Caritas PNG launches Lenten Appeal 2023

Gordons, Port Moresby: The Lenten Appeal 2023, a disaster relief fund raising held

throughout the Lenten Season, is now accepting donations.

Caritas PNG launched its annual Lenten Appeal at the CBCPNGSI Conference Room in

Port Moresby on 22nd February 2023. The launch followed the Ash Wednesday Mass held

to mark the beginning of Lent.

Speaking at the event was Ms. Mavis Tito, the National Director of Caritas, who gave a

report on the funds raised last year and how they were spent. "In 2022, Caritas PNG, through the generosity of Parishioners of the Catholic Dioceses,

organisations and private individuals, provided over K73,000 in disaster relief support

assistance to communities in PNG and overseas that were impacted by natural calamities",

she said.

Ms. Tito noted that a third of the total funds raised were retained by the Dioceses to support

them in response efforts in local emergencies, while the remaining unused portion was

reserved for larger emergencies that met criteria laid out in the Caritas PNG Lenten Appeal

Policy.

Bishop Paul Sundu of the Kundiawa Diocese and Fr Giorgio Licini, General Secretary of the CBCPNGSI (pictured), were on hand to launch the appeal which will be run nation-wide for the next six weeks.

According to the recent reports by the United Nations Office of Disaster Risk Reduction

(UNDRR), a significant portion of PNG's population is exposed to natural disasters and

climate change risks, with conditions like challenging geography, low road connectivity,

lacking infrastructure and high levels of poverty adding to the exposure risks, making many

communities extremely vulnerable.

To find out more on how you can contribute to the Lenten Appeal 2023, contact your local

Diocesan Caritas Coordinator or email info@caritas.org.pg. If you would like to make a direct donation, you can do so through the bank account details provided below:

Bank South Pacific

Account name: CBC Caritas PNG

Account number: 7019215032

Swift Code: BOSPPGPM

BSB: 088-954