1: COMMUNITY SYSTEMS STRENGTHENING

Community Systems Strengthening is a national pilot project being implemented by ADS – Nyanza in Rangwe Sub County – Homa Bay County. The project is funded by the Global Fund through Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS) as the Principal Recipient. The project goal is to enhance community access to health care in order to improve productivity and thus reduce poverty, hunger, and child and maternal deaths, and improve education performance across all stages of the life cycle. The four specific objectives are: Strengthen the delivery of integrated, comprehensive, and quality community health services for all population cohorts. Strengthen community structures and systems for effective implementation of community health actions and services at all levels. Strengthen data demand and information use at all levels and Strengthen mechanisms for resource mobilization and management for sustainable implementation of community health services.

So far, the project trained 260 CHV’s from all the 26 Community units on Technical Module 12 which equiped them to integrate HIV, TB and Malaria in their routine monthly reporting into the DHIS, trained 286 Community Health Committees (CHC’s) using CHC training curricullum to competently provide governance of health sevices at community level. Trained 15 Community Based organizations within the sub county to enhance their community engagement skills for improved health outcomes. The CHV’s are further equiped with bicycles, CHV kits and benefit from the monthly stipend of KES. 2000. The Community units received Chalkboards to support community based health system. As a result, there is evidently improved reporting, cordinationof commmunity health services, regular community dialogues and health action days. The program is currently reaching a total of 3581 people living with HIV with Home and Community Based Care (HCBC) services.

2: INTEGRATED EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND DEVELOPMENT PROJECT

The project focuses on Child and Maternal Health and especially those infacted and affected by HIV. The children of focus are 0-6 years, pregnant and lactating mothers. The project is implemented in Migori and Homa Bay County (0-6years) and in Kisumu (0-3 years). The interventions in Migori focus on children in Pre-school, pre school teachers, PTA and school heads while in Homa Bay county, the focus is on HIV positive pregnant women through Mother to Mother Support Groups, children born of HIV positive mothers, pre school children, pre school teachers, PTA and primary school heads. On the other hand, in Kisumu, the focus is on children 0-3 years with emphasis on the 1st 1000 days, caregivers and the religious leaders.

The Objective is to support children grow and develope to their full potential. So far, 160 ECD centers with a population of 10,982 children are supported. 240 (38M:202F) ECD teachers are trained on play and learning materials development, 190(135M:55F) parents are trained on parenting skills, 8 M2M support groups are formed with a population of 608 mothers and 289 HIV Exposed children. In most recent graduation, a total of 120 children graduated. In Kisumu County, 33 ECD Promoters have been trained on Moments That Matter in the life of the child and equiped with bicycles to support mobility in household visitation. Church leaders have also been mobilized to support ECD Initiatives.

3: YOUTH SEXUAL REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS

Get Up Speak Out (GUSO) is a youth intervention geared towards creating and enabling environment for youth meaningful participation. The focus of the project is working with the religious leaders and policy makers to provide an enabling environment for youths and adolescents access to Sexual Reproductive Health and Rights information and services. The project is implemented in Kisumu, Homa Bay and Siaya Counties.

The rationale is that in Kenya, adolescents face severe challenges to their lives and general wellbeing. They are vulnerable to early and unintended pregnancy, unsafe abortion, Female Genital Mutilation – FGM, child marriages, Sexual gender based violence, malnutrition and reproductive tract infections including STI’s and HIV and AIDS. The voices of the young people are unheard due to hierarchical and conservative ideas about their autonomy and to make decisions1.

So far 49 (12F:37M) religious have been sensitized on youth SRHR, 49 religious leaders from Homa bay and Siaya Counties have signed an accord to support youth SRHR. 10936 youths have been accessed to SRHR information and 30 youth SRHR champions trained across the 3 counties of Kisumu, Siaya and Homa bay.

4: ADVOCACY AND SOCIAL JUSTICE

The Constitution of Kenya puts citizens participation on issues that pertains them as priority. Most of the citizens are however ignorant of the avenues created by the constitution to help them shape their lives by claiming their economic, social and cultural rights. These will be unlocked with specific interventions. Besides, the citizens are not yet proactive to meaningfully engage with the County government on key issues affecting them, neither are they aware of their responsibilities as rights-holders.

ADS – Nyanza has trained 17 advocacy groups in Siaya, Kisumu and Homa bay Counties on These are mixed groups of adults (men and women) and youths. The trainings focused on Advocacy itself and Social Accountability. The organization also trained a pool of Community paralegals to help reinforce advocacy and access to social justice efforts by the community. The results are impressive because community advocacy groups are already engaging with the various duty bearers to champion community needs.