ESD in Kenya

Spanning the length of the Somali border, North Eastern Province is home to approximately one million people, the majority of whom are ethnic Somalis entrenched in nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyles. In this remote region, just 42% of people have any access to health care services, and family planning is virtually nonexistent. Fertility rates, as a result, approach nine children per woman. Though HIV prevalence, at 2.3%, remains well below the national average, it has increased four-fold since 2001 as civil stability has improved and trade and mobility across the region has increased. Also of concern is an increasing prevalence of tuberculosis in the region and TB’s increasing association with HIV.

AIDS, Population, and Health Integrated Assistance (APHIA II): North Eastern Province, Kenya

Like the Pathfinder International-led APHIA II Project in Nairobi and Central Provinces, ESD and its partners work with local organizations to expand the availability of quality, sustainable, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis prevention, treatment, care and support, along with integrated reproductive health, family planning, malaria and maternal and child health services. Activities, however, are tailored to the specific needs of the region’s mainly pastoralist population. 

The project is working to:

• Improve and expand facility-based services by addressing gaps in resources, training, and equipment, expanding nomadic clinics for community outreach, and strengthening the management capacity of local organizations;
• Expand and strengthen civil society activities by conducting outreach with community and workplace programs, targeting at-risk populations with HIV prevention programs, and reinforcing networking between clinics and communities; and
• Expand care and support services for people living with HIV/AIDS, orphans and vulnerable children and work with religious and community leaders to reduce stigma surrounding HIV/AIDS.

Visit the APHIA II Kenya website for additional information about this project or read the ESD's Kenya Country Brief.

See related article:

Fighting HIV/AIDS
Under the Stars:
Moonlight VCT* in NEP, Kenya

 *Voluntary Counseling and Testing for HIV/AIDS