November 12, 2013 - The aid agency of the Catholics of England and Wales has launched
an urgent appeal to its supporters to help them meet the urgent needs of communities
in the Philippines devastated by Typhoon Haiyan. Catholic Agency for Overseas Development
or CAFOD has pledged an initial amount of £50,000 as immediate assistance, and said
it ready to add more financial help and practical support in the coming days. Matthew
Carter, Head of CAFOD’s Humanitarian Department, said their local partners are already
operating in the worst hit areas, responding to the most immediate needs, as well
as continuing to provide food and shelter to people who lost their homes in the earthquake
on the island of Bohol last month. Despite difficulties to deliver aid, they are doing
everything we can to reach people in isolated areas. CAFOD is a member of Caritas
Internationalis, a global confederation of 165 Catholic organisations working in humanitarian
emergencies and international development. The charity agency of the northern Italian
Archdiocese of Milan has also sanctioned an initial amount of €10,000 to the Philipine
emergency relief efforts. Caritas Ambrosiana expressed its closeness to the Filipino
people responding to the Holy Father’s appeal on Sunday where he underscored the “importance
of concrete and immediate help’.