This week, Maribel Jaén, director of Cáritas Panama, announced the relaunch of social pastoral work with the Lenten Campaign 2025, which will focus on food sustainability projects and nutritional education.
In Panama “there are a large number of malnourished people, especially girls and boys. On the other hand, we face the problem of obesity, which in the medium or long term generates future patients with diabetes, hypertension and other chronic diseases,” Jáen reported in a recent interview published by the Panamanian Episcopal Conference.
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In collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), it was identified that approximately 300,000 Panamanians face hunger, while 100,000 children suffer from malnutrition.
Cáritas Panama, as Jaén explained, carried out a national study that revealed that in all parishes in the country, social pastoral care has a significant focus on the issue of food, especially through the delivery of food bags.
“Based on this, we consider that our Lenten campaign this year will be dedicated to carrying out a collection to develop sustainability programs in food matters, in addition to providing education on the importance of nutrition,” he said.
According to the director of Cáritas Panama, “it is not only about having access to food, but also about educating about what to eat.” “In this sense, we have been working with the FAO, private business organizations and academia to develop a project that allows us, in one year, to implement pilot plans for organic agriculture and education on healthy eating,” he explained.
“We want this project to be sustainable throughout the year, and we hope that next year we can work on another fundamental issue: food sovereignty,” he added.
The Lenten campaign covers 40 days and will include awareness-raising materials, an advertising campaign and the active participation of volunteers in all dioceses.
Jaén commented on this: “The collection is essential for three reasons: it invites us to reflect on food as a human right, it makes the work of Cáritas visible and reinforces our commitment to transparency.”
In the interview, the board highlighted that the relaunch of Cáritas Panama also includes the implementation of minimum organizational standards and safeguard policies aimed at providing safe spaces in all the activities they carry out.
The accountability process is another key aspect, with detailed reports of donations and resources received at the parish, diocesan and national levels, he said.
In addition, he highlighted the relevance of strengthening the response to climate emergencies, an urgent need due to the increasingly severe environmental impacts in the region.