South Africa

With support from CRS, St. Gabriel's serves patients in the surrounding area and provides pharmaceutical and laboratory support to 14 outreach centers.

South Africa boasts the largest economy of Africa. A great divide exists, however, between the rich and poor—a legacy of the apartheid era. South Africa also has 5.7 million people with HIV, more than any other country worldwide. The epidemic is devastating poor and marginalized communities and has taken one or both parents from more than 1.4 million children. Catholic Relief Services works in close partnership with the local Catholic Church to help respond to this crisis and provide care and support to those most in need.

CRS' Commitment to Catholic Teaching

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Stats
History
Partners
Programs

Stats

Population:	49,052,489 (July 2009 est.)
Size:	470,462 sq mi; slightly less than twice the size of Texas
People Served:	403,022 (2011 est.)

History

In late 2000, at the invitation of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference (SACBC), Catholic Relief Services opened an office in South Africa devoted to HIV and AIDS work. CRS South Africa currently has two international and 17 national staff members who work in close partnership with the SACBC and its counterparts to help reduce the impact of HIV and AIDS and promote peacebuilding across the country. The CRS South Africa country program also provides support to three CRS outreach countries: Botswana, Namibia and Swaziland.