Healthcare
We strive to increase access to health services for marginalized communities in rural and urban areas, especially the women, pregnant mothers and children. We seek to reduce maternal and child deaths, and HIV prevalence rates among the vulnerable people in our communities.
- Adolescent and youth sexual and reproductive health
There are many young people in the kitale today who have specific health and development needs, and many face challenges that threaten their well-being, including poverty, a lack of access to health information and services, and unsafe environments. Cohecf-Kenya focuses on achieving one or more of four major goals:
- Creating an enabling and supportive environment for young people.
- Improving their knowledge, attitudes, skills and behaviors.
- Increasing young people’s use of services.
- Increasing young people’s participation in programs.
- Reproductive health and nutrition
Lack of accessible and affordable sanitary-ware has been known to have far reaching implications on the social, psychological and physical health of teenage girls and young women. In Kenya, provision of sanitary wares and information on reproductive health is concentrated only in major centres and less on the other affluent and emerging towns. Thus there is a need for Menstrual Hygiene Management intervention in these set-ups and also in informal urban set-ups.
Young girls face great challenges in terms of hygiene and sanitation. Many schools have insufficient numbers of latrines, which are often poorly designed and maintained. For girls who are menstruating, these problems compound the difficulties posed by the inability to afford sanitary towels as well as cultural taboos around menstruation. As a result, many girls miss on average four days of school every month which is over a month in a year, meaning they fall behind in class and sometimes even drop out of school altogether.
The new mode of transport of motorcycle is a major challenge to school going girls who cannot afford pads. The riders take advantage of the vulnerability of the girls and lure them to sex for money to use for buying pads. This results into pregnancies and HIV/AIDS, STDs etc resulting into high drop-out rates in school. The young girls are therefore burdened at a younger age. This is an added challenge to the already existing problems that lead to the high dropout rate of female students in primary and secondary schools.
Cohecf-Kenya focuses on achieving one or more of four major goals:
- Girls will not have to miss school simply because they are menstruating.
- Girls will know that they can discuss problems connected to menstruation with health extension workers, other healthcare professionals who may be available, as well as teachers – male or female.
- COHECF-KENYA will learn from this project and be able to plan and improve projects further to ensure female students do not miss school just because they are menstruating. The future projects will not only be to give sanitary pads to the girls in schools Trans-Nzoia County but the whole of Kenya.
Clean and Healthy Drinking Water
The majority live in isolated rural areas and spends hours every day walking to collect water for their family. Not only does walking for water keep children out of school or take up time that parents could be using to earn money, but the water often carries diseases that can make everyone sick. But access to clean water means education, income and health – especially for women and kids.
Lack of clean water and sanitation holds back development and makes it harder for communities to escape the poverty trap.
Clean water changes everything.
1.Clean water helps keep children in school, especially girls.
Less time collecting water means more time in class. Clean water and proper toilets at school means teenage girls don’t have to stay home for a week out of every month.
Access to clean water restores health for families and reduces the amount of time that children, who often help with chores at home, spend walking and waiting to collect water each day. Clean water gives children a chance to attend school and build a better future.
How does having cleaned water at home impact school attendance?
Collecting dirty water takes time! When families have access to clean water close to home, children can focus on more important things, like going to school, studying, and enjoying their childhood.
2. Why is it important to have safe water and adequate facilities at school?
Clean water stations give children a place to wash their hands. Proper latrines provide privacy for young girls. These facilities ensure that children, who become healthy, continue to stay healthy.
3. Why is education important for children in rural communities?
Attending school gives children a chance to expand their knowledge and pursue new opportunities. It provides a chance to become doctors, engineers, and social workers. It promotes stronger futures.
- Rural wellness and prevention
Wellness is an active, lifelong process of becoming aware of choices and making decisions toward a more balanced and fulfilling life.
Particular structural factors in rural areas present obstacles to rural residents seeking health services and wellness programs. Structural factors related to obesity in rural areas include lack of nutrition education, decreased access to nutritionists, fewer physical education classes in schools, and fewer wellness facilities.
Rural geographic isolation affects being able to seek health services, for example, by affecting the availability of health professionals and availability of educational, preventive and treatment programs, and facilities. Social isolation is also a barrier for rural residents, particularly for the elderly.
The goals to achieve in this:-
- Attain high-quality, longer lives free of preventable disease, disability, injury and premature death
- Achieve health equity, eliminate disparities and improve the health of all groups
- Create social and physical environments that promote good health for all
- Promote quality of life, healthy development and healthy behaviors across all life stages