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Caritas Kenya (CK) is the humanitarian and development arm of the Kenya Conference of Catholic Bishops (KCCB). It was founded in 1973 as the development and social services section of the Kenya Episcopal Conference, and is now known as the KCCB. Caritas Kenya was re-launched in November 2012 and is present in 25 Catholic dioceses located in all 47 counties of Kenya. The 25 diocesan Caritas have an average of over 350 staff members deployed throughout the country.

Caritas Kenya works closely with the poorest and most vulnerable people in urban, peri-urban, rural and marginalized areas of Kenya.

Its greatest challenges remain endemic poverty, frequent disasters and the effects of climate change, lack of vital resources (water and food shortages), growing inequality and the HIV/AIDS pandemic.

Current programs :

• Humanitarian Program: The program establishes and maintains an effective and coordinated system to manage natural and man-made disasters. Caritas Kenya has been actively involved in monitoring the drought situation in the country. 13 Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) counties are on drought alert, and the situation is worsening rapidly in several counties.
• Livelihoods Program: Develop poverty reduction strategies to empower Kenyans and make them self-sufficient. The program’s key areas of intervention are: food security, microfinance and environmental protection. It also monitors the implementation of sanitation and hygiene (WASH) activities to encourage sanitation and hygiene practices to enable optimal development and use of water and water supply facilities.
• Gender and Development Program: The program promotes the empowerment of men and women, and facilitates equal participation and opportunities, particularly among Kenya’s most impoverished and vulnerable men and women.
• Capacity Building Program: The program seeks to promote the effectiveness and efficiency of Caritas Kenya in implementing its mandate and working with partners at both the international and diocesan levels.
• Research, Communication and Advocacy Program: This program addresses advocacy, mainstreaming and implementation of the SDGs. Caritas Kenya also participates in ongoing global climate change dialogues/forums in partnership with CIMOs, the government, development organizations and UN agencies.

Caritas Kenya works in collaboration with other members of the Caritas confederation, government ministries, and other national and international non-governmental organizations, both in the country and abroad.