Kakuma – April 11, 2026 (Public Communication and Media Relations)

The County Government, in partnership with AMREF Health Africa, is developing a five year County Social Behaviour Change (SBC) Strategy (2026–2030), an initiative that will go a long way in ensuring the adoption and ownership of play-based learning in Turkana.

However, the community expected to support the well-being of children below three years during their early development stage, still lacks some key components to guide them.

These gaps are evident in ongoing challenges within Turkana County, particularly in family planning; reproductive, maternal, neonatal, child, and adolescent health (RMNCAH); nutrition; and Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH).

Currently, there is limited integration of Early Childhood Development (ECD), Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS), and Social Emotional Learning (SEL) in existing SBC strategy. This highlights the need for culturally responsive approaches designed to fit the Turkana context, inclusive of host and refugee communities, as well as persons with disabilities.

The aim of the Tucheze Tustawi Programme is to support children between 0–3 years through access to play opportunities that enhance their mental health, psychosocial well-being, and future success in learning and life.

To address these gaps, the overall goal is to strengthen maternal, neonatal, and child health SBC strategy by integrating play-based MHPSS and SEL interventions. This will be achieved by reviewing previous strategies, building on identified gaps, and developing integrated SBC strategy, pre testing Information, Education, and Communication materials, in addition to monitoring and evaluation framework.

The targeted outcome is a healthy, inclusive, and resilient society where young children and families thrive through better health, play-based learning, and well-being within connected communities.

With over 80 healthcare workers and 60 ECDE teachers in Turkana already sensitised on the integration of play-based learning, nurturing care, and responsive caregiving within the child’s first 1,000 days, the initiative has progressed to a human-centred design co-creation workshop to develop the vision document.

To develop a truly Turkana-centric strategy, the team first sought to understand the psychographic, demographic, and behavioural needs of the population. Following an ideation and stakeholder mapping process, they designed SBC materials and messages, which were later pre-tested through focus group discussions and interviews with host and refugee communities, as well as healthcare workers.

This process helped determine the most effective messages and communication channels for each target audience—whether host or refugee communities, literate or illiterate, urban or rural—in the most relatable way. The approach is geared towards enhancing the adoption and full ownership of play-based learning across all levels of the community.

During the sessions, members explored the best ways to leverage cultural experiences and traditions, including incorporating play and traditional songs to inspire shifts in attitudes and beliefs. The focus goes beyond awareness, encouraging caregivers not only to be present but also to actively use play-based learning in their daily lives.

By the end of the meeting, participants developed a detailed implementation plan to guide the execution of the latest SBC strategy. The next steps include finalising the document, conducting a post-review to ensure it reflects the discussions, followed by submission and a validation meeting before publication.

Speaking during the forum, Deputy Director for Family Health, Lopodo Ekal commended the team for exceeding expectations in their commitment to designing a human-centred document that prioritises the needs of the Turkana community.

“The proposals and engagement here are very rich in culture and in touch with the various traditions within Turkana. Once put into action, it will help shift mind sets and drive social behaviour change within our communities in a way we have not done before,” he stated.

Lead Facilitator Dr. Alfayo Wamburi, taking an outside-in perspective, envisions a future where the county government fully integrates the programme into a county-led strategy, ensuring sustainability.

“We are strengthening the system in support of a multi-sectoral approach that will go beyond Turkana West. This is where communities will have full ownership, and the county government will integrate play-based themes in all its activities and events, including school programmes, cultural events, and departmental activities,” he advised.

Dr. Wamburi noted that the team is well-positioned to see the strategy through to full implementation and expressed confidence in its practicality.

“The previous strategies failed because they were written as academic documents that were very abstract. This time, the design is easy to implement across sectors, with simple, actionable steps,” he added.

According to Reinhard Anzenze, Technical Officer for Tucheze Tustawi, the strategy development is on track to deliver context-specific and culturally relevant approaches that are both practical and actionable. It also embeds the five components of the nurturing care framework into every service delivery touchpoint.

“This, together with pre-tested call-to-action messages targeting key audiences and stakeholders, will strengthen MHPSS and SEL as foundational elements for early childhood development at the household, community, and facility levels,” he noted.

During the pre-test, the communities reviewed the messages presented and gave their feedback on what needs to improve in order for the target audience to resonate and relate with the messages.

The development process brought together a multi-sectoral county government team, including representatives from monitoring and evaluation (M&E), school health, public health, occupational therapy, health promotion, gender-based violence, mental health, ECDE, social protection, and KISEDP. Other contributors included Herbert Barasa and Sammy Ejore from AMREF Health Africa, alongside facilitators Vincent Odiara and James Andati, and representatives from Kalobeyei Initiative for Better Life (KI4BLI) and ACME Development Organisation.