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Caritas Ivory Coast Launches Solidarity Fund for Vulnerable People amid COVID-19

Logo Caritas Ivory Coast

The leadership of Caritas Ivory Coast, the development and humanitarian arm of the Catholic Church in the West African nation, has launched a solidarity fund to assist vulnerable people amid COVID-19 challenges.

In the December 6 announcement, the National Executive Director of Caritas Ivory Coast said that the beneficiaries of the fund are “both at the diocesan and national levels.”

“The Catholic Church in Ivory Coast has launched the Caritas Solidarity Fund. This fund should enable the setting up of income-generating activities to support vulnerable people, both at the diocesan and national levels affected by the COVID-19 pandemic,” Fr. Jean Pierre Tiémélé announced December 6.

Fr. Tiémélé who was speaking during Holy Mass to launch the National Caritas Week at the Saint Peter’s Parish Anoumanbo of Abidjan Archdiocese further said, “The setting up of the Caritas Solidarity Fund is a response of the Ivorian Church, which does not really have stable and solid resources, but wants to seek the generosity of its faithful and people of goodwill to provide assistance to vulnerable people and those hard hit by the health and socio-political crises.”

“The charity of Christ urges us to listen to the groans of our brothers and sisters, those Barthimeos of our time who are struggling on the paths of life,” the Ivorian Cleric added.

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Making reference to the solidarity fund, he continued, “The time has come to act concretely and to bear witness to this love open to all, which goes to the bottom of our hearts.”

“The daily challenges facing Caritas are enormous,” Tiémélé went on to say, and continued, “All day long, there are sick people who come with their prescriptions, who ask us for surgical operations that cost millions. Where do we get this money?”

The Ivorian Cleric further said that he is counting on the Catholic faithful and people of goodwill “to contribute strongly to the raising of this fund.”

“We are counting on you, the Bishops are counting on you, and I remain convinced that your charity will be inspiring,” Fr. Tiémélé added.

The National Caritas Day in Ivory Coast is expected to be celebrated on Sunday, December 13 under the theme, “Inspired by the charity of Christ, let us open our hearts to the misery of our brothers and sisters and our hands to sharing.”

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Jude Atemanke is a Cameroonian journalist with a passion for Catholic Church communication. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Journalism and Mass Communication from the University of Buea in Cameroon. Currently, Jude serves as a journalist for ACI Africa.