Carsterns is a Humanitarian, Community Managed Disaster Risk Management and Climate Change expert; Rural Development specialist; Facilitator and Trainer in Agriculture, Livelihoods, Spheres Standards, Strategic Planning and Development, Proposal Development, Result Based Management, Strength Based Approach, Writing and Project Reporting, Fundraising and Resource Mobilization and Project Management among others. He has experience in Networking with Government and other like-minded institutions.

Carsterns expertise was consolidated through his work with Caritas Africa as Regional Humanitarian Programme Officer; Caritas Malawi (CADECOM), Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP), Episcopal Conference of Malawi, Concern Universal (United Purpose) and DANIDA.

He has a wide understanding of humanitarian context in Malawi, Southern Africa and the rest of African countries having previously worked as Chairman for Caritas Africa Humanitarian Team for a period of 2 years as well as member of Caritas Internationalis Emergency Team in Rome providing policy direction and capacity building to confederation members. Currently Carsterns is working as Regional Humanitarian Programme

Officer for Caritas Malawi responsible for 46 countries.

He has relevant qualifications; he holds a Master’s Degree in Agriculture - Animal Science as well as Bachelor’s Degree in Agriculture with Credit.

Has over 15 years of expertise in designing, managing, implementing and evaluating social and developmental programmes which include Humanitarian; Community Managed Disaster Risk Reduction; Sustainable livelihoods; Climate Change and Climate Smart agriculture; Market systems and value chains development; Gender;

Disability; Rights based approach to development, Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights (SRHR) Policy, Safeguarding, advocacy and policy development among others.

Very skilled in project proposal formulation and so far has produced more than 30 funded proposals in Humanitarian/Emergency, Agriculture, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience and funded by the EU, USAID, WFP, FAO, Caritas Partners among others. He is very good in writing Emergency Appeals to Caritas Internationalis and is a trainer on the same.

He has been a mentor for trainees in proposal development participants for PRISMA providing coaching on log frame development and Project Cycle Management.