The COVID-19 pandemic has had a major economic impact on Malaysia, particularly on vulnerable households. Having revised its national poverty line in July 2020, 8.4% of Malaysian households are currently living in absolute poverty in the year 2021. The household income for hardcore poverty is RM1,169 a month.
“It is not hopelessness that causes poverty; it is poverty that causes hopelessness.”
“I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.”
In the Gospel story of the five loaves and two fish, Jesus fed the multitude. Today, millions of people go to bed hungry even though there’s an abundance of food in this world. Caritas works on every level to ensure the hungry are fed.
Caritas encourages collaboration between NGOs, Corporates, Churches, and Volunteers to help at The Lighthouse Feeding Centre in Penang Road. Hundreds of thousands of street friends benefited through this feeding project and many homeless were rescued from dying every year.
Caritas provides funding to support our parishes to buy groceries for the poor families in their neighbourhoods. We also work closely with social mission groups to advocate and promote awareness through Lenten Campaign every year.
Individuals don’t just end up on the streets like that. Homelessness is a symptom of an array of social issues. It has been identified that the leading causes of homelessness are unemployment, poverty, old age and abandonment, substance abuse, mental and chronic illness, and the lack of affordable housing.
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Caritas is the charitable arm of the Roman Catholic Church. It is to spearhead the church’s social mission, to respond to humanitarian crisis, promote integral human development and advocate on the causes of poverty and violence.
Caritas Penang comes under the jurisdiction of The Titular Roman Catholic Bishop of Penang.
© 2022 Caritas – Diocese of Penang. All Right Reserved.
