Kakuma – 18th March 2025 (Public Communications and Media Relations)
The County Department of Health and Sanitation and early childhood development stakeholders have held an inception meeting for the new Amref Health Africa in Kenya project, “Thriving Through Play – Tucheze Tustawi”, that targets 25,772 children aged 0–3 years and their caregivers.
The three-year project, funded by the Lego Foundation, aims to provide play opportunities that support children’s well-being and enhance their success in learning and life. It will be implemented in Turkana West Sub-County, covering all 32 health facilities (both in host and refugee communities) and daycare centers across all four wards.
Speaking during a courtesy call at the county health headquarters, County Executive Committee (CEC) Member for Health and Sanitation, Dr Epem Esekon, emphasized that the project’s success would guide the county government in scaling it to other sub-counties.
“For sustainability, healthcare workers should be engaged to take ownership of the program,” he said.
Representing the Chief Officer for the Medical Services Department, Director for Health Products and Technologies Dr David Moru assured the project team of the department’s support during implementation.
During the inception meeting in Kakuma, Chief Officer for Preventive and Promotive Health Janerose Tioko noted that the project could leverage healthcare workers’ skills to screen children for developmental delays and disabilities.
“The play items should be made from locally sourced materials, this will ensure sustainability as parents and primary caregivers can create them,” she said.
According to Project Lead Fidelina Ndunge, the project’s rollout will integrate play into primary healthcare networks, ensuring its implementation within health facilities and at the community level through community health promoters (CHPs).
She shared that the new project aims, among other outcomes, to increase play for mental health, psychosocial support, and social-emotional learning and improve the mental health of parents and caregivers.
Ndunge added that the project will engage caregivers, especially the men, to play with their children to bond and track developmental milestones. Healthcare workers will also be trained to incorporate early childhood stimulation during antenatal care visits.
Director of Policy, Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation, James Lobokan, emphasized the need to align the project with the department’s health priorities and strategies.
Meanwhile, Director of Community Health Services (CHS), Dr Joseph Lolepo, reminded participants of the CHP nurturing and care module, which supports communities in fostering child growth and development, as one of the areas to integrate into the project.
The “Tucheze Tustawi” Project activities will be context specific to each community, with sub-grants allocated to local partners from both the host and refugee communities.
“Play is crucial in child development as it enhances cognitive, mental, and social skills. We must ensure parents understand its importance,” said Chief Officer Tioko.
The project will also engage government departments for education, social protection, and children’s services who were represented in the meeting. Also in attendance were representatives from County and Sub-County Health Management Teams, Save the Children International, International Rescue Committee and Plan International.
