Reduce Suffering in Kenya Via Health Care Services

Mary's Story: (not her real name)

Mary, a mother of five from Kanyekini Village in Mwingi North, spends her days caring for her children, tending her small farm, fetching water, and collecting firewood. Like many women in her remote community, she wanted to access family planning (FP) services but was unable to do so because the nearest health facility was many kilometres away.

With no money for transport and no one to care for her children, seeking FP services always remained out of reach.

As prolonged drought reduced harvests and household income, travelling to the health facility became even more difficult. Mary worried about becoming pregnant again before she was ready, knowing that another child would place additional strain on her family's already limited

Everything changed when Lucy, a Community-Owned Resource Person (CORP), visited her village. Through door-to-door household visits, Lucy provided accurate information on family planning, addressed common myths, and informed community members that she and a Ministry of Health nurse would deliver FP services directly to the village through a backpack outreach clinic.

"When I heard the services were coming to us, I could hardly believe it," Mary recalls. On the outreach day, Mary joined many other women who walked to Mangulu Village, some carrying babies and others travelling long distances from neighbouring villages. The Ministry of Health nurse and the CORP welcomed them warmly, provided counselling on the available FP methods, and gave each woman the opportunity to make an informed choice without pressure or judgement.

By the end of the day, Mary had received the family planning method of her choice and returned home with renewed hope.

Today, she says she enjoys peace of mind, has more 5me to care for her children and manage her farm, and can use her limited income to support her family's needs instead of spending it on transport to distant health facilities. Most importantly, she feels empowered to make informed decisions about her reproductive health and her family's future.

Reflecting on her experience, Mary says: "Family planning services came to my village, but what they truly brought was hope, dignity, and the chance to build a better future for my children."

Mary hopes backpack outreach services will continue reaching remote communities so that more women can access the family planning choices they deserve

Thanks to your generous support through GlobalGiving, stories like Mary’s are becoming more common. In the past three months alone, CHAT has:

• Reached 2,158 individuals with life-saving health and FP information.
• Provided 981 clients with access to modern contraceptive methods of their choice.
• Enabled 798 individuals to choose long-term pregnancy protection.

Your contributions empower individuals in underserved communities to make informed decisions, rebuild their lives, and transform their lives positively. With your continued support, CHAT will keep delivering hope — one woman, one household,one informed choice at a time.