Women like Valentine have benefited from innovative interventions by Afya Uzazi to promote good nutrition for mothers and their babies. Although infant and young child nutrition has improved in Kenya, many children still suffer the effects of malnutrition, such as stunted growth and wasting. Breastfeeding gives babies a good start…

28th May, 2019 Girls from several schools participated in a health education event convened to commemorate Menstrual Hygiene Day at Tanyileel in Baringo North. The event marked under the global theme, “It’s time for Action”, was hosted by Tanyileel Girls Secondary School which has received support from USAID’s Afya Uzazi…

Community hosts celebrations to award certificates of merit to parents of young children for small doable actions that lead to lasting health benefits for mothers and their children. — Abigael Limo, 22, is now recognized as a community champion for child health. She was among 38 mothers and their partners who received certificates for adopting healthy child care practices during a colorful graduation ceremony held at Salawa village in Baringo County.

Christine, 37, says she has peace of mind to care for her seven children. She chose a permanent family planning method at an outreach supported by USAID’s Afya Uzazi Program in Baringo, Kenya. Christine Tuitoek, 37, is a farmer and a single mother of seven. She is a resident of Kimalel village Baringo County. Christine got her first child when she was only 13. She did not have any information on how to take proper care of the baby.

Over 500 graduate in life-skills training that replaces harmful cultural practice that persists in many places despite ban As Christmas day of 2018 approached, over 500 girls assembled in an open field at Sandai in Marigat, Baringo County. They were joined by hundreds of community members, local leaders and guests. …

Trained peer educators known as Binti Shujaa reach out to teenage mothers, link them to health and other services — Teenage pregnancy is a major health challenge in Baringo County. Many of these teenage pregnancies are neither planned nor wanted. Girls who get pregnant in their teens face numerous challenges. Rejection by family and friends pushes some of them into depression. Social isolation makes it hard for pregnant teens to…

Caring for a newborn baby can be overwhelming, especially for first-time parents. Mothers support groups provide a forum for women to share their challenges and find practical solutions in a friendly setting. Valentine, a teenage mother of a month-old baby knows this all too well. She recently shared her experience as a first-time mother with other mothers in a support group meeting. “Relatives gave me conflicting opinions on how I should take care of the child and it was frustrating,” says 18-year-old…

Community-led process makes people realize the dangers of open defecation and that they had the power to change the situation. — Residents of Kabarsel have every reason to be proud. In November 2018, they became the first village in Baringo County to be declared an Open Defecation-Free (ODF) zone. The village is the first open-defecation free (ODF) zone in the county, setting the stage for local communities to end open defecation.

Afya Uzazi has lined up more than 160 villages to achieve community-led total sanitation — Many people still practice Open Defecation (OD) both in the rural and urban areas. Open defecation not only pollutes the environment but could easily lead to the outbreak of communicable diseases such as cholera, typhoid, diarrhea and intestinal infections. According to the World Health Organization, “2.3 billion people around the globe defecate in the open due to the lack of toilets”.