Caritas Kenya is the development and humanitarian arm of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB). It was established in 1973 as the Development and Social Services arm of the Kenya Episcopal Conference, now known as the KCCB. Caritas Kenya was later launched in November 2012 and has a presence in 25 Catholic dioceses spread across the 47 counties in Kenya. On average, all 25 diocesan Caritas offices host over 350 staff members countrywide.
Caritas Kenya works closely with the poorest and most vulnerable populations in the urban and peri-urban, rural and marginalised Kenyan lands.
Its main challenges remain rampant poverty, frequent disaster occurrences and climate change effects, lack of critical resources (water and food shortages), increasing inequalities, and the HIV/AIDS pandemic.
Running programmes:
- Humanitarian programme: The programme establishes and maintains an efficient and coordinated system for managing natural or man-made disasters. Caritas Kenya has been actively involved in monitoring the drought situation in the country. There are 13 arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) counties in alarm drought phase, with the situation rapidly deteriorating in several counties.
- Livelihoods programme: Develops poverty reduction strategies to empower Kenyans towards self-sustenance in all areas. The programme deals with food security, microfinance and environmental conservation as key areas of intervention. It also oversees the implementation of water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) activities, in order to promote sanitation and hygiene practices that will ensure the optimal development and use of water and water facilities.
- Gender and development programme: The programme promotes empowerment in men and women and facilitates equal participation and opportunities, especially among the poor and vulnerable men and women in Kenya.
- Capacity building programme: The programme seeks to promote efficiency and effectiveness of Caritas Kenya as it carries out its mandate while working with its partners both at the international and diocesan levels.
- Research, communications and advocacy programme: The programme is engaging in SDG advocacy, mainstreaming and implementation. In addition, Caritas Kenya is active in the ongoing global dialogues/forums on climate change in partnership with CIMOs, the government, development organisations and UN agencies.
Caritas Kenya works with other members of the Caritas confederation, government ministries and also with other national and international non-governmental organisations within and outside the country.