History       
 
A young French girl receiving a CARE package in 1946  © CARE. 
CARE traces its roots back to the days following World War II when 22 American organizations combined forces to rush emergency food rations in the form of ''CARE packages'' to war-torn Europe.

On May 11, 1946, the first 20,000 packages reached the port of Le Havre, France. Some 100 million more CARE Packages reached people in need during the next two decades, first in Europe and later in Asia and other parts of the developing world.

As the economies of the former wartime nations developed and improved, the focus of CARE''s work shifted from Europe to the problems of the developing world. In the 1950s, CARE expanded into emerging nations. In the 1960s,  CARE pioneered primary health care programs. In the 1970s, CARE responded to massive famines in Africa with both emergency relief and long-term agroforestry projects. CARE is now a proven leader among international humanitarian organizations, striving to bring about lasting, meaningful change in the of the world’s poorest communities.

Who We Are 
     
CARE is a leading humanitarian organization fighting global poverty. Non-political and non-sectarian, we operate each year in more than 65 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East and Eastern Europe, reaching more than 50 million people in poor communities.

CARE helps tackle underlying causes of poverty so that people can become self-sufficient. CARE is often one of the first to deliver emergency aid to survivors of natural disasters and war and, once the immediate crisis is over, we help people rebuild their lives. While CARE is a large international organisation with more than 14,500 employees worldwide, we have a strong local presence: more than 90 % of our staff are nationals of the countries where our programmes are run.   

Our Vision

All of CARE International’s member organizations share a common vision to fight against worldwide poverty and to protect and enhance human dignity:

"We seek a world of hope, tolerance and social justice, where poverty has been overcome and people live in dignity and security. CARE will be a global force and partner of choice within a worldwide movement dedicated to ending poverty. We will be known everywhere for our unshakeable commitment to the dignity of people."

In this context, emergency relief is an important part of CARE’s mandate since natural and manmade disasters can drive otherwise self-sustaining populations into poverty and can often eradicate years of development work. CARE pays particular attention to the marginalized members of society and those least able to defend themselves, especially women and children.