WASH Funding Level:
US$ 9.83million – ($4million USAID/Kenya, $4 million OFDA, $1.83million matching funds)

Duration:
December 2012 – December 2014

Supported WASH Activities:

  • $300,000 to support water activities by the Laikipia Wildlife Forum
  • $2 million to support WASH activities in Feed the Future’s flagship program Kenya Agriculture Value Chain Enterprises (KAVES)
  • Washington DC supported initiatives:
    • Sustainable Water and Sanitation in Africa (SUWASA) is fostering the transformation of water and sanitation delivery services to achieve long-term financial sustainability through the application of market-based principles – currently in the urban areas of Kisumu and Nakuru, moving to Embu County.
    • Sanergy is a Development Innovation Ventures sanitation project in the Mukuru informal settlement of Nairobi. It promotes a market approach to sanitation solutions by converting waste into fertilizer.
    • Innovation in Poverty Action is a Development Innovation Ventures chlorine dispenser program in Western Kenya. It aims to reduce diarrhea prevalence by treating water with chlorine at the point of source.
    • WASH Plus creates supportive environments for healthy households and communities by delivering high-impact interventions in water supply, sanitation, and hygiene – nationwide.

WASH IN KENYA

  • 60% of the population has access to potable water
  • 31% of the population has access to improved sanitation (Source: Joint Monitoring Program of UNICEF/WHO, 2011 Report)
  • 5% of the population washes their hands regularly with soap. (Source: World Bank/UNICEF 2009 survey on hygiene behavior)

PROGRAM OVERVIEW

Unsafe or inadequate access to water, sanitation and hygiene has a profound effect on public health around the world. Diarrhea alone kills nearly 2 million people worldwide each year, of which 1.5 million are children. Nearly 90 percent of diarrhea is attributed to unsafe drinking water, inadequate sanitation, and poor hygiene. “WASH-related diseases are the number one cause of hospitalization and mortality for children under five. More than 50 percent of all hospital visits in Kenya are for illnesses related to water, sanitation and hygiene,” said Karen Freeman, Mission Director for USAID in Kenya.

USAID/Kenya’s WASH program focuses on water supply and sanitation access, hygiene promotion, management, and environmental sustainability in rural areas, especially the arid and semi-arid lands. The program cuts across several sectors, including Feed the Future, Environment and Natural Resources Management, and Population and Health. The WASH program complements USAID/Kenya’s US$65.5 million investment in increasing food security and resilience in Kenya’s drought-vulnerable arid lands.

KEY USAID/KENYA WASH ACTIVITIES

Kenya Arid Lands Disaster Risk Reduction – WASH Program
WASH Funding Level:  US $9.83million – ($4 million USAID/Kenya, $4 million OFDA, $1.83 million matching funds)
Duration: December 2012 – December 2014

The Kenya Arid Lands Disaster Risk Reduction activity works to increase access to clean water and improve sanitation and hygiene in Kenya’s arid lands. The program is part of a larger effort to assist the Kenyan government and local communities to increase their resilience to droughts and flooding caused by a changing climate while simultaneously increasing access to improved water, sanitation and hygiene services. Kenya Arid Lands Disaster Risk Reduction integrates and sequences emergency relief efforts with long-term development efforts to increase water storage capacity and improve water, sanitation and hygiene conditions at health facilities and nutrition centers. It also aims to improve access to and use of safe drinking water, point of use water treatment, and good hygiene behaviors to reduce diarrheal diseases.

APHIAplus
WASH Funding Level:  US $3.5 million

USAID/Kenya supports an integrated service delivery model to improve the health of Kenyans across the country. The AIDS, Population and Health Integrated Assistance Program, also known as APHIAplus, combines family planning, maternal/child health, malaria, nutrition, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and treatment services to provide an integrated, high-quality, equitable approach to sustain services at the national, county, and community levels. Integrating these activities through one activity provides more effective communication and coordination with county health administrators.  Seamless services and technical support at the local level ensure health workers address the unique needs of each geographic area across the country.

APHIAplus provides technical assistance to improve the service delivery of health facilities and increase the demand for those services. It also addresses the social determinants of health by enhancing access to income generating and economic strengthening activities, improving nutrition and food security and access to safe water and sanitation.


Updated August 2014