Kenya

  • 36% of Kenyans live below the poverty line
  • 41% of Kenyans still do not have access to clean drinking water
  • 9% of preschool children are vitamin A deficient, and an additional 53% are at risk of vitamin A deficiency
  • One-third of children are stunted, an indication of chronic malnutrition
On a hot day in Canada, most parents don’t think twice about letting their children run barefoot on the beach or in their backyard. But in Kenya, this simple activity can have life-altering consequences. The water is polluted by poor sanitation. The soil is often contaminated with dangerous worms. The infected soil also transports disease into the water, where the families bathe and drink.

When children are exposed to the contaminated soil or water, these worms enter their bloodstream. Any vitamins and nutrients the child ingests helps the worms grow and leaves the child at risk for multiple health issues, such as fatigue, stunted growth and vitamin A malabsorption—a leading cause of death among children under 5 years old in Kenya.

Kenya has a national deworming program that is run through schools, but not every child attends class. Children under 5 who aren’t in the education system often miss out on this life-saving treatment. Effect Hope, in collaboration with Global Affairs Canada, provides combined deworming treatment and vitamin A supplementation to children under 5 years old living in Siaya, Kilifi, Kwale, Taita Taveta and Uasin Gishu counties.

 

Programs In Kenya

Every Child Thrives – Kenya

Living with intestinal worms steals nutrients from children, compromising their cognitive development, growth and health during a critical time. 

We train healthcare workers, community health volunteers, and Early Childhood Development teachers to provide deworming treatment and vitamin A supplementation to children under the age of 5 at preschools, health facilities and community hubs, giving them their best chance of being healthy when they’re ready to go to school.

This program targets all girls and boys under 5 years old to ensure that all children, including those with disability, receive this critical treatment. Both mothers and fathers are encouraged to get involved in their children’s health and share the responsibility of making sure their sons and daughters get the treatment every 6 months.

Program undertaken with the financial support of the Government of Canada provided through Global Affairs Canada

Photos From the Field

mom and child from Africa