Powering Local Action for Health in Nairobi Slums

Implementing Organisation: Warande Advisory through K-LCA membership structures 
Reporting Period: 15th – 27th February 2026 
Locations: Kibra and Mlolongo, Nairobi, Kenya 

Campaign Context and Funding Status 

The Powering Local Action for Health in Nairobi Slums campaign seeks to strengthen community-led health action in underserved informal settlements by improving access to essential health services, building local capacity, and addressing psychosocial and social barriers to care. 

The campaign was launched on the GlobalGiving platform with a fundraising target of USD 50,000. 

As at the time of this reporting period: 

• Total raised: USD 932.90 

• Amount disbursed for implementation: USD 693.41 

Given the limited funds received, Warande Advisory supported K-LCA to prioritise high-impact, community-driven and integrated interventions that could reach multiple vulnerable groups while strengthening referral pathways and local capacity.

The disbursed funds supported a consolidated outreach package comprising:

• disability inclusion and caregiver psychosocial support,

• maternal mental wellness outreach and provider engagement, and

• an integrated cervical cancer and women’s health screening campaign.

Integrated Campaign Objectives 

Across all supported activities, the campaign sought to: 

• Improve access to integrated mental health, psychosocial and preventive health services.

• Strengthen community-led responses through community health volunteers, caregivers and frontline providers.

• Reduce stigma and discrimination affecting women, young mothers and families of children with disabilities.

• Strengthen referral and linkage to care for women and families requiring medical and psychosocial support.

Activities and Outputs Supported Through the GlobalGiving Disbursement 

A) Psychosocial Support and Disability inclusion in Kibra 

• Group therapy and psychosocial counselling for parents and caregivers of children with disabilities.

• Peer support sessions addressing stigma, grief, stress and caregiver burden.

• Inclusive sports and recreation to strengthen visibility, confidence and social participation of children with disabilities.

• Reasonable accommodations, including sign language interpretation and sighted guides.

• Logistical and facilitation support for caregivers during the rainy season.

B) Maternal Mental Wellness Outreach: Platform Engagement 

• Demonstration of the Maternal Mental Wellness platform for mothers, caregivers, community health volunteers and health providers.

• Education on maternal mental health, stress management and coping strategies during pregnancy, postpartum and caregiving.

• Capacity strengthening of nurses, community health volunteers and lay providers on identification, basic support and referral.

• Collection of user feedback to inform future platform and outreach improvements.

C) 3-day Integrated Cervical Cancer and Health Campaign in Mlolongo 

• Community mobilisation and demand creation.

• Cervical cancer screening using VIA and Pap smear by locum nurses.

• HIV testing and counselling for all consenting clients.

• Screening for NCDs and communicable diseases (blood pressure, blood glucose, BMI, STI assessment and TB symptom screening).

• Individual and group mental health and psychosocial counselling.

• Follow-up planning and linkage to care for women with abnormal or positive results.

 Key Outputs Achieved with the Available Funding 

• Psychosocial group sessions delivered for caregivers of children with disabilities.

• Inclusive sports sessions conducted for children with disabilities.

• Maternal mental health education and platform demonstrations delivered.

• Community health volunteers and providers oriented on maternal mental health identification and referral.

• At least 100 women screened for cervical cancer using VIA and/or Pap smear.

• HIV testing and counselling offered to women attending the Mlolongo campaign.

• NCD and communicable disease screening conducted.

• Daily mental health and psychosocial support sessions delivered during the three-day campaign.

• Follow-up registers established and referrals made for women with abnormal or positive results.

 Outcomes and Early Impact 

• Improved emotional wellbeing and reduced isolation among caregivers of children with disabilities.

• Increased community visibility and acceptance of children with disabilities.

• Improved awareness and attitudes on maternal mental health among mothers, caregivers and frontline providers.

• Increased access to cervical cancer screening and essential health services for women at heightened risk.

• Reduced psychosocial barriers to screening and follow-up through on-site counselling.

• Strengthened community and facility referral linkages.

Monitoring and Reporting

• Daily attendance and service registers were maintained across all activities.

• As activities were integrated within existing infrastructure, follow-up registers will continue to be maintained for women and caregivers requiring ongoing support.

• Data from the facility-based campaign will be integrated into routine Ministry of Health reporting systems.

• Feedback from maternal mental wellness sessions will inform future programming.

 Budget Utilisation and Accountability 

Out of USD 932.90 raised, USD 693.41 was disbursed to Warande Advisory and used to support K-LCA’s:

• psychosocial counsellor facilitation and reasonable accommodations for caregivers of children with disabilities;

• maternal mental wellness outreach, training and platform engagement; and

• mobilisation, locum nurse support, counselling facilitation and coordination for the three-day integrated cervical cancer and women’s health campaign.

All disbursed funds were applied directly to community service delivery, accessibility measures, mobilisation and referral coordination.

 Key Lessons Learned 

• Integrated, community-led approaches can generate meaningful outcomes even with limited resources.

• Combining physical health services with mental health and psychosocial support increases uptake and trust among highly vulnerable populations.

• Engagement of community health volunteers and caregivers is critical for sustaining local action.

 Next steps 

• As additional funds are mobilised toward the overall campaign target of USD 50,000, Warande Advisory will continue supporting K-LCA to:

  • expand caregiver and maternal mental health support to additional informal settlements;

  • scale integrated cervical cancer and women’s health outreach;

  • strengthen follow-up and referral tracking systems; and

  • build community and provider capacity to sustain local health action.

Warande Advisory sincerely thanks GlobalGiving and its donors for enabling local action for health in Nairobi’s informal settlements and for supporting community-driven, inclusive and integrated health solutions.