Our Identity
WHAT WE WANT TO ACHIEVE
CIVS Kenya is a Community Development Organisation operating mainly in the marginalized and poverty-stricken rural areas of Kenya.
Its main aim is pursuing an integrated socio-economic and cultural development approach in the fight against poverty and social exclusion of Kenyan communities.
Our driving moto is “development by people”.
OUR STORY
CIVS Kenya began work back in 1997 as a non-profit agency with the goal of helping poor communities fight poverty by offering innovative and competent support solutions. Our efforts are intended to stimulate self-development initiatives among the disadvantaged in the community, especially women and youth. In addition, it develops harmonious relations among people of different backgrounds and cultures, both local and international.
OUR SERVICES
CIVS Kenya operates in two main areas; International Voluntary Service, whereby we host International and Local Volunteers in our Volunteering Programs, and Community Development where we implement Projects through the establishment of Inclusive Resource Centers.
OUR VISION
CIVS is a leader in innovation in enterprising solutions for the needy.
OUR MISSION
CIVS exists to empower communities, organizations, and individuals to realize their full potential.
OUR CORE VALUES
Equality, Accountability, Professionalism, Commitment
MEET OUR TEAM
The CIVS Kenya team comprises employees and volunteers who are dedicated and passionate about supporting Volunteers and developing the communities.
MILESTONES
1997-2000
CIVS was registered in 1997 as a Kenya-Based non-profit agency.
Community leaders training on leadership skills, resource mobilization, and potential exploitation, design and management of community projects, and rights of community members including children.
Clients: Kenya Episcopal Conference – Catholic Secretariat, Women, and Gender program
Training of women and youth groups on small business start-ups and management.
Clients: CIVS supports women and youth groups in Kisumu, Machakos, Makueni and Kirinyaga
Supporting organizations to establish and run community banks – “Bengi Investment Group” (BIG).
Clients: Women Concern Kenya (WCK) of Garissa, kikozi of Lamu, Catholic Diocese of Homa Bay, and RECA of Kisumu.
Sustainable rehabilitation and reintegration of street children through the minimalist approach to microfinance and enterprise development as they relate to family level poverty alleviation as a strategy for street children rehabilitation.
Clients: Undugu Society of Kenya and UNESCO
Consultancy for a microfinance program in Kosovo, which is expected to benefit children, women and rural folk hence their rights are central to interventions.
CBO capacity assessment with a focus on children’s concerns.
Client: PLAN Eastern
Child-focused preparation of Community Development Plans in Nyanza, Kisumu, Kiambu, and Thika. Livelihood issues were tackled.
Client: PLAN Central
2001-2005
2006-2010
Designing a business development services program for Samburu District; assessing IGAs, conducting a feasibility study, holding stakeholders’ workshops, and conducting community and staff training on managing “Bengi Investment Group” (BIG) community banks and setting up of community banks in Lesirikan and Ngilai in Samburu District.
Clients: Samburu Aid in Africa (SAIDIA)
Setting up and building the capacity of regional capital funds (Community Banks), carrying out an appraisal, among slum dwellers in Kisumu, Nakuru, Nairobi, Athi River, and Mombasa.
Clients: Pamoja Trust, Slum Dwellers
Setting CIVS started its own Community Development Projects in Kano Plains supporting the orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) through increasing household incomes of the local people, many of them being caregivers to the high number of HIV/AIDS orphans in this area. For more information please visit the Capacity Building page on our website.
Development, implementation, and management of the Garissa Youth Project, a youth education project for 800 out-of-school youth.
Clients: USAID and EDC (Educational Development Center)
2011-2015
CIVS provided Emergency Food Relief and Livehood Support to over 1,500 drought-affected people in Ahero.
CIVS launched the Ahero Ressource Center – a One-Stop-Shop for the local community offering services in Microfinance, Capacity Building, Water & Sanitation as well as supporting school-going Orphans and Vulnerable Children and their caregivers.
2016-2020
CIVS launches an early childhood development kindergarten/School support program to promote children’s development in the field of cognitive, social, and physical learning. This program suppports poor families who are unable to provide their children with early childhood education. Located on the secure grounds of Ahero Ressource Center, CIVS offers free early childhood education to orphans and vulnearble children from the Ahero region.
CIVS together with its partners launches Ahero ICT Resource Centre aimed at empowering the rural youth and vulnerable in the community to have increased ICT acces, knowledge, and employability. The project aims at training 750 youths on entrepreneurship, community leadership, job hunting, the internet, and office skills by the year 2020.
CIVS together with its partners establishes Awach and Awasi Resource Centers aimed at empowering the rural youth and vulnerable in the Awach and Awasi areas. These are One-Stop-Shop fr the community offering services in Microfinance, Capacity Building, Water & Sanitation as well as supporting school-going Orphans and Vulnerable Children and their caregiver.
CIVS distributed food and non-food essentials to vulnerable communities in the Kano Plains to respond to the negative impact of Covid 19 pandemic wich among others, resulted to loss of jobs leading to economic constrain in various communities during nationwide lockdown.
The program had over 600 beneficiaries.
The deset locust invasion destroyed dozens of farm produce in Western Kenya. As an approach to reduce the effects of the epidemic and restore agriculture, CIVS Kenya distributed food items like rice and cowpeas seeds to the affected communities across Kano Plains. It also offered free training on the best farming practices of the crops.
It reached over 400 beneficiaries.
2021-2023
CIVS in collaboration with its partners initiated a project that promotes cassava as a value chain crop in Kisumu County with the aimed to economically empwer and train over 1250 stakeholders on best farming practice of the value chain crop to boost agriculture, agro-business and maximize food security among communities affected by drought and hunger in Kano Plains.
With an objective to maximize inclusivity especially among People Living with Disabilities in our pilot areas, CIVS with support of its partners initiated a disability facility which is up to satndards with basic available resources to accomodate and facilitate programs that are specially designed to engage the physically challenged in all matters revolving around community development. The project focuses on socio-economic empowerment of the marginalized group through various related mentorships and capacity building trainings with an aim to achieve a non-prejudice and active community engagement of all stakeholders.
CIVS Kenya together with its partner Hope for Children constructed and furnished a new modern class block at Kolunga Primary School to help improve access to education by the most needy children. The block includes two classes and a head-teacher’s office. The two-classroom block is currently accommodating 90 children and is fully furnished with lockers, chairs, white board etc These new classes has greatly boosted the academic score of Kolunga Primary School in readiness to offer the newly introduced CBC Curriculum System.
ABOUT US
The Center for International Voluntary Service (CIVS Kenya) is a Community Development Organization working with local marginalized communities in Kenya to support them in their development and fight poverty through volunteering and community development programs.
REACH US
- +254 722 210968
- info@civskenya.com
OUR LOCATION
- Mumias Road, Buruburu Business Center, Rubis Station Building P.O. Box 824 00515 Buruburu, Nairobi, Kenya.