OUR STORY
WHAT IS KIKOP?
The Kisii Konya Oroibo Project (KIKOP) began in 2018 as a partnership between Curamericas Global (a U.S.-based NGO) and the Kisii Ministry of Health. It is a maternal and child health organization that works with local communities, the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Education and other institutional partners to improve the lives of mothers, children and adolescents in Kenya’s Kisii County. KIKOP started as a Ministry of Health consortium in 2018 and became an official registered community based organization in 2021.
Our strategies to accomplish the program goals include increasing access to quality, respectful maternal and newborn services; improving attention to obstetric emergencies; increasing provision of essential newborn care; and reducing child stunting in children under the age of 2.
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KIKOP is a registered Community Based Organization in Kenya.
OUR MISSION
KIKOP utilizes a community-based, impact-oriented (CBIO) methodology to address the most critical health issues in partner communities. Family health data is collected through routine home visitation, the review of health records, surveys and group meetings. In this way, interventions can be modified to meet the evolving needs of the community.
Our Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) play a critical role in the implementation of primary healthcare, mobilizing communities in taking care of their health and providing basic healthcare at the community level. KIKOP staff provides training for CHVs in disease prevention, health promotion and simple curative care to help and leads their communities to improve their health and wellbeing. The CHVs support the project in data collection and health education through regular routine home visitation to pregnant women and mothers of children under the age of 2 in their community.
OUR IMPACT
KIKOP reaches more than 35,960 people in 94 rural communities in Kitutu Chache North and South. Our evidence-based, community-led approach has empowered communities and families to protect the most vulnerable – pregnant women and young children. We are already seeing the great impact these programs have had. When we began in 2018, 1 out of 13 children in our project area were not living to see their first birthdays. Since then, KIKOP has reduced infant deaths by 77%, by helping provide medical care and support to families during this vulnerable time.
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KIKOP has also made significant contributions to reducing maternal deaths. In 2018, the maternal mortality rate in the communities we serve was over 4 times the national average. Since then, KIKOP has reduced maternal mortality by 87%. We work to provide accessible, culturally appropriate respectful care in all of our partner health facilities. Now, pregnant mothers, can give birth without fear, knowing they and their newborns will be supported with ongoing care.
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