Country Story

In Turkana County, long distances and frequent power cuts make it hard to keep vaccines at the right temperature. Many children used to miss vaccination doses because health facilities lacked a reliable way to store them.

Through an initiative aligned with ECSA-HC's Family Health and Infectious Diseases priorities, several remote dispensaries received solar-powered vaccine fridges and temperature monitors. Health workers were trained to manage vaccine stock, record temperatures every day, and report problems before vaccines spoil.

Alongside this, community health volunteers began going house to house to register newborns and remind mothers of vaccination dates. Mobile vaccination days were scheduled at water points and markets, where pastoralist families gather.

Nurse Akai Lokwang says: "We used to have to send vaccines back because they had gone bad. Now the fridge works day and night, and mothers don't walk all that way for nothing."

Lessons learnt:

- A reliable cold chain is the foundation of any successful vaccination programme.

- Community volunteers help ren.

- Taking services to where people already gather increases participation.