The Catenian Association presented a cheque for £250,000 to be shared between three international aid agencies at a gala dinner in London on Saturday, December 12th.

During the Catenian Association's centenary year of 2008/2009, the 10,000 members across the world worked hard to raise funds for CAFOD, SCIAF and Caritas. The money will be spent on clean water and sanitation projects helping people living in poverty in Zimbabwe and Southern Africa.

The Catenian Association is not a dedicated fundraising society, but it was decided that to mark their centenary, all charitable acts by members should be channelled into a single fund to create a permanent memorial of their first 100 years.

The hope is that as well as improving the lives of thousands of people affected by poverty overseas, the Catenian’s efforts would have a significant impact on Catholic thinking.

The total sum raised of £250,000 came from some 927 different sources in the northern hemisphere plus a substantial sum raised in Australia. Virtually every province in the Association took part and many individual members sent in their own private donations.

The Association’s current grand president, Joe McNally, said: “I can think of no better way to celebrate the first one hundred years of our Catenian Association. This is the first time we have united around a single cause and this demonstrates the great positive impact we can make.”

Receiving the cheque, CAFOD’s director Chris Bain remarked, “The efforts you’ve made as an international community of members to unite around this common goal is phenomenal, and the multitude of initiatives your members have made is inspiring. Clean water is absolutely fundamental to development, access to a safe and stable supply is the building block for everything after. By raising money for our Water and Sanitation projects, the Catenians are granting hope to people who need it most, and that’s a magnificent legacy from your first 100 years.”

CAFOD’s Mercy Hatendi, based in Harare, sent a message of thanks, saying, “This year the areas that CAFOD works in have been hit by drought. Many people couldn’t harvest any food. The water table in some parts is so low that it can take hours to fill a small container.

“When money is channelled through CAFOD there are systems in place to safeguard it and ensure that it reaches in need, so I know that this money will have a huge impact on people’s lives in Zimbabwe,” she added..