Our Mission is to demonstrate GRACE to impoverished peoples

• EMPOWER participants to fulfill their God-given potential

• SUSTAIN that potential by training and equipping

• TRANSFORM character and community from one of despair and survival to hope and productivity

background

Caris Kenya targets young single mothers who are marginalized and live in poverty in the Malindi, Kenya area. We began with 60 desperate single mothers in 2008. Our youngest participant became pregnant when she was eleven and our oldest had seven children by age 24. We now have 5,000 participants in Caris Kenya women’s programs, with 20,000 beneficiaries.

FAITH, HOPE and LOVE

True transformation takes place when character and world view are changed. So our approach is holistic and not only aims to change poverty results and behavior but also aims to refocus the mindset and worldview that causes continued poverty. This begins by imparting faith, hope and love.  

• FAITH is belief that moves one from fatalism to action that opens up the future to positive change.   
• HOPE delivers from despair of daily survival and transforms to a sustainable lifestyle which adequately provides for the mothers and their children.
• LOVE produces acceptance, forgiveness and reconciliation which are necessary to become a healthy person contributing to the community and heals one from rejection and marginalization.

We empower our participants through:

• Self-sustainable economic welfare utilizing money management training and income generating projects.
• Physical, emotional and spiritual wellness by training in health, hygiene, nutrition, offering counseling and mentoring spiritual formation.   
• Stewardship skills equipping them to manage their own resources including money, land, time and talent. 
• Service to their communities by training them to become change agents who lead and facilitate solutions to community concerns and problems.  

Sidi Kitsao

COMMUNITY LEADERSHIP

Sidi is an orphan and was widowed at a very early age of 24 years – left with twins. She almost lost her life in the hands of a traditional birth attendant during child bearing of the second set of twins. She survived with one of the babies.

Through micro finance training she was empowered to mobilize her community and formed 14 groups with a total membership of about 145 members. She is now a respected leader in her community, giving hope to many and currently earns $105 per month.

We promote economic sustainability

• EQUIPPING in small business skills
• FACILITATING small group savings and loans
• PROVIDING trades training
• PROMOTING food security by agriculture training
• ENCOURAGING income generating projects
• PROMOTING health care practices

Saumu Ramadhan

learned independence

Saumu was an orphan with one child, unemployed, with no skills and struggling with life, solely depending on her grandmother who is a traditional medicine woman.

At the time of her son’s birth, she had only one piece of tattered cloth which she used as a diaper and had to refold the same to get drier sections for wrapping the baby before it became too wet for continued use.

Currently Saumu is earning her living through the skills received, able to educate her son.

Dama Thoya

self reliance accomplished

Dama Thoya is now a self-reliant single mom who facilitates transformation in her community. She was illiterate, had no business skills, had medical complications and was under threats of losing her piece of land which she paid for partly and was unable to raise the balance to complete the payment.

Caris has empowered her with literacy skills and she is able to interpret her group reports. She started and leads three other groups on her own with coaching from the Caris staff.

We facilitate transformation of both the individual and community

• Belief in a holistic approach that ministers to the whole person  
• Build trust, honesty and respect for one another through weekly small group meetings   
• Provide literacy and knowledge programs which impart vital information and understanding 
• Impart faith in God by promoting the reading and study of holy scripture
• Train leaders to become change agents in their communities by facilitating more small groups and sharing their knowledge and skills   
• Communities are productive and individuals prosper 

As of the year ending 2018:

• We have 5,000 in the women’s empowerment program.

• 300 groups that meet weekly where they pray for each other, encourage one another, contribute to the savings and loan program and monitor the loans, and make plans concerning community needs.

• Total loans given out to date is $315,000 from their own capital.

• 300 women trained to read and write and do basic math and record keeping.

• 472 women trained in agriculture for food security, livestock production and cash crop farming.

• 1,330 women trained in business, 933 women with functional business.

• 2,000 in the youth program.

• 20,000 indirect beneficiceries.

The $1000 Cow   

Neema Karisa illustrates the effect of the empowerment program. She took a loan from her microfinance group to purchase calves and goats and raised them for market. Her goal was to start a dairy business so she took another loan and along with her profits purchased a registered Holstein cow worth $1000. Since then the cow has given birth and produces 11.5 liters of milk per day from which Neema is earning more income. Her name, Neema, means grace. She named the cow Rehema, meaning mercy. 

Grace has been demonstrated.