian and development aid projects in 46 countries affected by conflicts, wars and natural disasters. Recently, it has been providing relief for vulnerable communities in countries like Yemen, where it established a Caritas mission to support the health sector, Ukraine as well as the Middle East (Syria, Lebanon, Palestine and Iraq) with direct cash-assistance programmes.  Caritas Poland has also projects overseas in Columbia and in many African and South Asian countries.

Diocesan Caritas provide help in all areas of need and focus their efforts on activities such as supporting families, children and youth; helping the poor, homeless and sick, as well as the elderly and the disabled.

The diocesan organisations manage about 1,000 centres specialised in social assistance and medical and educational care: 105 rehabilitation rental centres and 77 rehabilitation offices, 102 medical and nurse support stations, 92 clothing distribution points and 58 soup kitchens, 79 social-therapeutic homework rooms, 36 home hospices and 8 stationary ones, 43 recreational centres for the elderly, 14 single mother centres, 34 nursing homes, and 20 refugee and migrant centres.

There are approximately 90,000 Caritas volunteers, who provide support in various centres daily and in all the fields of work. Moreover, there are 3,200 Parish Caritas Teams operating in a third of Polish parishes.

Children and young people can also help those in need by engaging in various activities of Caritas School Clubs. There are 2,600 of them across Poland. Young volunteers take part in a special formative and educational programme and, thus, shape their sense of responsibility and social sensitivity.

Since 2019, the Caritas Laudato Si’ project became a strategic part of Caritas Poland’s grassroots activities with a particular focus on education and social change.