Welcome to CaritasAI

CaritasAI is an open-source Agentic AI platform that helps Catholic parishes, charities, and volunteers connect in real-time.
Using Large Language Models (LLMs), geospatial data, and automation, CaritasAI transforms “I want to help” into immediate local action.

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✝️ Mission

CaritasAI supports the Church’s mission of mercy and service by building a digital bridge between those who want to help and those who need help.

It enables parishes, dioceses, and volunteers to coordinate charitable activities efficiently using an AI-powered conversational interface.

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Features

• 🤖 AI Volunteer Agent – Conversational assistant.
• 🌍 Geospatial Search – Finds nearby parishes, charities, and service opportunities.
• 📅 Smart Scheduling – Suggests events and registers volunteers automatically.
• 💬 Multichannel Integration – Chat via Web, SMS (Twilio), or WhatsApp
• 🔒 Secure, Privacy-first Design – Minimal PII, opt-in data, localizable architecture

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🧠 System Architecture

CaritasAI uses a modular, service-oriented architecture:

🖼️ See: docs/architecture_diagram.png
📘 Full design: docs/system_design.md

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🧰 Tech Stack

Layer	Technologies
Frontend	React
Backend API	FastAPI
AI / Reasoning	LangChain, OpenAI GPT-4
Database	PostgreSQL + PostGIS
Integrations	Twilio (SMS), Google Maps API, Airtable
Deployment	Docker, AWS EC2

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⚙️ Local Development Setup

🧩 Prerequisites

• Python 3.11+
• PostgreSQL (local or via Docker)
• VS Code (recommended)
• Optional: OpenAI API key

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Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/CatholicOS/caritas-ai.git

cd caritas-ai

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Dev Quickstart

cd backend
python3.12 -m venv .venv && source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
uvicorn app.main:app --reload

API docs: http://127.0.0.1:8000/docs

🐳 Run with Docker

docker compose up --build

API → http://localhost:8000

Adminer (DB UI) → http://localhost:8080

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🙏 Acknowledgements

CaritasAI is being developed as part of the All Saints Hackathon 2025, organized by Catholic Open Source (CatholicOS).
Special thanks to the organizers, mentors, and the Catholic developer community inspiring innovation through faith and technology.

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💡 Get Involved

We welcome contributions. Please follow PEP 8 these standards to ensure code quality, clarity, and maintainability across the CaritasAI ecosystem.