Caritas Jordan

Caritas Jordan, a charitable organization within the Catholic Church, is a member of Caritas International that belongs to the Vatican with its head office in Rome. Caritas Jordan was registered in the Ministry of Social Affairs under the number (371) on 15 June 1968, published in the official newsletter and was issued on 15 August 1968 under number (2114). The first Caritas organization in the world was founded in Freiburg, Germany, in 1897. Other national Caritas organizations were established in the following years in Switzerland (1901) and the United States (Catholic Charities, 1910). Caritas Jordan was established in 1967 in response to the humanitarian crisis caused by the Six Days War. Since the first Arab-Israeli war in 1948, Jordan has been considered the safest and closest shelter for the Palestinian refugees coming from the West Bank. Hundreds of thousands have crossed Jordanian borders, with the inevitable effect of destabilize Jordan, both on the social and political levels. Caritas Jordan is a member of Caritas International, a worldwide confederation which figures are among the world’s largest humanitarian networks, counting more than 160 members at the grassroots in almost every country of the world. Caritas Jordan is also part of the MONA regional network, which includes North Africa and the Middle East. Amman, the capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, is the Head Center for the Organization's presidency. Since Caritas Jordan’s establishment many centers were opened in different areas of the Kingdom.