Academy for Educational Development

Speak for the Child supports families and communities in western Kenya to improve the health, nutrition, and psychosocial care of young children orphaned and affected by HIV/AIDS.  Now in its seventh year, Speak for the Child began serving 500 children in Kakamega and is now helping 16,000 children and caregivers in Western and Nyanza Provinces. 

Key features of the program include:

• Recruiting and training household mentors who provide support to caregivers;
• Establishing school, health clinic, and pharmacy agreements in order to cover preschool fees, immunizations, and medicines to fight malaria, acute respiratory illness, and parasites;
• Ensuring that children have blankets, insecticide-treated bednets, and emergency food when needed;
• Making certain that households have water purification products, soap, seeds and fertilizer. Providing income generating opportunities to caregiver support groups.  

The project has affected orphans in Kenya in many ways:

• 95% of children enrolled are fully immunized;
• 94% of eligible children are enrolled in preschool;
• 59% of caregivers are combining and enriching foods to improve the diets of children under 5;
• 63% of caregivers are involved with income-generation activities;
• 61% of caregivers feed young children more frequently during the day;
• 8% of caregivers have planted new crops or have prepared land for planting.