Portfolio
The portfolio provides a wealth of information on CICF's activities and areas of interest to grantees as well as target communities.
The portfolio provides a wealth of information on CICF's activities and areas of interest to grantees as well as target communities.
Portfolio Title: Afya kwa Ukoo
Grant Type: Innovation
Counties: Garissa
Timeline: July 2017 - March 2019
Funding Round: 3
Socio-cultural factors are significant barriers to women seeking maternal and newborn health (MNH) services. In the Somali community, for instance, the main reason for home deliveries is the medicalization of the birthing process that ignores social and traditional norms surrounding this family event. This community has traditional institutions – though weakened considerably by modem life – that remain vital for sustainable social and economic development. The reer (clan) and the heer (the Somali customary law) are some of the most dominant and important traditional institutions in the Somali community, which are used to effectively mobilise social change in many aspects of life. These traditional social systems have shown to enhance ownership and can generate healthy competition among local people to trigger local community actions. This potential has not been well leveraged by the health sector, despite its success in other sectors. Documentation of the evidence of its usefulness is also limited.
The Afya kwa Ukoo project – translated from Swahili to mean community health –seeks to innovatively blend socio-cultural norms and delivery of health services so as to boost service acceptance and uptake. It intends to use socio-cultural structures, institutions and decision-making to raise awareness and increase the uptake of maternal and newborn health services and behaviours. At two health facilities (Iftin Sub-County Hospital and Simaho Health Centre), the project will facilitate positive birthing experiences by providing culturally and socially sensitive delivery services through locally adapted approaches. It’s implemented in partnership with two local organisations: Sisters Maternity Home and Preventive Health Care and Epidemiology Consultancy, who bring contextual knowledge and a community network of social influencers who shape positive perceptions and drive local actions for improving maternal and newborn health.
Dr. Abdhalah K. Ziraba
APHRC
Kimani Karuga
Options Consultancy Services Ltd.