Rome — The African arm of the international Catholic charity, Caritas, was involved in alleviating the sufferings of people affected by crises in various countries throughout this year.

According to the president of Caritas Africa, Archbishop Cyprian Lwanga of Kampala, major African emergencies in 2007 included the ongoing crisis in Darfur and the whole of Sudan, the collapse of the Zimbabwean economy and human rights violations which left so many people without food and health care.

Other crises, the archbishop said in Christmas greeting, were escalation of violence in Eastern DR Cong, floods in Uganda, Togo and Ghana and the plight of displaced people in the Central African Republic and Chad.

Archbishop Lwanga asked members and partners of Caritas Africa to continue to witness to love, charity and peace building.

"We encourage you to continue the necessary dialogue with all our partners at national and regional levels in order to develop a common vision, a mutual understanding to embark, wherever possible, on joint initiatives for humanitarian response, integral human development, peace building and reconciliation, climate change, fighting against trafficking and combating the HIV/Aids pandemic.

He further said that the continental team will ensure voice of Caritas Africa was heard and that its contribution to the development and promotion of social justice in the continent was recognized and valued.