Maternal and Child Health Project

Building Resilience from the Ground Up

Every mother deserves a safe pregnancy. Every child deserves a healthy start. And every community deserves the power to build its own future.

For over seven years, the Centre for Peace and Nationhood (CPN) has been working alongside the women of Mathare, building a scalable, peer-to-peer network of local health leaders through our unique Care Group model. We’re not just providing a service; we’re building a movement that empowers women through peer-led health education, promotes positive behavior change, and strengthens household and community support systems.

Our work goes beyond clinical outcomes, focusing on a holistic approach to well-being. Our community health promoters and care group volunteers are equipped with an evidence-based modules, ensuring the dissemination of critical Maternal and Child Health (MCH) information throughout the community.

The Care Groups serve as a crucial platform for psychosocial support, providing a secure environment where women can address mental health challenges and build social cohesion. This community-led intervention strengthens resilience from within, fostering a sense of belonging and mutual support that is essential for a healthy community.

We believe that good health goes hand in hand with financial stability. That’s why we have built economic empowerment into our Care Group program.

Within each Care Group, women come together to form Self-Help Groups. These groups give members the tools and confidence to take control of their finances by:

  • Saving – pooling resources to create a shared safety net.
  • Loaning – offering small loans to meet household needs or handle emergencies.
  • Investing – starting or growing small businesses that bring in income and support their families. Through these groups, women gain not only financial strength but also the ability to shape a better future for themselves and their children’

We Are not only improving health, but also enhancing household economic stability. A financially secure mother is better positioned to invest in her family’s future.

This isn’t about short-term fixes. It’s about creating a sustainable impact that will uplift communities for generations to come.

Join us in building this legacy of health. Together, we can ensure every child born in Mathare has the foundation they need to thrive.

IMPACTS

A Foundation of Health and Prosperity

For over seven years, the Centre for Peace and Nationhood (CPN) has been dedicated to creating lasting change in Mathare. Our project stands out by focusing on a holistic, community-led model, and our partnerships with key stakeholders ensure our work is both sustainable and impactful.

Transforming Maternal and Child Health Outcomes

In the heart of Mathare’s informal settlements, mothers and children face daily challenges that threaten their health and future. Since 2017, our Care Group model has been changing this reality, bringing hope, health, and empowerment to families who need it most.

Our Impact at a Glance

  • Healthy Start for 6,000+ Women and Children: Direct support to families, ensuring healthier pregnancies and stronger children.
  • Safer Births: Hospital delivery rates increased from 60% to 88%, thanks to better referrals and facility linkages.
  • Life-Saving Immunization: 90% of children are fully immunized by their first birthday, protecting them from preventable diseases.
  • Improved Pregnancy Care: 85% of pregnant women now complete the recommended four or more antenatal visits.
  • Better Infant Nutrition: 72% of infants are exclusively breastfed for the first six months.

Empowering a Resilient Community

In  Mathare, our work is changing lives every day. We are not only improving health outcomes but also building a community that is stronger, safer, and more self-reliant.

  • Better Mental Health: Safe spaces allow women to share their struggles, easing perinatal depression and bringing neighbors together in trust and support.
  • Protecting Children: Our safeguarding and child protection systems ensure that children grow up in safe and nurturing environments.
  • Financial Stability for Families: Over 100 active Self-Help Groups, women can save, borrow, and run small businesses. This extra income helps them feed their families, pay school fees, and handle health emergencies.
  • Men as Partners in Health: By involving male partners in trainings, we see stronger family support and better decision-making for maternal and child health.
  • Local Champions for Change: We have trained over 500 Community Health Promoters   and 2500 Care Group Volunteers. They are trusted leaders, delivering life-saving information and support to thousands of households.

Partnerships for Sustainable Impact

Our work in Mathare is possible because of strong partnerships and a focus on long-term change. By working closely with existing systems, we make sure our impact lasts.

