Striving for Excellence Providing Quality Service
Caritas–Hong Kong (Caritas) was founded in July 1953 by the Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong. The primary purpose of its establishment was to offer relief and rehabilitation services to the poor and the distressed, with the aim of addressing some of the social hardships and inequalities in Hong Kong resulting from the Second World War and subsequent social and political changes at the time.
Over seventy years of development, Caritas now turns to a multi-service non-governmental organization rendering help to different sectors of the community in response to Hong Kong's changing needs. The wide-ranging services provided by Caritas include social work services, education, medical care, community development and hospitality, etc.
Today Caritas serves the community through over 270 service units from about 150 locations. It has more than 6,700 full time staff and receives ongoing support from thousands of volunteers. The annual budget for recurrent expenditure exceeds HK$ 2 billion. Although the Government provides funding for some of the services, Caritas largely relies on the fees and subsidies from those who participate in and use the services, and on the donations and fund-raising campaigns throughout the territory. Caritas receives contributions from the Community Chest and actively participates in its fund-raising activities. The support from private sources precludes a total dependence on the Government for funds. Thus, the degree of flexibility achieved enables assistance to be extended to other worthy causes or to the unaided.
Caritas–Hong Kong is a member of Caritas Internationalis, a federation of 165 Caritas organizations operating in over 200 countries throughout the world. Each Caritas organization is committed to a united world without poverty, societies without divisions, equality among communities and a civilisation of love and solidarity.