CRS in Nigeria

Nigeria is the most populous country in Africa, with approximately 211 million people. About 70% of the population is under 30 years of age, and 42% are under the age of 15. Despite being categorized as a lower-middle-income economy, Nigeria faces numerous socio-economic challenges, including poverty, insecurity, access to health, unemployment, and inadequate basic infrastructure.

In line with the Agency strategy for 2030, CRS has been working closely with Catholic Church partners, other faith-based and community-based organizations, the private sector, local and international non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and government institutions to implement a range of programs in Nigeria.

CRS has worked in 35 of Nigeria’s 36 States and the Federal Capital Territory with an extensive grassroots network and tremendous capacity to reach the rural poor. In 2023, the organization was able to reach approximately 55.3 million people in 27 states in Nigeria, with much-needed assistance across all its key programming areas.

As of 2024, programming is currently ongoing in 25 states across nine projects.

Health Systems Strengthening

Global Fund Malaria Grant

CRS is a lead partner on the Global Fund Malaria grant alongside the Nigerian government’s National Malaria Elimination Program. Since 2011, CRS Nigeria has addressed malaria prevention and case management at the household, community, and health facility levels through long-lasting insecticidal net distributions, access to diagnostic and treatment services, preventive treatment in pregnancy, and seasonal malaria chemoprevention for children under age five. 

CRS has distributed over 75 million long-lasting insecticidal nets using information and communications technology for development tools for efficiency. Teams have tested and treated over 3.5 million people for malaria.

Photo by Michael Stulman/CRS

The goal, alongside the National Malaria Elimination Program, is to reduce mortality attributed to malaria from 300 deaths to less than 50 deaths per 1,000 livebirths by 2025. Implementation is in 11 States (including Kano, Yobe, Kaduna, Adamawa, Jigawa, Taraba, Katsina, Niger, Ogun, Osun, Delta) with partners such as Management Sciences for Health, Society for Family Health, and Malaria Consortium, with the Civil Society in Malaria Control, Immunization and Nutrition (ACOMIN) as community-led monitoring service provider.

CRS will support the National Malaria Elimination Program to strengthen the capacity of States to increasingly take on implementation of identified grant activities over the implementation period.

Learn More About CRS’ Global Malaria Eradication Program

Integrated Child Health and Social Services Award (ICHSSA) Lot 1

This project focuses on strengthening the social services workforce, standardizing training curricula, and enhancing linkages between social services and HIV services. It is implemented by Center for Clinical Care and Clinical Research - Nigeria with CRS as a sub-recipient. Project staff guide community leaders and groups to address stigma, discrimination, and gender issues related to HIV/AIDS. CRS ensures program quality through monitoring, evaluation, and learning, while supporting households to start and sustain an income generating activity. The project partners with 15 local civil society organizations across 54 local government areas in Akwa-Ibom, Cross River, and Bayelsa States to provide comprehensive services to orphans and vulnerable children.

Photo by Michael Stulman/CRS

Funded by the United States Government through the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), the Integrated Child Health and Social Services Award project aims to ensure that at least 95% of children and their caregivers know their HIV status, strengthen linkages between social services in communities and HIV services in health facilities, and ensure HIV-positive children are placed on treatment, retained in care, and adhere to treatment. The goal is to ensure that orphans and vulnerable children are cared for and protected by their households, communities, and local and state governments to reduce their vulnerability to HIV.

Integrated Child Health and Social Services Award (ICHSSA) Lot 4

This project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), seeks to improve the well-being of more than 115,000 orphans and vulnerable children and their caregivers by reducing the impact of HIV/AIDS and other vulnerabilities through sustainable, integrated, and comprehensive quality service delivery.

This project, funded by the USAID, seeks to improve the well-being of more than 115,000 orphans and vulnerable children and their caregivers by reducing the impact of HIV/AIDS and other vulnerabilities through sustainable, integrated, and comprehensive quality service delivery.

The project is implemented by Pro-Health International with Catholic Relief Services as a sub-recipient.

The project delivers inclusive, need-based, HIV-sensitive, and age-appropriate services through evidence-based approaches in four thematic areas, namely:

• Households have increased access to basic services and care for orphans and vulnerable children.
• Communities ensure that orphans and vulnerable children secure their rights.
• Local and State governments deliver basic services and detect and respond to child rights violations.
• Prioritized targeted services for specific orphans and vulnerable children including HIV-exposed infants, children living with HIV, children of adult persons living with HIV, children of adults living with or at risk of HIV, sexual violence against children survivors and adolescents (9-14 years) living in high HIV-prevalent areas or at high risk of contracting HIV.

