Caritas Pakistan Islamabad Rawalpindi (CPIR)

Introduction

Caritas Pakistan Islamabad Rawalpindi (CPIR) is the diocesan unit of Caritas Pakistan, established in 1965 on the philosophy of Caritas Pakistan to work as the social arm of the Catholic Church under the patronage of the Bishop of the Diocese. The working jurisdiction of the areas is within the Catholic Diocese of Islamabad-Rawalpindi.

Geographical Coverage

The diocese consists of 9 districts of the Punjab Province (Rawalpindi, Jehlum, Gujrat, Chakwal, Sargodha, Khushab, Mianwali, Attock), the whole of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJ&K), Gilgit & Baltistan Province, and Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), covering an area of approximately 207,347 Sq. Kms.

Historical Background

CPIR started its operations in the mid-70s for the relief and recovery of the flood-affected, the war of 1971, and later in 1978 for the Afghan Refugee Relief Operations. Since its inception, CPIR has implemented numerous Emergency Relief and Development projects across the diocese for the poor, oppressed, neglected, and disaster-hit populations of the areas, without any distinction of color, caste, or creed.

Impact and Achievements

Through its projects, CPIR has brought positive, life-changing attributes to more than 2 million families, through its social transformation projects and interventions. There are a total of 25 main parishes in the diocese. Presently, CPIR is operative in 7 of the six districts of the diocese.