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| Care (charity) | |
|---|---|
| Name | CARE |
| Type | International humanitarian NGO |
| Founded | 1945 |
| Founder | Arthur Wood, Lincoln Clark, Arthur Ringland |
| Headquarters | Geneva, Switzerland; Atlanta, Georgia, United States |
| Area served | Worldwide |
| Focus | Humanitarian aid, development, poverty alleviation, gender equality |
Care (charity) is an international humanitarian organization founded in 1945 to deliver emergency relief and long-term development assistance. Originating with post‑World War II relief efforts, the organization expanded into global programs addressing poverty, health, food security, and gender equality across Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East. It operates through country offices, national partners, and coalitions with major international institutions.
Care began in 1945 when American and European relief leaders organized to send survival packages to displaced populations after World War II, drawing on networks that included figures from the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration and the Marshall Plan era. Early leaders included humanitarian practitioners linked to Herbert Hoover's relief efforts in the Great Depression and administrators acquainted with the League of Nations framework. During the Cold War, Care navigated operations near theaters influenced by the Berlin Airlift, humanitarian crises in Greece (1946–1949) and later interventions in regions affected by the Vietnam War and decolonization movements across Africa. In the 1980s and 1990s, the organization shifted from parcel distribution to development programming, aligning with global initiatives such as the World Summit for Children and the Millennium Summit. Post‑2000, Care expanded gender and resilience programs in the context of the Millennium Development Goals and later the Sustainable Development Goals endorsed at the United Nations General Assembly.
Care’s mission emphasizes fighting global poverty and social injustice with a strong focus on women’s empowerment, maternal health, and disaster response. Program portfolios include humanitarian emergency response similar to operations run by International Committee of the Red Cross, food security initiatives akin to World Food Programme efforts, public health projects comparable to Médecins Sans Frontières interventions, and economic inclusion projects reminiscent of Grameen Bank microfinance approaches. Specific programmatic themes link to global frameworks promoted by the World Health Organization, gender equality commitments like the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, and climate resilience priorities resonant with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change findings.
Care operates as a federation of national associations and country offices overseen by an international board resembling governance models used by organizations such as Oxfam International and Save the Children. Its board interacts with chief executives in headquarters offices and regional directors who coordinate field directors across countries like Ethiopia, Bangladesh, Honduras, and Afghanistan. Governance combines donor reporting procedures used by major funders such as the United States Agency for International Development, European Commission, UK Department for International Development, and outcome measurement practices aligned with standards promoted by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development.
Care’s revenue streams include institutional grants from entities like USAID, the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office, and multilateral banks, alongside private donations from foundations comparable to the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, corporate partners akin to collaborations with Unilever or Mastercard Foundation, and public fundraising campaigns modeled after efforts by Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. Financial management follows international accounting norms similar to International Financial Reporting Standards and auditing practices used by global NGOs, with annual reports prepared for stakeholders including philanthropic institutions, governments, and individual donors.
Care measures outcomes using monitoring and evaluation methodologies inspired by agencies such as the World Bank, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, and the United Nations Development Programme. External evaluations and impact assessments have drawn comparisons to program results from CARE International UK peer reports, evidence syntheses published alongside research by universities like Harvard University and London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and randomized trial approaches similar to studies by J‑PAL affiliates. Program evaluations examine indicators tied to Sustainable Development Goals such as poverty reduction, maternal mortality declines reported in Democratic Republic of the Congo contexts, and increased agricultural yields in countries like Mozambique.
Care engages in coalitions with international NGOs such as Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and Plan International, and participates in multistakeholder initiatives with institutions like the World Bank Group, United Nations Children's Fund, and Food and Agriculture Organization. Advocacy campaigns often intersect with international policy fora including the UN Commission on the Status of Women, global climate summits at COP, and humanitarian coordination under United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Corporate partnerships have included collaborations with multinational firms and public‑private partnerships modeled after alliances like the Global Partnership for Education.
Care has faced criticisms over program effectiveness, resource allocation, and operational challenges in complex conflict zones similar to disputes that affected NGOs in contexts like Sierra Leone or Iraq. Past audits and media reports raised questions about accountability frameworks comparable to controversies encountered by other large NGOs such as Oxfam and prompted reforms in safeguarding, transparency, and compliance with donor regulations enforced by institutions like USAID and national regulators in countries including United Kingdom and United States of America. Independent watchdogs and investigative journalism from outlets covering humanitarian affairs have periodically scrutinized project outcomes, prompting internal reviews and policy changes aligned with sector‑wide standards.