Country Programme of Kenya

Caritas Switzerland (CACH) has been implementing projects in Kenya since 1994. In 2011 we responded to the severe drought crisis that affected over 13 million people in the Greater Horn of Africa with various relief interventions in Kenya, South and Central Somalia, Somaliland and Ethiopia but with a strong emphasis on the most affected Arid and Semi-Arid Lands of Kenya. Recognising the need to address the longer-term, structural issues that turn droughts into emergencies, CACH effectively applies the principle of Linking Relief, Rehabilitation and Development (LRRD). To follow up on the achievements of these interventions CACH Kenya Country Programme (2013-2016) was developed with Water, Sanitation and Hygiene, Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction as well as Humanitarian Aid as its fields of activity.

Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH)
Access to water and basic sanitation are human rights and as such reflected in Kenya's 2010 constitution. Each project is for us a commitment of partnership with governmental institutions and communities. We combine the promotion of hygiene and sanitation with the provision of water and sanitation facilities and strengthen mechanisms that will ensure the sustainability of infrastructures. We choose locally appropriate solutions in consultation with communities. All of our WASH interventions are in line with regulatory frameworks. A thorough assessment of the water sector was carried out in 2015 (see PDF here) We influence sector policies through our engagement in technical working groups, for example as co-chair for WASH in Schools. Our methodologies and approaches are regularly evaluated and adapted through evidence-based research results and good practises. For all of this we work closely with the WASH Unit.

In Marsabit County, Northern Kenya, Caritas Switzerland has, together with communities, constructed three rock catchment systems. In this region, there are no permanent rivers and the dry seasons can get severe. Moreover, not all groundwater sources are suitable for human consumption and people often rely on scarce and mostly unprotected water sources. Only about 35% of the population have access to safe water.

The rock catchments collect rainwater from large bare rock surfaces before it gets channelled to storage tanks. The three systems serve 3,500 people and can store a total of 2.34 million litres of water per rainy season. This covers for approximately three months of human water consumption.

Climate Change and Disaster Risk Reduction
Our interventions are built on the three components Climate Change Mitigation, Climate Change Adaptation and Disaster Risk Reduction. We aim at enhancing the resilience of the most vulnerable people to climate risks through community-led hazard and vulnerability assessments while promoting measures that strengthen local institutions for action. We value and endeavour to apply integrated approaches that foster communities' climate adaptive capacities, disaster preparedness, recovery and rehabilitation. We actively participate in networks and working groups in the country.

Humanitarian Aid
CACH has been responding to crisis in Kenya from 2008 when the country experienced the Post Election Violence crisis. The biggest engagement has been the response to the 2011 drought during which we responded with projects in seven counties including the world's largest refugee camp in Dadaab. Interventions have mostly focussed on our core strength of Water, Hygiene and Sanitation but included support for school children's feeding programmes as well as the supply of urgently needed non-food items and fodder for livestock.