Fr. Hagos Hayish Fessuh is Secretary General of the Ethiopian Catholic Secretariat (Caritas Ethiopia) in Addis-Ababa since 2008. Fr. Hagos is from the Tigray region in the north of Ethiopia, which has suffered some of the worst effects of a recent drought and is receiving support from Caritas Ethiopia to respond effectively to this natural catastrophe. Ordained as a priest in 1990, Fr. Hagos has been ministering to the most poor and vulnerable in the country first as a priest and now in his current position at Caritas Ethiopia. The Catholic community represents less than 1% of the population in Ethiopia, yet the actions of the Church are having a significant impact in improving the lives of the local population. Caritas Ethiopia has been responding to the needs of communities and supporting them in being actors of their own development since 1965.
Share Lent 2014 Solidarity Visitors
Father Hagos Hayish Fessuh
February 27th - March 17th
Father John Patrick Ngoyi
Originally from the Democratic Republic of Congo, Father John Patrick is a priest and director of the Commission for Justice, Development and Peace (JDPC) Nigeria, which is a partner of Development and Peace. A priest who puts his vision of liberation theology and engaged citizenship into action, Father John Patrick Ngoyi is working to increase citizen participation in democratic governance through political awareness and citizen participation in budgeting and monitoring. JDPC calls for a new participatory and socially just development framework, and works to strengthen the capacity of communities to critically analyze performance and government budgets at all levels.
Father Ngoyi is also a member of the board of directors of several human rights organizations in Nigeria, a member of the National Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace, and the African Coordinator for Justice and Peace at the CICM Missionary Institute based in Rome. He has written several books and publications on human rights, democratic monitoring and the role of the Church in social justice and education.
March 20th - April 7th
Humberto Ortiz
Humberto Ortiz is the Secretary General of the Episcopal Commission on Social Action (CEAS), which was founded in 1965 during Vatican II. He studied at the Faculty of Pontifical and Social Theology of Lima, and at the Catholic Pontifical University of Peru (PUCP). An economist at the PUCP, Humberto Ortiz studied project management and evaluation at the German Foundation for International Development.
As well as being the Secretary General for CEAS, he is also the coordinator of the Human Economy team with the Justice and Solidarity section of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), and is responsible for Caritas’ pastoral work on Integral Human Development for the Latin American and Caribbean Secretariat (SELACC). Humberto also contributes to CELAM’s Social and Pastoral Observatory.
March 12th - 22nd
May Assaad
May Assaad has been working in the field of socio-economic development with Caritas Lebanon for 24 years. Her work includes the management of microcredit and microfinance programs, women’s empowerment projects, as well as environmental conservation projects. She also contributes to the analysis of social conflicts in local community development projects.
In October 2012, Ms. Assaad was appointed Director of the BALADI program (Building an Alliance for Local Promotion, Development and Investment) which focusses on the development of disadvantaged communities across Lebanon through collaboration with with municipalities, the private sector, local organizations and civil society. The objective of this program is to provide environmentally sustainable, high quality services and job opportunities for people in the poorest villages, with a focus on young people and women.
Her favourite quote is that of Mahatma Gandhi: "Be yourself the change you want to see in the world."
March 6th - 13th
Rita Rhayem
Dr. Rita Rhayem is head of the health department at Caritas Lebanon, and is responsible for health relief projects. She has worked in the field and has managed emergency relief and humanitarian aid projects in the region. She currently is leading the implementation of several health assistance projects for Syrian refugees in Lebanon.
Dr. Rhayem holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and an International MBA in health management from Saint Joseph-Lebanon, Paris-Dauphine and IAE Paris Panthéon Sorbonne universities. She has done extensive research on the accreditation of primary health care centres run by non-governmental organizations, and published a book on the subject in 2011.
March 3rd - 15th