Catholic Relief Services (CRS) is an International non-governmental organization supporting relief and development work in over 99 countries around the world. CRS programs assist persons on the basis of need, regardless of creed, ethnicity or nationality. CRS works through local church and non-church partners to implement its programs, therefore, strengthening and building the capacity of these partner organizations is fundamental to programs in every country in which CRS operates. CRS re-established presence in Nigeria in 2000 and currently focuses on agriculture, HIV and health extractives and governance, and peace building programming.

Catholic Relief Services began working in Nigeria in the 1960s and was active during the 1967 civil war in emergency response. After the war, the Nigerian government asked CRS and other international development agencies to leave the country. Thirty years later, with the return of democracy after years of military rule, CRS returned to Nigeria in 2000 at the invitation of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria. In partnership with the Catholic Church, other faith-based and community-based organizations, the private sector, local and international NGOs, and government institutions, CRS implements a range of complex programs with support from a variety of donors and private funds.

CRS works in three priority sectors: agriculture and livelihoods; health systems strengthening (HSS); and emergency response, recovery and resilience.  CRS Nigeria’s HSS programs address HIV/AIDS, malaria, nutrition, and routine immunization/ polio eradication, and have also provided support to orphans and vulnerable children and their caregivers. Under livelihoods, CRS supports households, communities and farmer groups to increase their agricultural production, acquire new skills, diversify their incomes and improve their economic resilience to shocks. In response to the northeast emergency, CRS provides emergency food; shelter; and water, sanitation and hygiene items to internally displaced persons and conflict-affected host communities.  CRS also launched an impact investing initiative to strengthen social enterprises and bolster sustainable, responsible economic growth in the country. CRS and its partners have worked in 32 of the country’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory with an extensive grassroots network and tremendous capacity to reach the rural poor.