National Cooperative Business Association

AIDS, Population and Health Integrated Assistance Program (APHIA II)

Improving Health Through Community Involvement

Almost two million Kenyans suffer from the AIDS virus.  APHIA II’s (a USAID-funded project) goals strive to reduce the spread of HIV/AIDS, improve the quality of life for those infected and affected, and mitigate the impact of the epidemic in the Coast and Right Valley provinces of Kenya.

To accomplish this, NCBA/CLUSA staff:

  •  Organize Village Health Committees (VHC) to act as the central mechanism for articulating community concerns while simultaneously developing plans for tackling local health problems
  •  Guide VHCs through a highly participatory process for identifying local health priorities and developing a Community Health Action Plan (CHAP) to help communities take ownership of addressing the issues
  •  Train VHCs in functional literacy, numeracy and basic business and financial skills to enhance their capacity to act as capable partners in managing their local health facilities
  • Mentor VHCs to implement activities and monitor progress as they execute their CHAP
  • Strengthen referral networks that link community members to public health services, including HIV/AIDS services, family planning, reproductive health, malaria, tuberculosis, child survival and antenatal care
Kenya’s government recognizes NCBA/CLUSA’s efforts as a major factor in mobilizing communities and connecting them with crucial health services.  Because NCBA/CLUSA yields results that endure, the Ministry of Health’s newly implemented Kenya Essential Package of Health (KEPH) now incorporates NCBA/CLUSA’s strategies into its own programs.

 

A HEALTHIER COMMUNITY

  • More than 500,000 people reached with health messages in 3 provinces
  • 1,017 VHCs created and more than 900 CHAPs developed
  • 2,780 Community Health Workers (CHW) were trained in relevant technical areas of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis, Family Planning, Maternal and Child Health, and Malaria
  • 39,000 people have been referred to public health services