Busia maternal and child survival project, Kenya
The Busia and Samia districts in Western Kenya are two of the worst affected by extreme poverty and disease.
Almost 70% of people in these districts live in absolute poverty (on an income of less than US$1 per day.)
Infant mortality in the districts is estimated at 80 per 1,000 live births and maternal mortality is estimated to be 680 per 100,000 live births
In 2005, AMREF initiated the Busia Child Survival Project in the Busia and Samia districts to combat the devastating diseases that take the lives of so many mothers and children each day.
The goal of the Busia Child Survival Project is to achieve a sustained reduction in child and maternal mortality. The project focuses 40% of its efforts on maternal and newborn care, 40% on malaria control, and 20% on HIV/AIDS prevention. These are the leading causes of mortality for newborns, children, and mothers in the Busia and Samia districts.
Main objectives of the project
- Increase the quality and availability of health services
- Provide training and equipment to improve the care offered at existing health centers
- Expand the number and improve the skills of health workers
Key achievements
- AMREF is educating and empowering households by addressing some of the cultural and societal barriers to disease prevention.
- We have trained hundreds of health care workers and reached tens of thousands of households with relevant health information.
- We have educated tens of thousands of people about malaria prevention and distributed nearly 10,000 insecticide-treated nets to children and expecting mothers - the people most vulnerable to malaria.
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