MSF stands for “Medecins sans Frontieres” In French; the English translation is “Doctors without Borders”.

Ijara district is located in North Eastern Province of Kenya in Garissa County. It has population of 100,000 people.

MSF project started in April 2010 and was targeting the population in Hulugho and Sangailu divisions; MSF started the project in Ijara District with an aim to support provision of quality services in reproductive health including caesarean section, immunization services, and tuberculosis for the populations attending Hulugho, Sangailu and Masalani health facilities in Ijara district. The project was implemented in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health, District Health Management Team in Ijara District and the Provincial Health Management Team in North Eastern Province.

Over the project period MSF has provided:

• Antenatal care services to 3,980 women.
• Post natal care services to 713 women.
• Conducted 465 deliveries in the health facility.
• Facilitated MoH to conduct immunization and nutrition screening in the community.
• Trained 32 CHWs and community leaders to identify suspected TB cases and to provide health messages in the community.
• Sensitized traditional birth attendants on the importance of institutional deliveries.
• Supported national health campaigns in Ijara District.
• Donated drugs, medical supplies and equipments.
• Improved water supply, waste management and energy supply in the supported facilities.

The Project succeeded to improve:

• Institutional deliveries in Hulugho and Sangailu health facilities from 5-6 deliveries per month to 50 per month.
• Establishment of postnatal care services that were none existent in the facilities.
• ANC services that were an average of 50 increased to over 200 per month.
• Hulugho and Sangailu health facilities to provide focused ante natal care services and safe delivery services.

The factors that brought an improvement in reproductive health services were:

• Human resources provision of one midwife in each of the supported health facilities on a 24 hour basis and every day of the week.
• Efficient referral system from villages to the facilities.
• Technical support by a medical doctor/ gynecologist at the district hospital as a back-up for caesarean section and a technical referent for difficult cases in the rural facilities.

MSF signed a MOU with the MoH in April 2010 and they committed to work for two years in Ijara district. MSF project period was supposed to end in April 2012.

MSF has also been lobbying among interested NGOs with an aim to ensure continuity of services as they were implemented by MSF.

Atlantic Global Aid (AGA) was identified by the

Ministry of health to take over MSF activities in Ijara district on October 2012.

AGA took over the MSF Ijara Project and promised to add Nutrition and Wash components in the program. AGA will replicate

This program more facilities.

There is one ambulance in each facility to help

Patient to bring from rural to the health facility.