  • Government Collaboration: We have a formal MoU with the Nairobi County Government, integrating our work into the public health system. We also work directly with the County and Sub-County Health Teams, aligning our activities with official health plans.
  • Local Administration Support: We partner with chiefs, assistant chiefs, and community leaders to gain trust, mobilize residents, and ensure our work reaches those who need it most.
  • Joint Planning and Monitoring: We hold quarterly review meetings and conduct joint supervision with county and sub-county teams to keep our work on track and maintain quality standards.
  • Positive Community Impact: These partnerships have improved referrals, strengthened links between the community and health facilities, and increased uptake of maternal and child health services. High-risk cases are now identified earlier and receive timely care, saving lives and building community trust.

Building the Capacity of Community Health Promoters

Community Health Promoters (CHPs) were trained on antenatal care, postnatal care, immunization, family planning, and behavior change communication. This equips them to lead care groups effectively, where young mothers learn, share experiences, and receive accurate health information.

Through this training, CHPs can now promote positive health-seeking behaviors, encourage regular ANC/PNC visits, support child immunization, and offer both practical and emotional support.

This is more than training  it is empowering communities to change mindsets, strengthen families, and build healthier futures for mothers and children.

Care Group Volunteers Trained to Empower Young Mothers

We recently conducted a focused training for Care Group Volunteers to strengthen their role as community health educators. These volunteers are now equipped to lead Neighbourhood Women Sessions, where they will share accurate and practical health information with young mothers.

The training covered key topics including maternal and child nutrition, family planning, immunization, hygiene, and disease prevention. Volunteers learned how to promote exclusive breastfeeding, support proper child feeding, encourage uptake of family planning methods, and advocate for timely immunizations.

With this training, Care Group Volunteers are now better prepared to influence positive behavior change, support informed decision-making, and improve health outcomes at the household level.

Empowered volunteers. Informed mothers. Healthier communities.

Working Together for Better Health: Quarterly MCH Review with Nairobi County Teams

CPN held a Quarterly Review Meeting with the Nairobi County and Mathare Sub-County Health Teams to check progress on our Maternal and Child Health (MCH) project.

The County and Sub-County teams also serve as the technical committee guiding the planning and implementation of the project. Their support helps us stay aligned with public health priorities and improve care for mothers and children in the community.

Through our MoU with the Nairobi County Department of Health, we work closely to deliver health education using Ministry of Health-approved modules. The Sub-County Health Team seconds Community Health Promoters (CHPs) to CPN, who then help reach families with important health messages and services.

We also share data regularly to support joint planning and informed decisions.

Together, we are building a healthier future for women and children in Mathare.

CPN Care Group Sessions: Empowering Mothers with Life-Saving Health Knowledge

In Mathare, CPN’s Community Health Promoters lead Care Group sessions where neighborhood women come together within their own communities to learn about important health topics like nutrition, immunization, hygiene, and family planning. The health education is delivered through behavior change communication using Ministry of Health-approved materials. These sessions usually happen in familiar, welcoming spaces within the neighborhood so young mothers can easily understand and trust the information.

These Care Group meetings play a powerful role in improving the health of mothers and children by sharing life-saving knowledge and encouraging positive behavior changes right where it is needed most.

 

Empowering Change: CPN Trains Community Health Promoters on Maternal Nutrition

The Center for Peace and Nationhood (CPN) recently held a powerful training session on maternal nutrition for its dedicated Community Health Promoters (CHPs) in Mathare.

Led by the Mathare Sub-County Nutritionist, the session focused on equipping CHPs with essential knowledge to support the health of pregnant women and young mothers. Topics included proper nutrition during pregnancy, breastfeeding, and how to educate families on healthy eating habits.

After this training, CPN’s CHPs will roll out the same knowledge during Care Group sessions across all Ngei health units, reaching young mothers directly within their communities.

This capacity-building session is part of CPN’s mission to create healthier families through grassroots education and local empowerment.

Joint Support Supervision in Mathare

The Centre for Peace and Nationhood (CPN), together with the Nairobi County and Sub-County Health Team, conducted a joint support supervision visit in Mathare. The focus was on CPN’s Care Groups, a community health model where trained volunteers share life-saving messages with families to improve maternal and child health.

This exercise strengthened collaboration, assessed progress, and shared best practices to ensure families in Mathare access quality health information and services. By working together, CPN and government health teams are helping build healthier families and stronger communities.