Last week Caritas Australia hosted Babita Pinto, Head of Programs at Caritas India, at a gala dinner held in Sydney in celebration of 10 years of its annual Women for the World campaign.

Women for the World invites all Australians to join forces and stand in support of vulnerable women. It focuses on providing access to education, developing sustainable livelihoods, improving healthcare, and reducing infant mortality.

Over the 2023 financial year the campaign helped to support over 53,054 women in Africa, 93,588 in Asia and 15,498 across the Pacific region.

The much-loved comedian, actor, author, and broadcaster Jean Kitson acted as MC for the event, with keynote speakers Kirsty Robertson, CEO of Caritas Australia, and Babita Pinto, Head of Programs at Caritas India.

Babita Pinto was 23 when she joined the Caritas India family. She is the first woman to serve as Head of Programs at Caritas India, and the first from her local organisation to be selected as an Asia representative for the Caritas Internationalis Women's Leadership, Equality and Participation Committee.

Babita Pinto spoke of the vulnerabilities impacting the communities Caritas India serves, as well as the specific challenges faced by women, and the opportunities that come from overcoming those challenges.

Kirsty Robertson CEO of Caritas Australia said of the event, “The Women for the World gala and time spent with Babita left many of us feeling inspired, motivated, and re-energised.

“Babita impressed on us the words of St. Teresa of Calcutta who said that “I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples.” This is what Women for the World is truly about. Creating change, in each individual and each community, to permanently empower women for the benefit of us all.”