Aim

Increase power and influence, so that women and men in the poorest and most disadvantaged communities area able to influence the systems, decisions and resources affecting them, living under governments, institutions and global structures that are just and accountable; promote sustainable development, so that women and men in the poorest and most disadvantaged communities live in a just and more equal world, realising their rights and accessing the essential services and resources they need to live sustainably and with dignity; achieve peace, security and recovery, so that women and men in the poorest and most disadvantaged communities live in safe and secure environments and are able to minimise, survive and recover from crises; build partnerships in the Catholic community, so that Catholics in England and Wales are inspired to challenge global poverty and injustice through prayer, action and giving, so transforming their own lives.

History

CAFOD was born when Jacquie Stuyt and Elspeth Orchard came together with others from the National Board of Catholic Women, the Catholic Women's League and the Union of Catholic Mothers to organise the first Family Fast Day in 1960. Due to the number of collections taking place across the dioceses, two years later, the Bishop’s Conference of England and Wales registered CAFOD as an official charity.