CARE's work in Africa

CARE International works in 24 countries across Africa, and has been based in the continent for more than 40 years.

CARE’s work focuses on the variety of challenges facing Africa, from soaring HIV and AIDS rates to under-resourced farming and shortages of food, to unstable governments and ongoing conflict.

Rising levels of poverty 

Overall, rising poverty levels – and the attempt to alleviate poverty – remain the biggest challenges throughout the continent.

Much of CARE’s work to tackle HIV and AIDS and its link to poverty focuses on what we call positive living – that is, prolonging the length of time and quality of life of those infected with HIV. Many of our programmes also involve supporting those living with HIV and AIDS to help others within the community. In addition, we convey messages about how to prevent HIV infection through peer education programmes.

Across east and central Africa, we address how conflict affects the position and treatment of women - particularly around the Great Lakes region, in countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda. CARE is also focused on raising awareness about health issues such as maternal mortality rates in Tanzania.

Good governance is another important issue in the region – and CARE is engaged in building a strong society of NGOs (non-governmental organisations) which hold their governments to account.

Responding to emergencies 

Across southern and west Africa, one of the biggest recent changes has been an increase in the number of countries facing emergencies. CARE is running programmes to address:

• the food crises in southern and west Africa where complex, multi-faceted emergencies with long-term causes are taking place
• the conflict-related emergency in Côte d’Ivoire
• and the post-conflict recoveries of Angola, Sierra Leone, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

- select a country - AngolaBeninBurundiCameroonChadCôte d'IvoireDRCEgyptEthiopiaEritreaGhanaLesothoKenyaMadagascarMalawiMaliMozambiqueNigerRwandaSierra LeoneSomaliaSouth AfricaSudanTanzaniaTogoUgandaZambiaZimbabwe