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St. Martin-CSA is a religious grass root organisation, registered as a trust, which has been started in response to the problems of several vulnerable groups of people in the communities, who seemed to have been neglected and forgotten. The organisation does not directly target the beneficiaries. But instead, it aims to promote solidarity in the community by building a capacity of volunteers that can take care of the needy among them.
Staff Saint Martin
The work of St. Martin-CSA, in fact, is done through a network of more than 1000 community volunteers who are recruited from different communities. They undergo a process of spiritual and technical formation so that they are empowered to make real changes in the lives of the beneficiaries. They also learn how to involve other people in the community.

A second group of 91 volunteers work at the management level of the organisation, the volunteer committee members. They sit in committees and direct the activities of the different programmes. St. Martin believes that involving the community can only effectively be done if the same community is involved at the planning and decision making level.

The precious work of the volunteers is supported by a team of about 90 staff members.

The work in St. Martin CSA has been organised in individual programmes that complement each other, which are:

Community Programme for People living with Disabilities: This programme aims at building a  capacity of volunteers within the community. These volunteers help in reducing the incidences of disabilities and improving the living conditions of people with disabilities. The programme has two departments: physiotherapy and social rehabilitation, that support the work of the volunteers. The departments reach 22 outstations within the community.

Community Programme for Street and Needy Children: This programme aims at building a capacity of volunteers in the community which can prevent children from going to the streets.  The programme also has three centres for the rehabilitation of street children and rescue of children in need of care and protection.  After rehabilitation, these children are re-integrated back into the community, either with their parents, other relatives , foster parents or host families.

Community Programme for Active Non-Violence and Human Rights: This programme aims to empower the community to reduce incidences of violence and address human rights violations.  This is done through training, counselling and a legal help-desk called “Bega kwa Bega.” (Which means “shoulder to shoulder”)

Community Programme for HIV/AIDS, Alcohol and Drugs abuse: This programme aims at building the capacity of volunteers in the community that can manage HIV/AIDS and improve the socio-economic status of those infected and affected in the target area.  This is done through sensitization, counselling, home-based care and assistance to orphans.

Community Programme for Savings and Micro-Credit: This programme aims at socially and economically empowering beneficiaries of other St. Martin programmes by providing entrepreneur skills as well as savings and credit facilities.

Talitha Kum Children’s Home
The home aims at increasing community capacity to care and support HIV positive children. This is done by providing shelter to abandoned and desperate HIV positive children in the Home. The community actively participates by volunteering resources, human and material and celebrating life with the children.

Relief and Emergencies
This programme responds to natural disasters and emergencies in times of clear need by implementing relief projects as well as by empowering survivors to become self-reliant.

The work of the programmes is complemented by the following departments:

Logistical: Secretariat, Finance, Assets and Properties, Security, Transport.
Support: Training and Facilitation, Public Relations, Human Resource, Community Mobilization.