It is implemented through a partnership with civil society organizations who receive sub-grants to support capacity strengthening and program implementation at the community level in Adamawa, Bauchi, Taraba, Kebbi, Zamfara, and Sokoto States. The project strengthens Nigeria’s orphans and vulnerable children response by strengthening the organizational systems and technical capacity of the State Ministries of Women Affairs and Social Development and Social Welfare Department of targeted local government areas, in their coordination with other ministries and networks. The goal is to promote local ownership of social services and HIV interventions, aligning with PEPFAR vision for an AIDS-free generation by 2030

Photo by Michael Stulman/CRS

Accelerated Control of HIV Epidemic and Sustainability Solution (ACCESS) Project 2

The Accelerated Control of HIV Epidemic and Sustainability Solution project is a five-year PEPFAR funded comprehensive HIV care, treatment, prevention, and support program, implemented across Abia, Enugu, and Imo States in Nigeria. Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria is the lead implementing partner on the project, supported by CRS. The project, which began in October 2022, is aimed at strengthening HIV services efficiently and sustainably through effective Government of Nigeria and inter-agency collaborations, leveraging resources to ensure cost-effective interventions and minimize duplication of efforts.

The ACCESs project uses innovative strategies to identify HIV cases, strengthen linkages between the community and health facilities towards improving retention in care for persons living with HIV. CRS provides technical support to the Nigerian Government and civil society groups to increase their capacity to manage and sustain HIV programs.

Learn More About CRS’ Global HIV Program

Core Group Partners Project (CGPP)

The Core Group Partners project launched polio eradication activities in Nigeria in late 2013. It is a multi-partner project with World Vision as the prime recipient, funded by USAID Washington DC and Nigeria mission. The Core Group Partners project operates in eight countries, including India, Angola, Ethiopia, South Sudan, Kenya, Somalia, Nigeria and Niger. It provides financial and technical support to boost Nigeria’s polio eradication and immunization systems strengthening efforts, inclusive of COVID-19 vaccination increase and community-based surveillance for zoonotic diseases.

Photo by David Snyder/For CRS

In Nigeria, the Core Group Partners project works with a consortium of partners including International Medical Corps in Borno and Kano States, Catholic Relief Services in Yobe and Kaduna States and Save the Children International in Katsina State. Through the support of local partners and community volunteers, CRS is supporting community access to oral polio vaccination, mass campaign for zoonotic vaccinations and social behavior change communication for routine immunization.

Transitioning Households to Recovery from Vulnerability (THRIVE)

THRIVE is a two-year program funded by USAID's Bureau for Humanitarian Assistance to provide context-specific humanitarian assistance with the goal of initiating early recovery in Jere local government area of Borno state.

Photo by Femi Philemon for CRS

The THRIVE project works to deliver a multi-sectoral, integrated and coordinated response, informed by participants, to address the multi-faceted needs and aspirations of 120,000 vulnerable people. THRIVE’s area-based approach advances participants from lifesaving assistance to life-building support, through multi-sectoral support including food assistance, nutrition, livelihoods, agriculture, shelter and settlements, protection mainstreaming, Economic recovery and market systems and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).

THRIVE is being implemented as a consortium by the Catholic Relief Services, Mercy Corps, Women in the New Nigeria, Salient Humanitarian Organization, and Justice, Development and Peace Committee, from May 2022 to December 2024.

Helping families recover from conflict in Borno State

Emergency Response and Recovery

The Improved Access to Lifesaving Emergency Response, Recovery and Timely Support Project (Improved ALERTS)

Improved ALERTS is a one-year emergency assistance project funded by USAID Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance. The project is supporting more than 60,000 people living in Magumeri, Kaga and Gubio local government areas in Borno State affected by crisis with humanitarian assistance. This includes vulnerable host community households, new arrivals, recent returnees, as well as Internally Displaced Persons living in host communities who have not received assistance since their arrival in the community.

The participants receive monthly assistance through electronic vouchers that provide them with food supplies for eight months, in addition to essential preventive and curative nutrition services. Through a livelihood intervention, they are taught household gardening and planting to supplement their food supply and engage in small-holder agriculture. They also receive access to safe water, basic sanitation facilities and supplies to meet their needs, supported by sensitization on the knowledge and practice of good hygiene and sanitation.

Improved ALERTS is being implemented by the CRS in partnership with Justice, Development and Peace Commission and North East Youth Initiative for Development.

Photo by Dorathy Okaba for CRS

Food Security and Nutrition Response Project

The Food Security and Nutrition Response Project, also known as Kyautata Rayuwa, is a 16-month project funded by The Latter-day Saints Charities of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The project is working to increase food security and nutrition for more than 25,000 vulnerable people, including those who have been internally displaced, returnees, host households, and other vulnerable groups through emergency food assistance, and nutrition. The project duration is from July 2023 to October 2024, with implementation in Wurno and Wamakko local government areas of Sokoto State.

