Partners
Catholic
Organization for Relief and Development
At
the end of 1998, the Dutch catholic development organiztions Bilance,
Caritas Netherlands and Memisan merged into CORDAID (Catholic Organization
for Relief and Development). CORDAID combines their expertise and
serves all aspects of development cooperation: emergency aid, structural
poverty alleviation and health care. CORDAID coopearates closely in
developing countries with local organizations because the people there
are capable of forming their own society. CORDAID promotes equal opporunities
for women and men in development processes.
The
organization has a budget of 300 million in Dutch guilders and supports
2,300 programs annually in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Central
and Eastern Europe. In addition, it undertakes awareness raising in
the Netherlands and plays an active role in national and international
lobbying.
CORDAID
brings various international networks such as Caritas Internationalis,
Cidse, Medicus Mundi, WHO and the EU-NGO forum. The organization is
funded by the Dutcg government, the European Union and individual
donors who support works of Bilance, Caritas Netherlands, Memisa ans
Vastenaktie (the Duthc Bishops' Lenten Campaign) financially. The
have ceased to exist as a separate organization after merging to become
CORDAID. However CORDAID will continue to use these names for fundraising
with the Dutch public. For the public in Netherlands, these brand
names will retain their particular focus: emergency aid and vulnerable
groups (Caritas Netherlands), structural poverty alleviation (Bilance
and Vestenaktie), and health care ans emergency medical aid (Memisa).
The money raised in the Netherlands in a brand name campaign will
be used for that specific field of activity.
From
January 2000, CORDAID will be based in the Hague. Two hundred fifty
people will work for the organization.
