During the visit, we attended two backpack nurse clinics, supported by CHASE. In both the SORALO and The Maa Trust clinics, the backpack nurses facilitate easier access to healthcare for remote pastoralist communities, particularly around sexual and reproductive health. They provide vital services such as antenatal care, family planning and children’s immunisations, alongside information on safe-deliveries, post-natal care, hygiene and diet.
These partners also facilitate dialogues to raise awareness of health, rights and family planning. During the visit, the team attended interactive sessions with women, and sessions for young people, run by Youth Peer Mentors (YPMs), who are trained by the programme. The YPMs are incredibly dynamic, engaging facilitators and serve as positive role-models. Their session had excellent engagement and prompted interesting discussions among the participants around a variety of topics including menstrual, sexual and reproductive health. For many young people, these sessions are their first exposure to information around sexual and reproductive health, due to a lack of comprehensive sex education in school and a cultural taboo limiting discussions at home.
Community members at a Maa Trust outreach site
Later on in the trip, we conducted a visit to Save the Elephants’ Research and Coexistence Centre, located near Tsavo East and West National Parks. This visit involved reviewing project implementation at Bakamo Dispensary and Mchang’a Junior Primary School. It was encouraging to hear how the project activities have had positive impacts on health outcomes and have improved understanding of health issues among pupils. Additionally, we learnt that STE staff have been invited to attend local baraza’s (community meetings) following community health dialogues, conducted as part of the CHASE Africa supported project. This has resulted in greater local awareness of STE’s work towards human-elephant coexistence and increased understanding of the dual benefits of the integrated, one-health approach.
Although CHASE Africa has not been directly affected by recent aid cuts, partners are seeing the impact of funding cuts on government health services and supplies of family planning commodities. We are especially concerned about the potential impact on the supply of family planning commodities and those needing treatment for HIV. We will continue to monitor the situation closely.
