Kenya

Kenya faces a reproductive health care crisis caused by two converging trends—increased demands for care due to a young population and the HIV epidemic. And after decades of improvement, child mortality rates are worsening. Fundamental changes in how Kenyans receive health care are needed.

EngenderHealth’s work in Kenya dates to 1982 and has expanded through the years in response to evolving needs. Initially, our family planning programs focused on training doctors in safer, more client-centered surgical sterilization and counseling styles. Today, EngenderHealth’s breadth of work includes maternal health care, HIV prevention, child survival initiatives, and more.

Improving Comprehensive Health Care in Nyanza
Nyanza province has Kenya’s highest HIV and infant and child mortality rates—as well as the highest number of people who want to practice family planning but lack access to contraception. Through the APHIA II Nyanza Project, EngenderHealth and its partners:

• Expand HIV, malaria, and tuberculosis services
• Increase access to family planning
• Improve reproductive health, maternal health, and child survival

Taking a holistic approach, EngenderHealth works with the Kenyan government and local faith- and community-based groups to:

• Enhance the quality of health services
• Raise awareness of and promote healthier behaviors
• Reduce the stigma associated with HIV
• Improve home and community support for vulnerable children

In addition, recent research suggests that male circumcision reduces the risk of female to male HIV transmission by more than 50%, which is an important strategy for decreasing HIV in Nyanza. EngenderHealth is advancing voluntary male circumcision in the region and promoting its integration with other health services, making it more accessible to local men.

Reducing HIV Infections through Male Circumcision
EngenderHealth is also improving the quality of and access to male circumcision services in Kenya through the Male Circumcision Consortium. Launched by EngenderHealth, Family Health International, and the University of Illinois at Chicago in November 2008, the Consortium works to expand voluntary medical circumcision services in Kenya as part of an overall strategy to reduce HIV infections in men.

Boosting Postabortion Care Services
Through the RESPOND Project, EngenderHealth is scaling up a successful effort to improve postabortion care services that was piloted in Nakuru, Kenya. This model emphasizes community engagement to improve maternal health and also involves:

• Training health care professionals in comprehensive postabortion care
• Equipping health facilities
• Training supervisors
• Developing communications materials to educate communities about the availability of health services