in the Caritas Internationalis Management Standards (CIMS) to imitate Christ’s compassionate heart in their line of duty, urging them to serve their communities with love.

“As a Church, we must have a heart of compassion and passion in our professions. Compassion is a key word in the Gospel thus we must honour it in practice and strive to serve the people in our communities with love,” he told the participants who had gathered for a three-day workshop for Caritas Diocesan Focal Persons on CIMS.

Speaking during the opening ceremony on Wednesday, November 27, 2019 at Green Valley Hotel in Kampala, Msgr. Ndamira urged the participants to remember that their lives are a product of God’s mercy and compassion, and to share this with others.

He noted that Caritas Uganda and all the other departments within Uganda Episcopal Conference are sent to evangelize, adding that “everyone is required to participate in this spirit of service.”

Msgr. Ndamira further quoted Pope Benedict’s XVI Encyclical Deus Caritas Est, to remind the participants to professionalise their work, saying “Individuals who care for those in need must first be professionally competent: they should be properly trained in what to do and how to do it, and committed to continuing care.”

He also pointed to several biblical examples of Christ’s compassion in the healing of lepers and in restoring sight to the blind.

The Caritas Uganda Program Director, Helen Chanikare said that the three-day workshop is aimed at providing opportunity to the participants to understand the CIM standards and their relevance.

“We are rolling down this training to our resource persons at diocesan level because we want to provide them with knowledge of the CIMS and the assessment tools, impart skills for self-assessment and introduce to them the scope of their work and mandate in the implementation of the CIMS,” she said.

She noted that the primary aim of the management standard is organisational strengthening and as a result, make the Confederation more effective in its service to the poor.

“They are intended to create an avenue for continuous learning; to facilitate mutual support among members of the Confederation; and to make Caritas a global organization that can compete favourably and respond to the needs of people affected by disasters and poverty in a professional manner,” Chanikare explained.

The three-day workshop, which has attracted over 30 participants from the 19 dioceses in Uganda will conclude on Saturday December 1, 2019.