About Us

The COERR Foundation is a non-profit organization established on 20 December 1978 by Cardinal Michael Michai Kitbunchu and Rev. Fr. John Baptist Boonlert Tharachat, originally under the name Catholic Office for Emergency Relief and Refugees (COERR). The organization operated under the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Thailand.

On 3 November 2017, COERR was officially registered as the COERR Foundation with the Ministry of Interior of Thailand. The registration was intended to strengthen the organization’s institutional capacity and enable it to expand and sustain its humanitarian assistance and development work.

The objectives of the COERR Foundation are as follows:

1. To provide essential humanitarian assistance to the impoverished, the underprivileged, and victims of disasters.
2. To promote and enhance the capacities of the marginalized and vulnerable populations in disaster-prone areas, enabling them to be better prepared for potential emergencies within their communities.
3. To undertake or collaborate with other charitable organizations for the public benefit.
4. To refrain entirely from any political engagement or activity.

From 1978 to 1993, COERR provided humanitarian assistance to hundreds of thousands of Indochinese refugees who had fled armed conflict in Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam and sought refuge in refugee camps along the Thai–Cambodian border.

COERR’s humanitarian assistance program during this period included the provision of basic necessities, education, vocational training, elderly and disability care, agricultural training, medical services and the construction and maintenance of shelters, etc.

These activities greatly benefited the refugee population and were made possible through the dedicated efforts and selfless service of both Thai staff and international volunteers from many countries such as the United States, Canada, Germany, France, Italy, England, Ireland, Netherland, Spain, Switzerland, Austria, Malta, Australia, New Zealand, Myanmar, Japan, Korea, the Philippines, and others.

In addition to assisting refugees, COERR also extended support to Thai communities affected by the refugee situation, particularly in Sa Kaeo and Surin provinces. Programs in these areas included school lunch programs for underprivileged students, vocational and agricultural training, and mobile medical services.

Following the repatriation of the Indochinese refugees to their home countries in mid-year 1993, COERR continued its humanitarian work for the Cambodian returnees in the Srisophon District of Banteay Meanchey Province and poor Cambodian people in Battambang and Rattankiri Provinces as well as Phnom Penh city in Cambodia. These efforts aimed to support both refugee returnees and impoverished Cambodians through educational program, vocational training and income-generating activities, elderly care, medical service, HIV/AIDS prevention and education as well as agricultural development.

Over the years, the COERR Foundation has evolved from providing immediate humanitarian assistance to adopting a more comprehensive approach that promotes self-reliance, skills and livelihood development, food security, and community empowerment. Through these efforts, the Foundation seeks to enable beneficiaries to live with dignity, resilience, and greater long-term security.

Vision

To proactively provide tailored humanitarian assistance services, especially to Extremely Vulnerable Individuals (EVIs), empowering them to lead lives of dignity, fostering their active participation within their communities, and enhancing their self-reliance, thereby promoting sustainable well-being and contributing to the advancement of a better world.

Mission & Commitment

To alleviate the suffering of displaced people in need, particularly the neediest among them, regardless of their nationality, religion or gender