CARE International is a global confederation of 16 member organizations – Austria, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, India, Japan, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Peru, Thailand, United Kingdom, and United States – working together to end poverty.
CARE was founded in 1945, when 22 American organizations came together to rush lifesaving CARE Packages® to survivors of World War II. Thousands of Americans, including President Harry S. Truman, contributed to the effort. On May 11, 1946, the first 15,000 packages reached the battered port of Le Havre, France.
At first, senders had to designate a specific person as the recipient, but soon CARE was flooded with donations to send CARE Packages to “a hungry occupant of a thatched cottage,” “a schoolteacher in Germany,” and so on. After the worst needs are alleviated in Europe, CARE expanded programming to developing countries. However, CARE did not forget the many refugees and needy in Europe and continue to provide valuable support. In the 1950s, the then-German Chancellor Konrad Adenauer calls CARE the most important organization in the postwar period.
In 1980, CARE Germany joined the confederation as the third country behind the United States and Canada. Gratitude for post-war aid is a reason – plus, many Germans feel the desire to help in the CARE tradition in places where poverty, war and disaster threaten the lives and futures of others.
For more information or to contact us, please visit the CARE Germany-Luxemburg website.