CHAT— Organizational Background

CHAT’s Developments And Achievements

Nov 1999 - Mpala Community Trust (MCT, later CHAT) was founded for family planning in underserved communities, contributing to well-being and environmental conservation.
2000 - MCT initiates a monthly motor mobile strategy for integrated health services in Laikipia County.
2002 - MCT engages with 2 Community Own Resource Persons, starting a 5-year HIV/AIDS program alongside family planning with Global Fund support. Partnership with the Ministry of Health initiated.
2003 MCT launches the first innovative camel mobile providing integrated health services in Laikipia.

2005 - Nomadic Communities Trust (NCT) founded to expand MCT model in underserved areas of northern Kenya.
2007 - ‘Communities Health Africa Trust' (CHAT) formed, starts amalgamation with MCT & NCT for reduced administrative costs.
2011 CHAT, with government partnerships, designs a family planning training curriculum, adopting a people health & environment (PHE) approach.
2012 - CHAT wins "Most Outstanding Health Market Innovation" Award in "Enhancing Processes" and "Mobile Health" categories from CHMI, supported by Gates Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, and UK Aid. Invited to represent northern pastoral communities of Kenya at the Diamond Jubilee celebrations for Queen Elizabeth II. CHAT initiates the GFTB project.

2014 -CHAT, partnering with the Government of Kenya and the Ministries of Environment and Health, designs a family planning curriculum integrating ecological awareness for a holistic PHE approach.
2015 -CHAT initiates advocacy at the County level.
2017 -CHAT secures its highest funding to then, with an annual budget of USD $ 400,000, a ten-fold increase from 2000, including grants from The Nature Conservancy (TNC) and USAID through AMREF.

2018 -CHAT serves 130,000+ individuals with family planning using their PHE approach, providing accessible contraception 50,000+, the highest in a year. Staff: 13, active partnership with 32 CORPs, supporting family planning access and mobile health services in 7 ecosystems.
2019 -CHAT updates 5-year Strategic Plan with Maliasili. CHAT transferred the management of the Mpala Ranch staff clinic to the Mpala Research Centre. CHAT continue initiating and capacity-building for Village Development Committees (VDCs).
2020 -CHAT responds to COVID-19, sensitising communities door-to-door with an effective back-pack strategy. CHAT reaches 12 ecosystems in 16 counties.

2021 -CHAT, undeterred by COVID-19, implements activities focusing on integrated family planning services across 12 ecosystems in 17 counties (The Lake Victoria Basin was extended into HomaBay County).
2022 -CHAT scaled up to a new ecosystem – the Mount Elgon Ecosystem on the Uganda border. CHAT attends 2 international workshops in Tanzania and Germany to present CHAT strategies and learn about how Non-Violent Communication (NVC) can help mitigate gender-based violence.
2023 -CHAT reached into a new ecosystem – the Coast Ecosystem in Kilifi County thus reaching 14 ecosystems in 19 counties. CHAT completed their Impact Assesment field activities of data collection and commenced report compilation.
2024 -CHAT published the impact assesment report and did a base line survey for an extesion project in Samburu East conservancies, supported by TNC. CHAT updated their 5 year strategic plan.