Country Profile

Welcome to Kenya and the CRWRC team working there!

CRWRC has been working in Kenya since 1983. Until recently, Kenya had endured a corrupt 24-year dictatorship under former President Daniel Arap Moi. In December 2002, President Mwai Kibaki took office in Kenya, initiated impressive economic reform programs, introduction of free primary school, anti-corruption among others reforms.

However, the reforms are threatened by constitutional making process, a challenge that has divided the nation on ethnic lines, systematic corruption practices especially in the public service, 40% of unemployment, drought threatening the lives of over 3 million people, HIV Aids and other diseases, etc. This is in addition to having inherited monumental budget deficits and debts from Moi’s corrupt reign, this country is still far from economic revival. These challenges and others continue to hold down this country.

Currently, CRWRC has two full-time staff members who facilitate programs in Kenya. Kenya is also home to CRWRC's HIV/AIDS coordinator for the East/South Africa region. By working alongside local organizations, CRWRC is helping to reduce poverty, increase health standards, train church leaders, and give community members opportunities to more effectively run their small businesses and farms. For a full list of partners and specific programs, see below.

Fast Facts

Population: 40,046,566 (July 2010 est.)
Area Comparative: Slightly more than twice the size of Nevada
Literacy Rate: 85.1%
Life Expectancy: 58.82 years
Population below the poverty line: 50% (2000 est.)
Gross Domestic Product per capita: $1,600 (2010 est.)
Religions: Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 33%, Muslim 10%, indigenous beliefs 10%, other 2% (note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous beliefs vary widely)
Languages: English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages

(From the CIA World Factbook.  Click here for more information.)

CRWRC PARTNERS IN KENYA

CRWRC Kenya is working with three partner agencies in community and church development.

Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK)

CRWRC works with the ACK in a variety of ways across the country.

Mount Kenya Christian Community Services (MKCCS):
MKCCS is the development arm of four ACK Dioceses in Mount Kenya Region in Central Kenya. The four ACK Dioceses agreed to run their community development program jointly as regionalized by the Anglican Church of Kenya. CRWRC has been working with MKCCS since 2001 and their strategic themes are food security, health and youth. Currently we are collaborating with this partner on managing and implementing community development/food security programs in several geographic areas through CIDA funding and a CRWRC funded HIV/AIDS program (called Embrace Aids) just north of Nairobi. We are also offering capacity building to them in the area of leadership/governance, monitoring and evaluation and financial management.

Pwani Christian Community Services (PCCS):
Pwani Christian Community Services (Pwani CCS) is the development arm of A.C.K. Mombasa and Taita Taveta dioceses. It was registered as a company limited by guarantee in 2003. CRWRC has been working with PCCS since 1999 and their strategic are Food Security, Health and Literacy/Education. Currently we are collaborating with this partner on managing and implementing community development/food security programs in Bamba/Ganze area through funding from Foods Resource Bank. We are also offering capacity building to them in the area of leadership/governance, monitoring and evaluation and financial management.

Reformed Church of East Africa (RCEA)

CRWRC partners with RCEA, working for community development in the following areas:

Agriculture: RCEA provides communities with training in new agricultural practices which are designed to increase food production and quality. In this way, families become self-sufficient while also producing excess to be sold at market. 

Leadership: RCEA trains church leaders in ways to more effectively serve their church and community members. 

HIV/AIDS awareness: RCEA trains volunteers, counselors and church leaders in HIV/AIDS awareness and sensitivity. They have also established a program which focuses on preventing mother-to-child transmission and have created a Bible-based curriculum for a number of local schools. 

Reformed Institute For Theological Training (RITT): This program is designed to form a faculty of Theology and Christian Education, to construct and equip a resource center, to enhance evangelism and community service, and to encourage congregational-based Bible learning and continuous education.

International Disaster Response

A commitment to communities extends to the times of crises, whether natural or human-caused, and CRWRC has provided relief to over 300,000 people in Kenya during the past five years. These disaster response interventions have been wide ranging and have included; shelter to IDPs displaced by violence, psycho-social care for those traumatized by post-election violence, food for those affected by droughts and goats to those restocking their herds after a disaster. In total CRWRC has programmed $9.2 million in disaster response funds in the past five years. The focus for disaster response programming for the last year has focused on the provision of food to drought affected households, particularly in Isiolo, Narok and Kajiado. In 2011 CRWRC will be continuing to provide support to drought affected pastoralist communities but will also be focusing on Southern Turkana and Mt Elgon.

CRWRC IN KENYA

CRWRC-Kenya
PO Box 66490
00800 Westlands
Nairobi, Kenya

Email:  crwrckenya@crwrc.net

CRWRC Office Physical/Courier Delivery Address:

CRWRC-Kenya
5th Floor
All Africa Conference of Churches Building
Wayiaki Way, Westlands
Nairobi, Kenya

Tel: 254-20-4445-828
Mobiles: 254-722-202062 / 254-734-445828

OTHER CRWRC STAFF STATIONED IN KENYA

Nema Aluku ~ HIV/AIDS Response Coordinator for Eastern and Southern Africa

Chris Shiundu ~ Disaster Response Coordinator

Catherine Ocholi ~ CRWRC-Kenya Finance & Administration

Andrew Nzimbi ~ Monitoring & Evaluation Coordinator