Caritas Nyahururu is implementing CATAFS project in partnership with the FastenAktion as the funding partner under the Swiss Catholic Lenten Fund. Here in Kenya, the project is coordinated by Act for Change Trust who serve as the link partner between Caritas Nyahururu and FastenAktion. The project was established to address the challenges of food insecurity, indebtedness and insecurity emanating from resource based conflicts.

The project has since adopted solidarity groups approach to intervene through solidarity led agroecology and savings while peace committees mediate the resolution of resource based conflicts in the project areas. The project has been implemented since 2017 in phases. Two phases are complete which were implemented in the year 2017 to 2020 and the second phase in the year 2021 to 2023. The current phase runs from 2024 to end of year 2026 with the project’s goal as, “Small scale farmers of Mochongoi and Olmoran achieve food security and healthier diets”

Through the implementation of this program in the program areas, Caritas Nyahururu has been able to achieve the following:

· Solidarity-The project has managed to promote common actions among 130 solidarity groups evidenced by the social cohesion amongst the communities where socially weak’ members of the community are supported and uplifted.

The project has also introduced the social cohesion in six schools through the establishment of agro ecology clubs.

· Agro-ecology– Over 1800 households in the solidarity groups are practicing bio intensive kitchen garden, food forest and poultry and have been introduced to various components of agro-ecology at different levels.

Over 300 school children have also been trained on agro ecological practices and have established kitchen gardens in their school farms.

· Savings-There has been adoption of community based savings and lending approaches in over 100 solidarity groups enabling the farmers access low interest credit to ensure right to food, school fees, seeds and access to healthcare in the event of sickness.

· Peace Building– The project contributes to peacebuilding by fostering social cohesion amongst communities necessitating and actualizing resolution of resource-related conflicts in the communities, which helps in moulding resilient and peaceful integrations.

Four peace committees have been very instrumental in the resolution of these conflicts in collaboration with different stakeholders across the two project areas.