SOTENI Kenya
Based in Nairobi, SOTENI Kenya designs and implements programs partnership with semi-autonomous SOTENI Villages of Hope (SVHs).
SOTENI Villages of Hope
Each SVH is a registered as a Community-Based Organization (CBO), which allows local leadership to define the community's needs, implement programs, and become self-sustaining. SVHs are run by democratically-elected Local Management Committees, who spearhead needs assessments, prioritize interventions, and oversee SVH operations.
Mbakalo
SVH-Mbakalo is a rural community in Bungoma County, where poverty is severe and access to health care is extremely limited. While famous for its poultry, transportation and access to competitive markets keeps farmers in poverty.
Ugunja
SVH-Ugunja is located in Siaya County, which has one of the highest percentages of HIV positive adults and children in Kenya. Siaya County lies near the Ugandan border on Lake Victoria, where sex trafficking between the two countries contributes to risky behaviors and the spread of disease.
Mituntu
SVH-Mituntu is a rural community in Meru County, central Kenya, where stigma toward HIV remains high. Prolonged droughts and failed rains have dramatically increased poverty among the 80,000 farmers in who rely on subsistence agriculture to make a living.
AIDS Barefoot Doctors
SOTENI AIDS Barefoot Doctors (ABDs) are community health workers that facilitate HIV Support Groups in SOTENI’s three Villages of Hope. During monthly Support Group meetings, ABDs provide home-based care and group therapy, while ensuring that their clients are taking their medication and drinking clean water. Meetings also involve an educational component, where ABDs cover topics such as:
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Awareness and prevention of NCDs and infectious diseases
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Nutrition
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Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene (WASH)
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Sexual and reproductive rights
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Family planning
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Table banking and income-generation
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Small business development
Outside of Support Group meetings, ABDs are advocates for the vulnerable and leaders in their communities. They are often invited join local government committees and speak at Ministry of Health barazas.
SVH-Mbakalo Dispensary
In 2005, SOTENI Village of Hope-Mbakalo established a clinic to provide basic health services to our neighbors in Mbakalo Ward as well as surrounding communities in Bungoma North and Tongaren Sub-Counties. We are a proud Level II Health Facility, accredited by the National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) to offer the following services:
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HIV testing and treatment
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COVID-19 testing and treatment
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Malaria testing and FREE mosquito net distribution
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Typhoid testing
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Pre-test counseling
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Vaccination
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Antenatal and postnatal health care
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Delivery
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Baby Wellness Clinic
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Outpatient Clinic
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Pharmacy
Mituntu Mixed Day Secondary School
Mituntu Mixed Day Secondary School (MMDSS) serves students grades 5-9 and is located on the premises of SOTENI Village of Hope-Mituntu in Kianjai Ward. SOTENI is proud to support MMDSS by donating storage space and facilitating the Freedom for Girls Project. The Freedom for Girls Project combines puberty education with an annual supply of sanitary towels so that female students can understand their bodies and navigate their education with confidence.
