Cardinal Oscar Andrés Rodríguez Maradiaga, President of Caritas Internationalis, visited Caritas Peru last week to show solidarity with the staff and the ever-growing team of volunteers that are helping the victims of the powerful earthquake that levelled the coastal town of Pisco on 15 August.

Caritas Internationalis is a confederation of 162 Catholic relief, development, and social service organisations present in over 200 countries and territories.

Cardinal Rodríguez met with the Secretary General of Caritas Peru, Jorge LaFosse Quintana, and was shown the organisation's emergency response centre and the warehouses from which aid is being funnelled to the most severely affected regions.

Caritas Peru, with the support of international Caritas members, to date has delivered over $1 million worth of humanitarian aid to people affected by the earthquake. Caritas Peru initially was focusing on areas around the towns of Pisco, Cañete, Ica, and Chincha, but has extended its reach to the more isolated and vulnerable towns of Yauyos and Castrovirreyna as well.

Caritas Peru has been delivering trucks laden with food, water, tents, medicine, blankets, clothing, mattresses, hygiene kits, and cooking sets almost daily since the first days following the earthquake, which measured 8.0 on the Richter scale. Caritas Peru is bringing aid to 11,000 of the 35,000 families affected by the earthquake.

"I've come to be with you to show my solidarity and closeness," said Cardinal Rodriguez, the Archbishop of Tegucigalpa in Honduras. "I am very happy to be here, and I thank you for the extraordinary work you are doing. We must continue helping those who are most in need.

"Caritas is like a beacon of hope for millions of men, women, and children, who benefit from our service in difficult times, and this contributes to their integral human development," he said.

"The mission of Caritas is rooted in the social doctrine of the Church, founded on the dignity of the human person. Caritas' work for the poorest manifests God's love," the Cardinal said.

The Caritas Confederation has launched an appeal for more than $11 million for immediate relief and reconstruction efforts, including the rebuilding of schools.