Humanitarian organization

Catholic Agency for Overseas Development

CAFOD is the Catholic Agency for Overseas Development, the official aid agency of the Catholic Church in England and Wales. Working through local partners, it supports communities facing poverty and humanitarian crises, including projects involving water, sanitation, food and livelihoods.

Official website ↗

Organization profile

Organization type: Humanitarian organization
Headquarters / base: London, United Kingdom
Geographic scope: International

Medical focus

Water, sanitation and hygieneFood securityHumanitarian healthClimate and health

Activities

Local-partner supportEmergency reliefWater and sanitation programmesLivelihood supportAdvocacy

Population served

Communities affected by povertyPeople affected by humanitarian crisesLocal partner organizations

Working through local organizations

CAFOD is based in London and is part of the Caritas Internationalis network. Its work is rooted in Catholic social action and supports people from different faiths and backgrounds. The organization combines practical assistance with advocacy on the circumstances that contribute to poverty and exclusion.

Its programme model relies on local partners who understand the communities in which they work. CAFOD describes supporting their knowledge, relationships and capacity rather than prescribing a single response for every setting. This includes work with community leaders, emergency responders, farmers and people responsible for local water supplies.

Sources: [1], [2], [3].

Water, food and the conditions for health

Access to water, sanitation and adequate food connects CAFOD’s development work with public health. Its programme description includes support for water engineers and for farmers adapting production to difficult climatic conditions. Livelihood and food projects are considered alongside the resources families need for everyday life.

CAFOD’s account of its Cambodia programme, which ended in late 2024, gave concrete examples of this work. It described piped water systems, wells, rainwater storage, sanitation training and local arrangements for managing water supplies. Other activities combined farming, irrigation and income opportunities. These were examples from a country programme, rather than a uniform package of services offered in every place where CAFOD works.

Sources: [3], [4].

Emergency response and documented programme history

Emergency assistance is delivered through organizations already working in affected communities. The form of help depends on the crisis and the partners involved. CAFOD’s historical account of its coronavirus response records support involving protective equipment, hygiene materials, public information and access to basic supplies.

That pandemic account also describes water and sanitation support for displaced communities in Syria and hygiene communication through local networks in South Sudan. These examples document work during the coronavirus crisis; they do not establish that the same projects or facilities provide services today.

In the 2014 Future Humanitarian Financing initiative, CAFOD served on the steering group with FAO and World Vision.

Sources: [3], [5], [6].

Further health reading

Cholera

CAFOD’s account of its 2024–2025 Sudan response describes support for clean water and cholera prevention through local partners. This guide explains that public-health context.

Diarrhea

CAFOD connects its Zimbabwe water projects with reducing diarrhoeal disease. This overview explains why safe water and sanitation matter for health.