1. 1
World Vision Kenya
Program Strategy
2016-2020
World Vision in Kenya
World Vision
World Vision Kenya (WVK) is a Christian
humanitarian, development, and advocacy
organization dedicated to helping children, families,
and their communities reach their full potential by
tackling the root causes of poverty and injustice.
The organization has been working in Kenya since
1974, is locally registered with a Kenyan oversight
Board, and currently works in 35 of the 47
counties in Kenya and implements projects through
55 area development programmes (ADPs) which
provide a long-term entry point in delivering
community driven programmes. We have physical
and operational
presence in all ADPs.
Our projects
currently impact
approximately 3
million Kenyans,
including clients for
VisionFund Kenya
(VFK), the
microfinance wing of
WVK. In fiscal year
2014, WVK’s budget
stood at US$89
million, and the
number of staff
across the country is
approximately 1,300
(all Kenyans except
three expatriates). WVK won the Millennium
Development Goals Lifetime Achievement Award
in 2013, which was given by the Millennium
Development Goals (MDGs) Trust Fund in Kenya
for sustainable programs that directly contribute to
the realization of the MDGs.
Kenyan Context
Currently, poverty affects 45.2 percent of the
population, which is also affected by high illiteracy
rates (more than 50 percent). Over 10 million
people are chronically food insecure and the youth
population is largely unemployed. There is rising
insecurity in urban, rural, and border settings, and
child abuse and violence is prevalent. Children are
being forced to work (as high as 32.5 percent), and
gender-based violence is affecting households
across the country. Children are malnourished,
with stunting, wasting, and underweight
characterising their development, especially in
marginalised places. Children are also not
developing as they should early on in life, with 69
percent not enrolled in early childhood
development programmes. Families and
communities currently have low access to water
and proper sanitation services and practice poor
hygiene, and 52 of 1000 births result in mortality.
However, there are key opportunities for positive
development in Kenya. It has a robust growing
economy, with a vibrant constitution that has
devolved decision making to the local level. The
devolution process, if done right, has the potential
to increase employment, improve national
economic growth, provide greater service delivery,
develop marginalised/ underdeveloped areas, and
make the distribution of resources more equitable.
Agriculture in Kenya dominates the economy, and
farming is the most important economic sector.
Kenya is a leading producer of tea and coffee, as
well as the third leading exporter of fresh produce.
Tourism is another main growth industry in Kenya,
as well as the manufacturing and ICT industries.
Kenya is mostly involved in the export of raw
products but is now working towards keeping
more of the added-value processes in the country.
World Vision has been in
Kenya since 1974
We work in 35 of 47
counties
55 program areas impact
3 million Kenyans
In FY14 we had a US$89
million budget and 1,300
staff

2. 2
Mission and Vision
World Vision Kenya works towards transforming
communities where the well-being of most
vulnerable children is realized, sustained, and
cherished.
With a focus on children, we design our
interventions to empower the immediate
household, we strengthen local institutions
including government, churches, and community-
based organisations/groups, and we enable
communities to advocate for their rights at the
national and county levels. Our programming ethos
include providing better access to information for
improved decision making and civic participation,
capacity building in leadership and governance,
inclusive partnerships, and economic
empowerment for youth, households, and
sustainable community projects.
WVK is committed to the most vulnerable and
doing no harm in our approach to development.
With this in mind, we mainstream peace building
and conflict resolution into our project design and
ensure considerations of gender differences and
access for those with differing abilities. We use an
empowerment approach ensuring both demand
and supply sides recognise their roles and
responsibilities in sustainable development. Finally,
we ensure that we place the needs of people first
and foremost in our relationship with them and
how we represent them externally.
Strategic Goal
By 2020, World Vision Kenya will contribute to increased protection, participation, and well-being of 2.6
million most vulnerable children and 14 million overall through advocacy and policy influence.
Strategic Objectives (Ministry and organizational effectiveness objectives)
Child Well-being Perspective
WVK’s first strategic objective is to improve
livelihoods and resilience for youth, households,
and communities for enhanced child well-being.
The sub objectives include:
 Enhance capacity of 242,500 households and
300,000 youth for economic empowerment
 Improve food production for nutrition and
market by 5 percent for 190,500 targeted
households
 Improve
conflict-sensitive
water and
environmental
management for
sustainable livelihood
for targeted 69,600
households
 Strengthen
intuitions and
communities in
disaster prone areas
to mitigate and
respond to
emergencies and other disasters
WVK’s second strategic objective is improved
protection, access to and quality education for
children. Three sub objectives:
 Strengthen capacity of households and
institutions to nurture and protect children
from abuse and all forms of violence
 Improve access to quality early childhood
development by 25 percent for children 4-5
 Improve literacy and numeracy skills by 25
percent among children aged 6-13 years
WVK’s third objective aims to improve the
health status for children and their families though
the following sub objectives:
 Improve households inclusive access to
sustainable drinking water supply for targeted
areas by 30 percent
 Improve households inclusive access to
sanitation facilities & hygiene practices in
targeted areas by 25 percent
 Strengthen capacity of health systems to
promote maternal and child health and
nutrition.
Strategic Objectives:
1. Improve livelihoods
and resilience
2. Improve child
protection and
education
3. Improve health
4. Improve organizational
effectiveness

3. World Vision Kenya | Program Strategy 2016-2020
3
WVK’s fourth objective focuses on
organisational effectiveness. We will maintain and
sustain our evidence-based quality programming,
motivate and engage staff for continuous
performance improvement, embed an employee
cost saving culture, and benefit from a distinctive
and diversified resource growth for programming.
Funding and Donor Perspective
WVK’s commitment to funders and supporters is
that we nurture a participatory approach to
partnership development, programme design,
implementation, and monitoring and evaluation.
We have effective and efficient management
policies and practices for financial management and
a robust M&E system. We mobilise local and
international resources to match contributions
from our donors, demonstrating a commitment to
our communities and our partners. We utilise and
embed innovation through ICT for development in
our programme design processes and operate an
effective internal control environment and
enterprise risk management.
Other Partners Perspective
WVK has formed strategic functional partnerships
at the local and national levels with government
ministries, departments, and agencies, as well as
with faith-based organisations, civil society, media,
and the private sector.
Partnership with WVK is built on principles and
practices of shared commitment between the
organisation, the people who work here, and those
interacting at different levels. This has produced
the following benefits:
 Change and impact implemented with
assistance rather than resistance
 Comparative advantages and associations
 Consistent learning environments
 Higher levels of staff retention
 Greater ability to recruit high quality staff
 Less conflict
 Better decision making