Caritas Africa is formally linked to the Catholic Church as a social ministry in Africa. The Africa Region, which is one of the 7 Regions of the Caritas Internationalis Confederation (162 members), was officially constituted on January 20, 1995 in Matola, Mozambique, after the approval of its first Statutes by the Member Organizations (National Caritas). It is a network of 46 national Caritas organizations in 46 countries in Africa, including the adjacent islands of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. Caritas Africa is headquartered in Lomé, Togo.