We are proud to highlight several charities making a real difference across Australia and beyond - from helping families in crisis to building stronger, more sustainable communities.
We are proud to highlight several charities making a real difference across Australia and beyond - from helping families in crisis to building stronger, more sustainable communities.
Together, these organisations reflect the compassion and community spirit that Catholic Super members value. By supporting initiatives that promote dignity, fairness, and opportunity, we help create stronger and more inclusive communities in Australia and beyond.
As the international aid and development agency of the Catholic Church in Australia, we don’t aim to localise our work because we are already local. Caritas Australia partners with communities for the long term, supporting locally led, community‑based development and humanitarian programs that respond to immediate needs and strengthen resilience well into the future.
Our impact is powered by both scale and presence. Through trusted local partners and Church networks and as a member of Caritas Internationalis, the second largest humanitarian network in the world, we have the reach and trust to act where the need is greatest. Where there is a parish, Caritas can be there. This global network allows us to respond before, during and long after crises, including conflict and natural disasters.
In the last financial year alone, Caritas Australia supported more than 100 programs across 30 countries, reaching 2.3 million people worldwide. Globally, the Caritas network operates in over 200 countries and territories, powered by 3 million staff and volunteers and reaching nearly half a billion people each year.
Here in Australia, we work alongside parishes, schools and communities, walking together in solidarity, compassion and advocacy for justice.
At the heart of Caritas Australia is a shared conviction: lasting change is possible when local communities lead, global solidarity backs them, and human dignity is upheld.
As you read this, the healthcare system has collapsed in Sudan, there is chronic food insecurity, women and girls face increasing risks of gender-based violence, and conflict is spreading to every corner of the country.
Nadia* has faced unrelenting challenges in providing the daily needs of her children. After being forced from her home at gunpoint, she made her way to an overcrowded camp. There, she found disease and hunger.
Families caught in conflict often face immediate shortages of basic necessities, including water, food and essential medicines. Many are forced to flee their homes, leaving them without reliable access to these critical supplies.
Caritas Australia and its partner organisations work to deliver humanitarian assistance to affected communities, including mothers like Nadia and their children.
While the conflict continues to impact daily life, access to essential items such as food, clean water and medical support remains vital for the wellbeing of displaced families.
Support can:
provide money for essential food, like rice, lentils and flour
help improve access to safe water through WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) programs
assist families like Nadia’s to access essential medicines
contribute to the construction of concrete water points for communities.
The world’s largest hunger and displacement crisis. More than 12 million people have been forced from their homes, and famine has been confirmed in parts of Sudan.
Sudan has become the world’s largest humanitarian emergency.
Nadia* is a mother of ten living in a displacement camp after armed groups violently forced her family from their home, leaving her husband missing for over a year.
She fled with her children, first hiding in the mountains before eventually reaching Kosti, where they endured weeks sleeping in a market before being moved to a camp. As a single parent, Nadia struggles to provide for her children by collecting firewood and harvesting okra, but rising prices mean her earnings are often not enough to buy basic food. Conditions in the camp were extremely difficult, with limited water and sanitation, putting families at risk of disease. With support from Caritas Australia’s partners, clean water is now delivered regularly, and bathrooms have been built, improving hygiene, safety and dignity for Nadia and her children. While her future remains uncertain, this support has helped her family survive with greater stability and hope.
* Name changed to protect privacy
Caritas Australia’s partners are delivering emergency assistance across key areas in Sudan:
Food, water and essential household items
Partners are providing emergency food assistance, clean water and hygiene supplies, alongside essential household items for people who have been displaced from their homes and livelihoods.
This includes water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) services to help prevent the spread of diseases such as cholera.
Emergency shelter and displacement support
Millions of people across Sudan have been displaced by conflict. Partners are supporting displaced families with temporary shelter assistance and essential items, helping people access safer places to stay and cope with ongoing displacement.
Healthcare and disease prevention
Access to healthcare has been severely disrupted in many conflict-affected areas. Caritas partners are delivering basic health services, essential medical supplies and disease prevention activities where health facilities are damaged, overstretched or no longer functioning.
This includes responding to cholera outbreaks and supporting community-based health initiatives where possible.
Psychosocial and protection support
Prolonged conflict, violence and displacement have significant psychological impacts. Partners are providing psychosocial support, safe spaces and protection services, particularly for women and girls who face increased risks of violence and exploitation.
These services support individuals and families in coping with trauma and navigating ongoing challenges.
In the lead up to Christmas, we are highlighting the wonderful work of Vinnies and their annual Christmas Appeal.
For more than 170 years, Vinnies has provided support for individuals and families doing it tough. Their commitment goes beyond emergency relief: they walk alongside people to provide practical assistance, emotional support and pathways to long-term stability.
This Christmas, as the cost-of-living crisis continues across Australia, Vinnies mission is more vital than ever. Families are facing pressures they have never experienced before, and thousands are turning to Vinnies for help to keep food on the table, pay rent, and stay connected to essential services.
St Vincent de Paul Society National President, Mark Gaetani, explains:
"This isn’t the Australia any of us wish for this Christmas or any time — where poverty becomes the new normal for millions of Australians. That’s why this year’s Vinnies Christmas Appeal comes with a special plea for anyone who can afford to donate, to help us share hope and joy by providing gifts, nutritious meals and essential support for families facing an otherwise bleak Christmas."
Donations to the Vinnies Christmas Appeal directly support people experiencing homelessness, poverty and spiralling living costs.
The campaign provides:
Every donation of $2 or more is tax-deductible.
At Catholic Super, we believe in building strong, compassionate communities. Supporting the Vinnies Christmas Appeal, helps ensure that vulnerable Australians receive the care and dignity they need during one of the most challenging Christmas periods many have ever faced.
Your generosity can be the reason a family experiences comfort instead of crisis this Christmas.
Families like Sarah’s need urgent assistance
With the cost-of-living crisis deepening, this Christmas will not be a time of joy and celebration for people like Sarah. Last year, just before Christmas, Sarah and her family were told they had to move out of the house they were renting. In the middle of a cost-of-living crisis, they were left with nowhere to go and little hope of finding somewhere they could afford. “I honestly didn’t know how we’d survive,” Sarah says. “From where we were standing, the future was looking very dark.” Poverty and disadvantage were quickly becoming the new normal for Sarah and her family. But then Sarah reached out to Vinnies, where she received the immediate relief and lasting support she urgently needed thanks to generous people like you.
"Having Vinnies is almost like having another family. They’ve restored my faith in humanity and given me hope for the future." - Sarah
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