Dear Friend, I visited Zimbabwe a week before the swearing-in of the opposition leader as prime minister by his erstwhile enemy President Mugabe, which initiated the Unity Government. While there, I traveled to see Catholic Relief Services’ programs and express the solidarity of American Catholics with the bishops of this troubled country. I was accompanied [...]
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Dear Friend, As we prepare to observe Lent, many of us find ourselves preoccupied with the hardships brought on by the global economic crisis that followed closely on the heels of a global food crisis. Amid dire economic news, we see the signs of stress placed upon our families and friends—the stress of dealing with [...]
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Dear Friend, For months we’ve been hearing about the global food crisis. The cost of food and fuel increased suddenly and sharply, making it harder for poor people around the world to feed their families. In dozens of cities, people took to the streets in protest. Now the focus is on the collapse of the [...]
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Dear Friend, As we prepare to celebrate the birth of the Prince of Peace, violence and civil unrest continue to dominate the daily headlines. The people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo cry out for an end to their suffering. Our own country is engaged in two wars. The birthplace of Jesus remains a [...]
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Dear Friend, As we Americans watch the financial crisis unfold, and our investments and retirement accounts plunge in value day by day, many of us are feeling an overwhelming sense of fear and helplessness. We are beginning to reassess plans we’ve made, wondering whether we’ve saved enough for retirement or college tuitions. And in our [...]
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Dear Friend, The global food crisis has brought an end to what The Economist magazine has called “the era of cheap food.” This refers to the two decades before 2005 when food prices fell by three-quarters in real terms on world markets. Food was so inexpensive that many developing countries found it was more cost [...]
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Dear Friend, As students begin returning to campus for the start of another school year, Catholic Relief Services is once again ramping up our outreach to young adults, faculty and staff in a number of colleges and universities. Our aim is to forge bonds of solidarity, understanding and friendship between people on campuses here in [...]
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This month’s letter from CRS President Ken Hackett, dealing with disaster preparedness, has been posted on our website.
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Dear Friend, As we enter the height of the Atlantic hurricane season, disaster preparedness is very much on our minds at Catholic Relief Services. CRS is known for our efficient and effective response to disaster. But a key aspect of emergency response is working with high-risk communities before a disaster so they will be better [...]
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Dear Friend, Most Americans have never had the experience of contracting malaria. But for those of us who work for international humanitarian agencies, it's an occupational hazard. Some of us at Catholic Relief Services have had the misfortune of having it several times. I remember the first time I encountered this awful parasitic disease that [...]
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