GHC's focus is on building Community Health and Empowerment Clubs (CHECs) throughout communities in Western Kenya. We are currently active in 8 villages in Kisii County and 2 in Homa Bay County. In early fall of 2024, thanks to a large Rotary International global grant and Adopt-a-Village sponsors, we will be entering into 4 more villages--1 in Kisii County, 2 in Homa Bay County and 1 in Kajiado County--bringing our total to 14 active villages. We also have 5 self-sustaining and self-governing CHECs, bringing our total number to 19 villages.
Why Kenya?
Kenya, like many developing countries, faces a variety of social, economic, and environmental challenges such as poverty, limited access to clean water and sanitation, inadequate healthcare, food insecurity, environmental degradation, and education disparities. We choose to work here for a combination of altruistic, strategic and practical reasons, and because we see specific needs that align with our capabilities and mission.
Not only do our mission and goals align closely with the needs and priorities of Kenya, our on-the-ground Kenyan team is able to establish partnerships with local organizations, governments and communities to implement projects and initiatives more effectively. Building on these successes, we can expand our efforts and scale up interventions to reach more communities and individuals in need.
In today’s interconnected world, we can’t help but have a global perspective at GHC. We see ourselves as part of a larger community with a responsibility to address global challenges. We aim to address the pressing issues that transcend national boundaries--the ones where we can make a significant difference and the most impact. Working in Kenya allows us to contribute our expertise, resources and interventions to global development efforts and promote health, economic and social empowerment, and equity on an international scale.
What are CHECs?
Kenya GHC staff participated in an apprenticeship with AfricaAhead NGO from October 2020 to January 2021 to learn about how to conduct Community Health Clubs (CHCs), as well as water, sanitation and other health related curriculum. GHC took this a step further and created a 10-week Economic Empowerment curriculum, along with the formation of income-generating groups, onto the 24-week health curriculum, creating Community Health and Empowerment Clubs (CHECs). Our CHEC members are given the opportunity to participate in various economic opportunities, such as beekeeping, rice farming, and poultry raising to improve the sustainability of their villages.
We have developed a holistic, sustainable, community-driven model for our CHECs. Our 24-week Health Training curriculum addresses the issues of health, while our 10-week Economic Empowerment curriculum focuses on improving economic opportunity and social stability. Our clubs emphasize community input and involvement to facilitate community ownership and long-term sustainability.
To maintain the quality and integrity of our clubs, GHC employs permanent staff on the ground to educate, train, monitor and evaluate progress. Using baseline, midline and end-line surveys, our staff members collect extensive data to measure and evaluate behavioral change in response to our teachings and experiential exercises. GHC also works with local governments, health facilities, and community leaders to ensure sustainability in all sectors of the program, and creates sustainable governance committees to ensure the CHEC remains stable and sustainable after GHC departs.
We are focused on an entirely new way of providing assistance—rather than simply giving or doing, we teach and empower communities to solve both current and future problems. We respect people and believe in their capacity to build up themselves and their communities. In short, we help people better help themselves.
