Reducing Waterborne Diseases in 131 Kenyan Schools

Objectives of the activity

• To strengthen monitoring and evaluation (M&E) mechanisms for the School WASH program in Lurambi and Mumias East sub-counties.
• To enhance collaboration with county health structures by integrating Ward Public Health Officers (PHOs) into the school WASH monitoring framework.
• To train and familiarise selected PHOs with WE REACH’s WASH program and monitoring tools.
• To refine M&E tools through stakeholder input for improved usability and relevance.

Activity Summary

Activity 1.8: Identify, select and train Public Health Officers (PHO’s) (2nd April 2025, 28^th April and 29^th April 2025). Meeting attendees:

Ministry of Health (MOH) Representatives:

• Director Public Health Officer
• County Public Health Officer
• Dep-County Public Health Officer
• County WASH coordinator
• 2 Sub –County Public Health Officers
• 2 Sub-County WASH Coordinator
• 15 Ward PHO’S

Ministry of Education (MOE) Representatives:

• 2 Sub-County Director of Education
• 2 Sub-County Quality Assurance and Standards Officer.

In April 2025, WE REACH made significant strides in scaling and strengthening the School WASH program in Kakamega County. Key milestones included holding a consultative meeting with the County Executive Committee Members (CECMs) for Health and Education, sharing our partner school list with WASH coordinators, and conducting a comprehensive two-day training for 15 Ward PHOs from Lurambi and Mumias East sub-counties. These actions were foundational in operationalising the integration of public health officers into WASH activity monitoring and ensuring sustainability through government-led structures.

Activities/Proceedings

a. Stakeholder Engagement Meeting – 2rd April 2025

WE REACH held a stakeholders’ breakfast meeting with representatives from the Departments of Health and Education at the county level. The purpose was to present the proposal of integrating Ward PHOs into the monitoring of WASH activities in the 87 primary schools already reached. The meeting included key ministry officials and was well received. The County Executive approved the idea and requested WE REACH to share a detailed list of partner schools per ward.

b. Submission of School List – 4th April 2025

Following the meeting, WE REACH promptly submitted the list of all 87 partner schools (57 in Lurambi and 30 in Mumias East) to the respective Sub-County WASH Coordinators. This enabled them to align the schools with the corresponding wards and identify PHOs to be attached for program monitoring.

c. PHO Training – 28th & 29th April 2025

WE REACH organized and facilitated a two-day training for 15 Ward Public Health Officers. The training aimed at introducing them to the scope of the WASH program, the expected roles of PHOs in the M&E process, and reviewing the tools developed by WE REACH. Key sessions included:

• Program overview and background
• Use and review of the WASH Monitoring Checklist
• Orientation on Learners' Survey Guide Questions
• Open feedback sessions to refine M&E tools collaboratively

The feedback from PHOs was incorporated into the tools to improve clarity, relevance, and practicality.

ACHIEVEMENTS:

• Successfully held a high-level stakeholder meeting with CECMs and county officials, leading to full endorsement of the PHO integration proposal.
• Received approval and support from Sub-County WASH coordinators.
• Trained 15 Ward PHOs on the WE REACH WASH program and monitoring tools.
• Collected practical feedback from PHOs, leading to improved and more user-friendly M&E tools.
• Strengthened partnerships with county departments, especially Health and Education.

LESSONS LEARNT:

• Early involvement of government stakeholders improves program buy-in and long-term sustainability.
• PHOs are enthusiastic about participating when they clearly understand their roles and the tools to be used.
• Practical sessions and tool walkthroughs are essential to build shared understanding and ownership.

CHALLENGES

• Reimbursement expectations: The initial reimbursement package proposed by WE REACH for PHO school visits was not accepted, as the PHOs requested that both transport and lunch allowances be included. This required WE REACH to revisit and adjust its internal budget to explore the possibility of accommodating the additional costs.
• Aligning schedules for all key stakeholders required extensive coordination.
• Some PHOs required more time to fully grasp the data collection tools, which slightly extended the training sessions.

RECOMMENDATIONS

• Provide ongoing support to PHOs as they begin school visits in Term 2.
• Consider conducting a mid-term review to assess the effectiveness of the PHO integration in M&E.
• Explore ways to include PHOs in future refresher trainings and quarterly review meetings.