Caritas Zambia strategic issues have been clustered around four main areas which also form Caritas Zambia programmes namely; Democracy and Governance, The Church and State, Economic and Social Accountability, and Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation. In addition, there is a fifth programme which provides support to all the other four programmes and is called Organisational Development.
1. Economic and Social Accountability Programme (ESAP)
The aim of this programme is to have the State that is transparent, accountable and responsive to people’s needs. The focus areas of ESAP are:
- Social Accountability: The emphasis in this area is on issues relating to monitoring of public finance management.
- Natural Resource Management: The focus is on transparency and accountability in the management of natural resources especially minerals in order to ensure that the citizens begin to benefit from the extraction of these resources
- Active Citizen Voice: The focus here is to build and strengthen citizen voices on key issues in the area of social accountability and natural resource management.
2. Democracy and Governance Programme (DGP)
The aim of this programme is to have a Zambian society which upholds tenets of democracy (promotes participation, rule of law, and respect of human rights). The DGP areas of focus are:
- Parliament: The focus is on promoting a parliament that enhances citizens’ engagement in its three functions of legislation, oversight and representation. Further, a mechanism to hold the MPs accountable and to assess their performance will be developed and implemented.
- Constitution Making Process: The focus is on advocating for policies and laws in the Constitution that protect and uphold the fundamental human rights and dignity of the human person. Further, the programme will work on the various subsidiary laws that will need to be changed following the enactment of a new constitution.
- Electoral process: The focus is on the promotion of a credible electoral process that ensures free and fair participation of various players in the electoral cycle
- Decentralization: The focus is on advocacy for the implementation of the National Decentralization Policy as well as civic education on the policy.
3. Livelihoods and Climate Change Adaptation Programme (LCCAP)
The aim of this programme is to have improved livelihoods (increased income, food security and nutrition). The LCCAP areas of focus are:
- Sustainable Agriculture: The focus is on the promotion of sustainable farming methods such as conservation and organic agriculture, promotion of farming as a business, improved access to irrigation water and technologies and promotion of pro poor agriculture policies.
- Climate Change Adaptation: The focus is on promoting Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate change adaptation strategies in all the 11 dioceses.
- Alternative Livelihoods: This area will continue to focus on the promotion of entrepreneurship skills development and income generating activities among diocesan animators.
4. The Church and Society Programme (CSP)
The aim of this programme is to have a Church that influences the State to fulfill its responsibility to eradicate poverty, respect human rights and uphold the rule of law for all. The CSP areas of focus are:
- Formation (Training for Transformation and Justice and Peace Formation): The focus is on strengthening Caritas Structures and Social Ministries at all levels of the Catholic Church so that pastoral agents are able to execute their mandate effectively.
- Access to Justice: The focus is on empowering the Justice and Peace and Development Commissions with skills and knowledge to support citizens to access justice and claim their rights.
- Active Church Leaders’ Voice on Social Justice: Church leaders will be supported to speak out on social justice issues and hold the state to account for all its decisions and actions.
5. Organisation Development Programme (ODP)
The aim of this programme is to have Caritas Zambia’s organisational capacity and sustainability is increased’. The focus areas of ODP are:
- Organisational Strengthening: The focus is on improving the operations of Caritas Zambia as well as providing support to diocesan Caritases/ Social Ministries in order for them to improve their organisational capacities.
- Knowledge Management: This focus area seeks to ensure full publicity of all the information and knowledge generated by Caritas Zambia and the diocese.
- Finance Management: The focus is on managing all the financial resources of the organisation and ensuring that there is prudence use of the resources.
