Caritas Research Paper

Malawi- Caritas (CADECOM)

Caritas Australia is the international aid and development organisation of the Catholic Church in Australia. They work alongside local partners and hundreds of communities around the world. Caritas Malawi is in partnership with CADECOM (the Catholic Development Organisation Commission in Malawi.) Caritas Australia is working to empower the most marginalised communities in Malawi, which is one of the smallest countries in Africa and one of the poorest in the world.
Aims and principles of Caritas:
Caritas Malawi was established in 1984. During 1999, it was renamed CADECOM (Catholic Development Commission in Malawi) to change its image from a relief organisation to a development organisation. CADECOM’s Mission Statement
is ‘to create awareness and empower disadvantaged men, women and the youth to undertake development which is integral, gender and environmentally sensitive, sustainable and which promotes justice, human dignity, and self-reliance with the active participation of the people themselves so that they take up the responsibility of their own destiny’. Caritas Australia and CADECOM are working with many marginalised communities in Malawi to help them build on their strengths, to learn new skills and to create change, so they can prosper.
To achieve its mission, CADECOM implements programmes in the following thematic areas:
• Agriculture, nutrition and food security
• Water, sanitation and hygiene
• Capacity building/training for transformation
• Disaster risk reduction
• Disaster preparedness, relief and rehabilitation
• Mainstreaming of HIV/AIDS and gender in all projects
• Natural resource management
• Access to markets and income generating activities
• Youth development and economic empowerment
• Climate change adaptation and mitigation
• Lobbying and advocacy

One specific project:
Doney is a quiet and humble woman, but thanks to an innovative program supported by Caritas Australia, she’s creating big changes - in her life and in her village. In 2016, Caritas Australia and the local Caritas, CADECOM (the Catholic Development Commission in Malawi), began working in Doney’s remote village, they saw beyond the community’s challenges. Together they identified the community’s strengths, and each family created their vision for a healthier, more sustainable future.
CADECOM has been implementing a strengths-based approach to developme in Malawi villages. They use tools like the ‘half filled bucket’ to start discussion amongth the community. Instead of focusing on the communities weaknesses or seeing the bucket as half empty, they encourage community members to look at the positives or the bucket as being half full. This approach helps them to identify the strengths, skills, and resources they already have, so they can build on these to meet their specific needs.
CADECOM worked with Doney’s community to harness their natural resources. Families were trained in new farming techniques, and already they’re producing more plentiful crops. “The problem of malnutrition in my household is an old song now,” says Doney. CADECOM also worked with the community to install a borehole so Doney and her family now have access to clean water, dramatically improving their health.
Doney’s passion for education was recognised as a strength of the community, so she received training as an Adult Literacy Facilitator through the CADECOM program, and is now teaching adults in her village.
Today, the people of Doney’s village have access to clean drinking water, flourishing crops and are building their knowledge to create a better future. ”My life has been transformed,” smiles Doney.

Success of the Project
This program about creating a more sustainable future for the people in Doney’s village is a process which I would define as successful.
CADECOM’s goal was to encourage the people to extend on their knowledge and skills by using the resources that are given to them by CADECOM. This is a very sustainable technique because then the communities are able to continue using the things they have learnt after CADECOM’s support. It is evident that this program has met their initial goals when Doney was interviewed about the process that the village is making since CADECOM started working with them. “My life has been transformed,” smiles Doney. “The village is developing... I would like to thank the people of Australia. The support you provide to us is going to the right people, and is helping us." Doney stated. Through CADECOM 225 families have received seeds to improve crop yields, 288 have been trained in food processing, 200 in post-harvest crop handling, 246 in vertical gardening, 177 in crop handling and storage, and 8 seed banks have been constructed. Doney now knows more efficient ways to grow her own crops so that her family no longer goes months without sufficient food. Doney and her family used to use unsafe water from the local river for drinking, cooking, and washing but today they can access clean water since CADECOM and their community built a borehole and water pump. Clean water and hygiene practices learnt through the CADECOM program means the health of Doney and her family have dramatically improved. Doney and her community now have access to clean drinking water, flourishing crops, and are building their knowledge to create a better and more sustainable
future.