Photo by Moses Friday for CRS

CRS is working closely with the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto through The Bakhita Initiative to ensure that most vulnerable crisis-affected families have increased access to life-saving nutrition services and food assistance through the following key strategies:

• Community-based identification, treatment, and prevention of malnutrition in children under five years.
• Food assistance to more than 25,000 people, including internally displaced families, returnees, and host communities for nine months with a scale-up during the lean season.
• Improved knowledge and behavior-enabling social support for optimal Maternal, Infant and Young Child Nutrition practices for pregnant and lactating women and children under five.
• Supplemental nutrition assistance with fresh food commodities for pregnant and lactating women and children under five.
• Safe and dignified programming through protection mainstreaming.

Stabilization and Reconciliation in the Lake Chad Region (STaR) Project 2

The STaR project is a KFW Development Bank funded project, contributing to the recovery and building the resilience of vulnerable populations affected by the protracted conflict in the Lake Chad Basin. Supporting 59,000 people in 90 communities, the project is improving access to basic services such as water, health, markets, roads, and education, while also expanding livelihood opportunities by providing agricultural inputs and opportunities for temporary employment through cash-for-work activities.

Photo by Auwal S. Wobkenso/JDPC for CRS

The project is also strengthening social cohesion between host communities and displaced populations while strengthening governance at local government and community levels through joint local economic development, disaster risk reduction, and conflict mitigation. The project works across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus to support vulnerable individuals, especially youth and women, and communities affected by the crisis, including Internally displaced persons, refugees, host communities, and returnees. This is done through integrated, sequenced, and layered approach that strengthens resilience and social ties among families and communities, restores livelihood opportunities and infrastructure, and reinforces the local government's ability to respond to the needs of its citizens.

Agriculture, Livelihoods, and Resilience

Bridging Access to Water for Agriculture in Nigeria

Building and Economically Sustainable and Integrated Cassava Seed System (BASICS II)

The BASICS II project is a five-year Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation-funded project implemented by the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture and its partners from May 2020 to May 2025. CRS is implementing the development of commercial seed entrepreneur component of the project in Kogi and Benue States.

The project aims to transform the cassava seed sector by promoting the dissemination of improved varieties, thereby creating a community of seed entrepreneurs across the cassava value chain. The project is nurturing the development of sustainable early generation seed systems through public-private partnerships and linking these seed systems to networks of entrepreneurs and processors that are ready to multiply, distribute, and sell clean planting materials (seeds) of new and improved varieties emanating from linked breeding systems. The project is working to ensure that at least 300 cassava seed entrepreneurs are strengthened in Nigeria, while they increase in average size and aggregate into associations with at least 30% being female led.

Photo by Sam Phelps/CRS

Under the development of cassava seed entrepreneur component of the project, CRS is working with cassava seed entrepreneurs to double the number of decentralized, commercially viable seed enterprises in Nigeria, while also helping entrepreneurs to expand and establish associations to facilitate marketing, quality control, and other services.

Local Partners

• Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria
• Center for Clinical Care and Clinical Research Nigeria
• Civil Society in Malaria Control, Immunization and Nutrition (ACOMIN)
• International Institute of Tropical Agriculture
• Justice, Development and Peace Commission
• Malaria Consortium
• Management Sciences for Health
• Mercy Corps Nigeria
• National Malaria Elimination Program
• North East Youth Initiative for Development
• Pro-Health International
• Society for Family Health

CRS' History in Nigeria

CRS has worked in Nigeria for more than 30 years, providing development and relief support. CRS came to Nigeria in 1960 to provide humanitarian assistance in collaboration with the Catholic Church but left the country alongside other NGOs in 1970 after the civil war. In the late 1990s, the organization started outreach projects in Nigeria with the Catholic Church and opened an office there in 1999 to support peace and justice efforts.

Since then, the organization’s work has extended to include intervention across its current three priority areas: Health Systems Strengthening, Emergency Response and Recovery, Agriculture, Livelihoods, and Resilience.

CRS supports households, communities, and farmer groups to increase agricultural production and diversify incomes. In Nigeria, our health programming focuses on HIV/AIDS, malaria, nutrition, routine immunization, polio eradication, and support for orphans and vulnerable children and their caregivers. In response to the humanitarian needs in Northern Nigeria, CRS provides life-saving food, shelter, water, sanitation, and hygiene resources and services to internally displaced persons, returnees, and host communities affected by conflict.