Caritas is a confederation of charity groups and organizations all over the world. Caritas, as an executive group of Catholic Church, is aiming at the creation of a better world through eradication of poverty, the promotion of justice and fairness and building a better life at grassroots level.
Caritas Polska is a member of Caritas World Network. It consists of 44 charitable institutions and covers all of Poland. Caritas Polska is engaged in medical and humanitarian projects domestically, and it is also provides relief to victims of natural disasters and armed conflicts in other countries.
Caritas Polska and its charitable organizations run 61 “Windows of Life” all over the country. The first “Window of Life” in Poland was founded in Kraków in March 2006. It was an homage to Pope John Paul II, a native of Poland who dedicated his life to protecting lives. Since then, Caritas and its partner groups have established 60 “Windows of Life” and saved the lives of 140 babies as of 2017. Thanks to baby boxes and other life saving measures, the numbers of infanticide and child abandonment are continuously declining.
Poland has 380.000 births, 1,000 abortions and about 10 infanticides yearly. 66,000 out of 100,000 orphans are placed in foster families. In Poland, adoption is under the jurisdiction of local governments but only 100 out of 400 local governments have adoption centers. 3500 children are adopted each year.
The following problems are yet to be solved: 1) An increasing number of parents may evade their parenting obligation. 2) Unattended births, which are dangerous to both mothers and babies, may get promoted. 3) The Right to Know one’s Origin gets infringed. 4) Mothers who surrendered their children have no way to obtain any information on them.
Many people agree on the notion that the “Windows of Life save lives”. The “Windows of Life” is seen a practical way to prevent children from being abandoned or killed, and it has been receiving mostly positive opinions from society. A new “Window of Life” or a baby entrusted to one causes quite a stir in the mass media
※This video is excerpted from THE 14th ASIAN CONGRESS OF HEALTH PROMOTION IN KUMAMOTO, JAPAN.
| Speaker | ：Tomas Kopytowski |
|---|---|
| Event | ：THE 14th ASIAN CONGRESS OF HEALTH PROMOTION IN KUMAMOTO, JAPAN |
| Date | ：April 14, 2018 |
