Planned Caritas Lusophone Forum an Opportunity to “share experiences”: Official in Angola

The Forum of Caritas Lusophone is made up of the development and humanitarian arm of the Catholic Church in Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe and Timor. 

Mr. Quintas explained that the aim of the forum is to “materialize the partnership dimension fomented by the Millennium objectives and subsequent frameworks of the United Nations, the Church and the Caritas network in the world.”

“This is the first time the forum will be held in Angola, and we are very excited as it has not been possible to hold a face-to-face meeting until now due to the COVID-19 pandemic…. Delegates are looking forward with joy to the realization of this event,” he added.

In the October 13 interview, the Coordinator of Caritas Angola further said, “The general objective is to understand the current realities and to see how best we can respond to the challenges, so that we can define the best strategies for establishing solidarity and supporting one another as Caritas of Lusophone communities.”

Among some of the issues to be addressed during the 11th Forum of Caritas Lusophone is severe drought experienced in most of the Lusophone African countries because of climate change.

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“We have two speakers from Caritas Angola who will be presenting. One will share the experience of solidarity and social work within the Church. Another will be talking about nutrition and food security, agricultural and environmental initiatives by Caritas Angola,” Mr. Quintas told ACI Africa.

He added, “The South of Angola has been experiencing the worst drought emergency in the last 40 years because of climate change. We will be bringing this experience; how we are reaching out to those communities affected by environmental and climate change.”

“We also wish to learn from others, as to how they are assisting the vulnerable in their countries, and how we can prevent it,” the Coordinator of Caritas Angola said during the October 13 interview.

He further said, “The climate change issue is a reality that we will live with for many years to come, hence we must work together in finding solutions to best assist our communities.”

Sheila Pires is a veteran radio and television Mozambican journalist based in South Africa. She studied communications at the University of South Africa. She is passionate about writing on the works of the Church through Catholic journalism.