Sexual and Reproductive Health

Success in sexual and reproductive health as envisioned by the World Health Organization (WHO) entails a world in which there is healthy sexuality and where every sexual act is free from coercion and infection and where every pregnancy is intended. Unfortunately, there are many barriers to achieving this goal in many developing countries and as a result there are high rates of unwanted pregnancies and unsafe abortions.

There is a great need for countering social norms that perpetuate sexual and gender-based violence and harmful traditional practices such as early marriage and female genital mutilation. GreenHealth Africa team members have worked extensively on health programming in social and behavior change communications as well as with health practitioners to make reproductive health services available to women and girls. We have solid expertise in adolescent sexual and reproductive health.

RMNCAH (Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health)

Health service delivery for reproductive, maternal, newborn, child and adolescent health (RMNCAH) follows a continuum of care which spans from pre-pregnancy, pregnancy and birth to the immediate postnatal period for women and newborns through to childhood and adolescence.

Many countries including Kenya have made notable progress in improving maternal and child health outcomes. Child mortality has declined by over 20% since 2008 and the country has achieved a total fertility rate of less than four. Despite the progress, Kenya has still not achieved the Millennium Development Goals for maternal and child health.

GreenHealth Africa has experience in supporting the government, NGOs and the private sector to develop strategies and programs and to improve the implementation and effectiveness of programs.

Malaria

Sub-Saharan Africa continues to carry a disproportionately high share of the global malaria burden accounting for 95% of all malaria cases and 96% of deaths in 2020 with children under 5 years of age accounting for about 80% of all malaria deaths.

WHO recommends the use of insecticide treated mosquito nets (ITNs) as one of the primary prevention methods. GreenHealth Africa team members successfully implemented one of the most effective global malaria prevention programs incorporating cutting-edge social and behavior change campaigns, social marketing, distribution of ITNs and public-private partnerships with the Government of Kenya.

HIV

East and Southern Africa remains the region most affected by HIV in the world, with 20.6 million people living with HIV and 670,000 new HIV infections in 2020. Adolescent girls and young women (ages 15-24) are especially at risk and accounted for 25% of HIV infections in 2020, despite representing just 10% of the population.

UNAIDS has identified one of the key areas holding back progress in HIV prevention as “a lack of systematic implementation of combination prevention programs at scale.” UNAIDS defines combination prevention as “rights-based, evidence-informed, and community-owned programs that use a mix of biomedical, behavioral, and structural interventions, prioritized to meet the current HIV prevention needs of particular individuals and communities, so as to have the greatest sustained impact on reducing new infections.” All combination prevention programs require a strong community empowerment element, as well as the strengthening of health and social protection systems, plus actions to address gender inequality, stigma and discrimination.

The GreenHealth Africa team has deep experience in implementing HIV prevention programs encompassing community interventions, social norm change, product development and social marketing.

WASH (Water, Sanitation & Hygiene)

Nearly 1 billion people in the world still do not have access to safe drinking water. More than 500,000 children die from diarrheal disease every year, primarily caused by unsafe drinking water.

The GreenHealth Africa team has expertise in social marketing of home water treatment solutions, chlorination of drinking water and in the development of behavior change communication campaigns to influence the adoption of safe water treatment and better hygiene practices.