CHASE Africa is a growing UK-based international NGO working to support rural communities in East Africa. We are a UK based charity (registered with the Charity Commission as a CIO number: 1200992 and previously 1082958). We believe that improving the health of women and girls through addressing their Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights and making health services more accessible and acceptable, leads to healthier communities, which in turn contributes to healthier natural environments.

In parallel to its core health programmes, CHASE Africa also supports activities that aim to protect the environment by supporting community level activities to promote and improve sustainable management of natural resources, reduce land degradation and biodiversity loss. For rural communities that are heavily dependent on natural resources, this not only benefits ecosystems, but improves livelihoods and lives, especially of rural women and children who bear the burden of activities such as collecting water and firewood.

CHASE Africa currently supports 14 local partner organisations in East Africa to run community health programmes. Over the past 10 years, we have delivered 1.2 million healthcare services and over 550,000 rights-based family planning services to marginalised communities in Kenya and Uganda. We work entirely through local partners. These are organisations in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, already working with rural communities on a variety of activities. We provide financial, technical and capacity building support to our partners. We facilitate exchange visits between partners, organises webinars and hosts an annual CHASE Africa Partner Network Conference, where knowledge exchange and learning takes place – both across the network and by bringing in relevant external experts and practitioners to speak. The CHASE Africa partner network has become a powerful and valuable forum for sharing best practices and experience. We aim to strengthen this network further by setting up a CHASE Africa entity in Kenya that can further support partners and advocate collectively on their behalf.

CHASE Africa has a small team of 8 staff, based in north Somerset. It is going through an exciting period of transition and growth, with a new CEO in 2022, change of charitable structure to a CIO in 2023, ongoing review of governance structures and plans to set-up a CHASE Africa entity in East Africa in 2024. We have ambitious plans to increase our impact and income over the next 5 years. The team have developed excellent relationships with numerous trusts and foundations, high net-worth individuals and regular donors and have an excellent retention rate of existing funders.