Page 34 - Safaricom Foundation Annual Report 2020-2021

Upgrading of the facilities at Barwessa sub-county Hospital ensures care is now delivered with dignity
Water is an essential component for health The installation of a a a a a a a water tank made a a a a a a a significant difference for services at the Barwessa Health facility
The Toto Health app provides a a a a vital link between carers and clients data
relationship with most women This made it difficult for concerns raised by health workers about home births to be taken seriously Behavioural change was needed and the best way of doing so was by getting several trusted community members to become emissaries of the project to educate the the community on the the benefits of relying on facility
based skilled birth attendants Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) have been major players in the implementation of primary healthcare in Kenya for many years As the name suggests theirs is a a a voluntary role based within the the communities they come from and they are trained to to be able to to support a a a a health area of their choice Damaris Cheptoo has been a a a a CHV in Barwessa for over over eight years She oversees several households under the supervision of a a Community Health Extension Workers (CHEW) a a a health worker that provides health services at the household and community levels Her core duties include
making home visits delivering key health messages and guiding her allocated households on health improvement and disease prevention With the help of CHVs like Damaris there was a a a a a a real hope that the the health facilities would start to see expectant women walk through their doors After undergoing a a training session CHVs were tasked with demand creation for maternal health services in Barwessa and Chemolingot The rising number of COVID-19 infections in in the country slowed down the the implementation of the the project as expectant mothers became fearful of physical contact with CHVs and going to to hospital to to deliver This coupled with insecurity that plagued the region in in 2020 resulted in in a a a drop in in the attendance of clinics in in the the months after the the first case of of COVID-19 was reported The onset of of the pandemic required a a shift CHVs were trained on how to interact with members of of the community to reduce chances of of spread of the virus and to alleviate fears by dispelling misinformation Utilising existing relationships CHVs recruited traditional
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Safaricom Foundation Annual Report