Caritas Middle East and North Africa
Catholic charity confederation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Caritas Middle East and North Africa (French: Caritas Moyen-Orient et Afrique du Nord[2]), also known as Caritas MONA, is a Catholic charity network active in the Middle East and North Africa and in the Horn of Africa. It is one of the seven regions of the worldwide Caritas Internationalis confederation.
| |
| Abbreviation | Caritas MONA |
|---|---|
| Location | |
| Coordinates | 33.89966°N 35.57333°E |
| Origins | Catholic Social Teaching |
Region served | Middle East and North Africa, Horn of Africa, Cyprus |
| Fields | development aid, humanitarian aid, social services |
President | Gabriel Hatti[1] |
Parent organization | Caritas Internationalis |
The name Caritas MONA refers both to the regional secretariat, based in Lebanon, and the network of 15 member organisations.[3][4]
Work
The work of Caritas MONA's secretariat involves coordinating responses from its member organisations to disasters and humanitarian emergencies within the confederation, as well as providing technical support and capacity-building through training initiatives, among other to ensure compliance with Caritas Internationalis Management Standards.[5][6][7] Additionally, Caritas MONA engages in advocacy efforts, such as addressing violence in Iraq in 2008,[8] the 2020 Beirut explosion,[9] and calling for a ceasefire in the Gaza humanitarian crisis in 2023.[10][11]
The member organisations are active in a broad range of sectors in their respective countries, including in healthcare, education, social service provision and humanitarian aid.[3]
Membership
Caritas MONA consists of 15 national member organisations. They are located in the Maghreb and the Mashriq region, as well as in the Horn of Africa. The Caritas MONA member organisations that are located on the African continent are exclusively members of Caritas MONA; they are not also members of Caritas Africa.[3]
Despite being located in an EU member state, Caritas Cyprus is also a member of Caritas MONA. The national Caritas working in Israel and Palestine is Caritas Jerusalem.
List of Member Organisations
| Country | Member organisation (English name) |
Established |
|---|---|---|
 Algeria |
Caritas Algeria | 1962 |
 Cyprus |
Caritas Cyprus | 1974 |
 Djibouti |
Caritas Djibouti | 1978 |
 Egypt |
Caritas Egypt | 1967 |
 Iraq |
Caritas Iraq | 1981 |
 Iran |
Caritas Iran | 1992 |
 Holy Land[12] |
Caritas Jerusalem | 1967 |
 Jordan |
Caritas Jordan | 1967 |
 Lebanon |
Caritas Lebanon | 1976 |
 Libya |
Caritas Libya | ? |
 Mauritania |
Caritas Mauritania | 1972 |
 Morocco |
Caritas Morocco | 1947 |
 Somalia |
Caritas Somalia | 1980 |
 Syria |
Caritas Syria | 1954 |
 Tunisia |
Caritas Tunisia | ? |