Our Busia, Kenya, learning site maintained its upward trend over the past year. For example, CHWs on average provided 31 under-5 sick child treatments or referrals per month and registered 1.4 pregnancies – 35% and 24% over their targets, respectively.

Treatments and referrals for under-1 children are slightly below target, but the quality of care is improving for this important age group due to more focused training around possible serious bacterial infection (PSBI) which is being rolled out. Performance was buoyed by strong DESC elements, including greater supervision with our effective approach of mentoring underperforming CHWs, as well as high stock levels.

Other performance drivers included high levels of active CHWs (97%), data-based tracking of individual indicators and immediate course correction to ensure complete data syncing and reporting.  CHWs are providing more effective family planning services following the launch of our action plan.

Couple years of protection (CYP)1 per CHW per month increased from 3.6 in Q1 to 4.4 in Q2, though this is still below our ambitious new target similar to Uganda.

We are working closely with partners to improve stock levels of family planning methods and to better sensitize women of reproductive age on the advantages of long-term methods and demystify myths around family planning. We are also conducting continuous capacity-building programs for staff and CHWs on family planning indicators.  Overall, we are enthusiastic about CHW performance in Busia County.

It remains the gold standard in Kenya and for governments, partners and community health implementers and beyond, and shows what is possible when all Digitally-enabled, Equipped, Supervised, and Compensation (DESC) elements are optimal.