The Eastern and South Africa Humanitarian Fund (ESAHF)-supported project, launched in April 2026, reached 18,443 children under five in Turkana Central, Loima, and Lokiriama sub-counties through 184 outreach sites. These efforts, highlighted during a project review meeting, included enhanced tracking of health and nutrition indicators, with Loima Medical Officer of Health Moses Elim noting a marked improvement in metrics like Vitamin A supplementation and deworming rates. Elim attributed the gains to integrated outreaches and structured data review processes that enabled facilities to monitor performance effectively.
SCI Health and Nutrition Coordinator Akutan Lobolia emphasized the project’s scale, stating the 184 outreach sites represented the highest number deployed in Turkana since the 2016/17 humanitarian response. He credited the partnership with the County Government for overcoming challenges such as commodity shortages through the distribution of Cone soya blend (CSB++) and other critical supplies. The project’s closure marked a transition phase, with lessons from the current cycle set to inform future programming in Turkana South, North, and West sub-counties.
As the initiative concluded, Elim urged health teams to prioritize Community Health Services for early malnutrition detection and management at the household level. The project’s success underscores the importance of coordinated, data-driven interventions in addressing nutrition and WASH gaps in resource-constrained settings. Its findings will contribute to broader strategies for sustaining health improvements in Turkana’s vulnerable populations.
The project’s achievements align with global efforts to combat malnutrition and improve sanitation, reflecting the critical role of local-government partnerships in humanitarian programming. With the next phase of programming pending, stakeholders remain focused on scaling effective models to ensure long-term impact in Turkana’s communities.