Rendering service to the victims of disasters and emergencies (wars, epidemics and pestilences) has been in the Heart of the Camillians. From 16th -17th century, those who are joining the Camillians were pretty much aware of its three principal ministries of service to the sick in the a) hospitals, b) homes and c) in times of pestilences or epidemics. In fact, during the 24-year Generalate of St. Camillus 240 Camillian religious died as martyrs in places marred by epidemics and pestilences in Italy.
In 1994, the Order has instituted May 25 as the Feast of the Martyrs of Charity in honor of the 300 Camillian martyrs of charity who died witnessing the 4th vow, i.e., service to the sick even in danger to our own life. The fourth vow is the very linchpin that opens the door to the Camillians and to all those who share in the spirit of St. Camillus to develop and experience its richness in responding to the signs of the times.
In 1995, the 54th General Chapter (in Bucchianico) of the Order has approved the establishment of a task force that would respond to the socio-health emergencies in the different parts of the world. In April 2000, the General Council, headed by Fr. Angelo Brusco, the former general superior has created a Central Commission led by Fr. Antonio Menegon, together with Frs. Pietro Magliozzi, Sergio Palumbo, Scott Francis Binet, Massimo Miraglio and Mr. Renato Bicego, whose main task is to organize and form a special team of lay and religious ready to intervene in any event of disasters which later on they called the Camillian Task Force (CTF).
This initiative has been supported and developed by the Order in the course of time and reaffirmed by the series of general chapters of 2001 and 2007. Re-inventing and re-creating the original vision of Camillus of a Camillian who is conscious of the new challenges and opportunities of the modern times and willing to live in creative fidelity to his prophetic vocation and preferential choice to serve the poorest of the poor, the Camillian Task Force came to its birth. “It is commonly held belief that it is in opting for the most abandoned that the Order fulfills the prophetic role […] by defending the rights of the weak, […] exposing injustices, intervening with task forces, and focusing attention not just on the individual but also on the formation of healthy and healing communities.” (Cf. 55th Gen. Chapter, 2001). Furthermore, “it is our responsibility to work for justice and solidarity in the world of health together, promoting good cooperation between the Provinces, the Delegations and the great Camillian Family of St. Camillus, and also with members of the laity [...] expressed in different ways, such as, supporting the Camillian Task Force in its urgent interventions in situations of natural catastrophe.” (56th General Chapter, 2007).
In 2004, CTF was raised into an office of the General Council headed by Fr. Scott Binet. In 2007, it was integrated into the office of the Secretariat for Mission headed by Bro. Luca Perletti. In 2010, a reorganization and expansion of CTF were called forth. Since then, the CTF expands to the various provinces and delegations of the Order such as the Philippines, Thailand, India, Brazil, Peru, Chile, Kenya and USA. These offices serve as the primary arm in responding to disasters in their respective places or region. The central office assists these offices in developing their capacities through formative activities, developing emergency intervention plan (short/ long-term programs), and seeking funds and grants to sustain local project/s initiated. The CTF central office does not envision to be a super body that manages and operates in all local disaster intervention projects but maintains its character of being an animator and protagonist to humanitarian missions of the Order.
VISION
CADIS envisions fullness of life in a resilient community.
MISSION
Grounded in the love and mercy of Jesus, with St. Camillus in our hearts, we promote and inspire the development of community-based integral health programs for the well-being of disaster-stricken communities through compassionate, competent and coordinated interventions.
We are a faith-based organization, whose identity is grounded on core values that inform our approach and underpins all our work.
Human Dignity
Respect for human dignity is at the heart of who we are and what we do. Every person has inviolable rights founded on justice. Thus, everyone has right to life, quality service and total well-being, free from want, fear and hazard impacts.
Compassion
Integral to the work of CADIS is how care is given, based on empathy, respect and dignity. Our compassion then, as intelligent kindness, is central to how people perceive our care. For us, caring is as important as care and our highest calling is to provide comfort to those in distress and nurture capability in the vulnerable, regardless of class, gender, age, culture and religion. Great care is at the heart of everything we do.
Justice, Fairness and Solidarity
We uphold justice and fairness in our dealings. We work for social justice and foster human solidarity in our partnership with vulnerable communities and societies we work in.
Integrity, Diversity and Inclusion
We honor the integrity of every person and the diversity of peoples, cultures and communities. We commit to foster an enabling environment, privileging every voice towards participation and inclusion. We forge understanding and mutual respect; we labor for equitable development and peace.
Competence, Accountability and Transformation
We are committed to employing and be held accountable to high standards of practice. We continuously challenge ourselves to improve towards efficiency and effectivity, through strategic planning, assessment and evaluation. We deploy knowledge and skills, harness methods and appropriate technologies to transform our partner communities and ourselves. Constant innovation towards excellence in our caring and service defines our processes.
Active Listening, Collaboration and Teamwork
We are committed to working collaboratively and in partnership with all stakeholders, actively listening to facilitate, negotiate and build consensus and strong teams to empower others. We are committed to bring together people, organizations and institutions that can pool knowledge, skills and resources, to work together to have most effective impact. Good communication is central to successful collaborative partnerships, working relationships and effective team working.
Courage and Witness
Our courage enables us to do the right thing for the people we care for, to speak up when we have concerns and to have the vision and personal strength to innovate and embrace new ways of working and relating with others. We bear witness to the human capacity to overcome adversity and suffering, connecting people to hope.
Transparency
We honor our obligations in the partnership of equals, meet commitments and act responsibly with public and personal trust, to consistently deliver value to our stakeholders. We adhere to transparent financial accounting procedures and freedom of information.
Learning, Creativity and Excellence
We embrace learning, creativity and change as a way of life. Reflective distance allows us space for deep thought, increasing our consciousness of the whole, enabling us to serve the whole. By our mindfulness we contribute to the sustainability of people, the humanization of societies and the stewardship of creation.
What do we do?
We respond to the needs of the most vulnerable people affected by the natural and non-natural disasters globally. We work with the local church (parish or diocese) and partner organizations (local and international) responding to the urgent and critical problems of the affected population following our four-R theory of transformation and core program areas of concerned - RELIEF, RECOVERY, RESILIENCY and RIGHTS.
Relief
We conduct and deliver immediate relief services to survivors of natural and non-natural disasters by providing food and non-food items, supporting the medical, psycho-emotional and spiritual needs.
Recovery
We assist survivors to rebuild their families and communities by restoring and improving what has been lost and destroyed such as livelihood, shelter and social cohesion in their community.
Resilience
We strengthen and build people’s capacities and improve their social condition that will enhance self-protection and rebuild community assets to protect them from adverse impact of disasters.
Rights
We long for an enduring impact and transformation to the lives of the vulnerable families and communities by nurturing their consciousness to the fundamental rights and obligations to protect the individual, community and our “common home”.
