CRS’ interests include the area of agriculture livelihoods, savings-led microfinance, health and nutrition, disaster risk reduction, water and sanitation as well as climate smart agriculture. CRS was founded in 1943 by the Catholic Bishops of the U.S. to assist the poor and disadvantaged overseas on the basis of need, regardless of creed, ethnicity or nationality. The agency is led by a Board of Directors of 21 men and women and includes both Bishops and lay members. CRS is one of the world’s largest private voluntary organizations, with a staff of 5,000 and programs in nearly 100 countries, reaching more than 100 million poor and vulnerable people worldwide in response to poverty, hunger, drought, disease, and emergencies. CRS works in close partnership with local, national, and international faith-based and secular organizations to meet immediate needs while empowering communities in the long term. CRS’ presence in Zimbabwe dates from 1989.