Nairobi:The six-month Eastern and South Africa Humanitarian Fund (ESAHF) project, implemented by the County Government of Turkana in collaboration with Save the Children International (SCI), has achieved significant progress across the county’s 10 sub-counties.
According to Kenya News Agency, the initiative has made notable gains, particularly in Turkana Central, Loima, and Lokiriama sub-counties. Integrated outreaches conducted in these areas screened 18,623 children under five years, enhancing the tracking of critical health and nutrition indicators.
A review and reflection meeting, attended by Sub-County Health Management Teams from the three sub-counties, highlighted these achievements ahead of the project’s closure. The project, initiated in April 2026, is set to conclude on October 9, 2026. It was implemented through 184 outreach sites, with 53 located in Turkana Central, Loima, and Lokiriama.
Loima Medical Officer of Health, Moses Elim, praised the program for improving health and nutrition indicators via integrated outreaches and consistent data review. He noted improvements in Vitamin A supplementation and deworming, attributing these advancements to regular data review meetings that facilitated performance tracking.
SCI Health and Nutrition Coordinator, Akutan Lobolia, remarked that the 184 outreaches marked the highest number implemented in the county since the 2016/17 response. He emphasized the effective partnership with the county government in overcoming implementation challenges, such as commodity shortages, through the provision of Cone soya blend (CSB++) and other essential supplies.
As the project concludes, insights and feedback from this phase will guide future programming, extending efforts to Turkana South, North, and West. Elim encouraged health teams to enhance the use of Community Health Services for early screening, identification, referral, and management of malnutrition at both the household and community levels.
