In remote Turkana, where access to healthcare is often out of reach, Save the Children's integrated outreach clinics are bringing life-saving health, nutrition and WASH services directly to families. Veronica's story and her son Namonia's recovery from severe acute malnutrition show how timely care is giving children a healthier future while reaching thousands of vulnerable people across the county.
In the remote village of Nachuro in Turkana County, where the nearest health facility is 19 kilometres away, accessing healthcare has long been a daily struggle. For families living across the 22 villages served by the Lomil Community Health Unit, seeking treatment often meant walking for hours or paying expensive motorcycle transport fares they could scarcely afford. During periods of drought, when food is scarce and household incomes decline, many families are forced to choose between buying food and seeking healthcare.
Today, integrated health, nutrition and WASH outreaches supported by the Eastern and Southern Africa Humanitarian Fund (ESAHF) for Kenya are transforming that reality.
Conducted twice every week and linked to Lomil Dispensary, the outreach clinics bring essential health, nutrition and WASH services directly to communities that would otherwise remain unreached. The dispensary serves a catchment population of approximately 7,000 people, many of whom depend entirely on livestock keeping and Charcoal burning for their livelihoods. Years of recurring drought have devastated livestock herds, reduced household purchasing power and contributed to high rates of acute malnutrition, particularly among children.
According to Benedicto Esekon, Health and Nutrition Officer at Save the Children, Nachuro was identified as a priority area after mass nutrition screenings revealed a high burden of malnutrition and significant unmet health needs.
During our mass screenings, Nachuro stood out because of the high number of malnourished children and the growing demand for health services. The prolonged drought has left many families without enough food, while livestock losses have reduced household incomes, increasing the risk of malnutrition among children, he explains.
Among those benefiting from the outreach is 34-year-old Veronica, a mother of four. While pregnant with her youngest child, Veronica was able to attend antenatal care services through the outreach programme, services she says would have been nearly impossible to access otherwise.
The drought had left her family with very little food, and her two-year-seven-month-old son, Namonia, became severely malnourished. During an outreach visit in May, Save the Children health workers identified his condition and immediately enrolled him in the Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) programme. He received Ready-to-Use Therapeutic Food (Plumpy'Nut), regular follow-up care and nutrition counselling for his mother.
Within weeks, Namonia's condition improved significantly. His Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) increased from 10.5 cm to 12.3 cm, an encouraging sign of recovery.
Veronicah holds her son, Namonia, as Nancy, a Health and Nutrition Officer, measures his Mid-Upper Arm Circumference (MUAC) during an integrated health and nutrition outreach in Nachuro, Turkana County. Samfelix Randa / Save the Children
For many mothers like Veronica, bringing services closer to the community has reduced delays in seeking treatment and improved access to essential maternal and child healthcare.
If it was not for the outreach, I would have to walk to Lomil Dispensary, a journey that takes almost the whole morning until around 2 p.m.," Veronica says. "I don't think I would have managed to attend my antenatal visits around may. At the outreach, I receive my supplements, my son is immunised, and his growth is monitored.
Christine Ikai, another resident of Nachuro, brought her son to the outreach after he developed malaria symptoms. She says the integrated approach has not only improved access to treatment but has also strengthened disease prevention.
Our children used to complain of frequent stomach aches, and many would miss school because of diarrhoea. It was something we worried about all the time. Since Save the Children provided us with water purification sachets and taught us the importance of drinking safe, clean water, those cases have reduced significantly. Our children are healthier now and are able to attend school more regularly," she says.
She adds that the outreaches have eased both the financial and physical burden of accessing healthcare.
"The outreach has helped us a lot. Before, we had to spend money travelling to Lomil Dispensary, which is very far. The motorcycle fares are expensive, and most of us cannot afford them. We would rather save that money to buy food and walk instead."
The integrated outreach combines health, nutrition and WASH services in a single visit, enabling families to access treatment for common illnesses, nutrition screening and treatment, immunisation, antenatal care, growth monitoring, health education and safe water interventions—all within their communities.
Since the first implementation cycle began in May, the Eastern and Southern Africa Humanitarian Fund (ESAHF) Kenya-supported programme has expanded integrated health, nutrition and WASH outreach services across 184 sites in Turkana County, reaching more than 110,700 people in hard-to-reach and drought-affected communities. Thousands of children have been screened for malnutrition, with those identified as severely or moderately malnourished receiving life-saving treatment and follow-up care.
For families in Nachuro, the outreach is more than a mobile clinic, it is a lifeline. By bringing essential services closer to communities, Save the Children and its partners are helping children receive timely treatment, supporting mothers with critical healthcare, and reducing the long journeys families would otherwise make to seek care. For Veronicah, the impact is already clear: Namonia is recovering, growing stronger, and has another chance at a healthy future.
