Caritas Cape Verde to Launch Golden Jubilee with World Day of the Poor, General Assembly

Santiago, 08 November, 2025 / 8:46 PM

Caritas Cape Verde is set to launch its Golden Jubilee celebrations with the observance of the World Day of the Poor and a General Assembly later this month, opening a year-long commemoration focused on service, solidarity, and renewed commitment to the most vulnerable.

In an interview with ACI Africa on Thursday, November 6, a member of the Caritas Cape Verde field team said that the milestone, coinciding with Cape Verde’s 50th anniversary of independence, will be marked by a series of spiritual, social, and community-based initiatives. 

The World Day of the Poor will be marked from November 15–16 in the Santa Catarina Parish of Santiago Diocese, and from November 16–19 at the Social Center in the Diocese of Mindelo.

“It will be a moment of reflection, sharing, and reunion among volunteers, animators, and Caritas agents,” José Lino da Silva Furtado Correia told ACI Africa, noting that participants will evaluate past efforts and plan new strategies to serve those most in need. 

He added that the celebrations will deepen the message of Pope Leo XIV under the theme, “You are my hope,” inviting the people of God to become signs of hope for one another.

Mr. Furtado said the Jubilee Year will span November 2025 to March 2026, coinciding with Lent, “a favorable time for conversion.” 

Activities will include social weeks, decentralized celebrations in vicariates, and formation meetings intended to involve volunteers, donors, partners, and local communities in “rediscovering the service of charity.”

Following the World Day of the Poor, Caritas Cape Verde’s General Assembly will convene November 20–23 in Ponte Sul, Santo Antão. 

Representatives from both Dioceses will gather for reflection, debates, field visits, and evaluation. The aim, José Lino said, is to strengthen unity between Santiago and Mindelo.

A day of field visits will allow participants to witness community projects, including recent efforts to assist families affected by storms in Santo Antão, São Vicente, and São Nicolau. 

“We will be with the people, listening, sharing, and helping,” Mr. Furtado said.

Throughout the Assembly, participants will reflect on Pope Leo XIV’s Apostolic Exhortation, Dilexi te and reaffirm Caritas’ guiding principles of solidarity, social justice, and service. “Serving the poor is serving God,” the Caritas Cape Verde official stated. 

He added, “We want this jubilee to be a time of service out of love.”

Reflecting on 50 years of history, Mr. Furtado explained that Caritas evolved from welfare-based assistance during colonial times to long-term development initiatives in the 1990s, emphasizing community resilience, human dignity, and family autonomy. 

Projects have included rainwater cisterns, sustainable agriculture, school feeding programs, and vocational training for women.

One innovative initiative is social and solidarity tourism, which invites visitors to live with rural families, share culture, and directly support local economies.

“This is tourism that helps people because the income stays in the community,” Mr. Furtado said.

Despite progress, challenges persist. The Caritas Cape Verde official lamented a shortage of younger members, noting that many volunteers are elderly women, and highlighted funding constraints after Cape Verde was classified as an upper-middle-income country. 

“Statistics are our enemies,” he said, arguing that vulnerability remains widespread.

Even so, Caritas continues its mission. 

“We work with what we have, always trusting in divine providence,” Mr. Furtado stated.

He added, “We work to awaken love for one another and build community. Together, we must construct a more dignified, just, and solidary society.”