SCIAF was set up in 1965 by the Catholic Bishops of Scotland to give practical help to the world's poorest people and to raise awareness of the causes of their poverty.
On SCIAF's 40th anniversary, then Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown paid this tribute: "From small beginnings in 1965 in a small school classroom in Rutherglen .. with funds of just £8,000 .. SCIAF has grown into Scotland's leading international aid charity." .