Afya Research Africa

Afya Research Africa We aim to make healthcare in Kenya convenient, affordable, and effective.

Guided by the belief that healthcare should harness the unique strengths of the people itโ€™s meant to serve, we help communities set-up and manage medical centres, design the right health technology for small remote healthcare facilities, and promote local research and evidence-based medicine to improve quality of care. Afya Research Africa is a partner of The County Innovation Challenge Fund in Homa Bay and Turkana Counties, has been recognized as an innovative healthcare solution by the Social Entrepreneurship Accelerator at Duke University (SEAD), GEHEalthymagination, and the Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship, is an active member in the Innovations in Healthcare network, and a grantee of the Pfizer Foundation bringing primary healthcare services to underserved communities.

As your child transitions into adolescence, they face new changes, emotions, and questions. Our 2-day Introductory Class...
13/10/2025

As your child transitions into adolescence, they face new changes, emotions, and questions. Our 2-day Introductory Class on ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐˜…๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฅ๐—ฒ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฑ๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜๐—ต (SRH) for preteens, helps them understand these changes in a safe, supportive, and age-appropriate way.

Through two engaging modules of this SRH class โ€œUnderstanding Myselfโ€ and โ€œLife Skills for a Safer Worldโ€ your child will:
โœจ Understand themselves and their changing bodies
โœจ Build confidence and make responsible choices
โœจ Learn essential life skills for a safer, healthier future

This learning session is guided by great tutors and is aligned with Ministry of Health and Education standards.

๐Ÿ“ ๐—š๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜๐—ฟ๐˜‚๐—ฑ๐—ฒโ€™๐˜€ ๐—–๐—ต๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฑ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ปโ€™๐˜€ ๐—›๐—ผ๐˜€๐—ฝ๐—ถ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—น, ๐— ๐˜‚๐˜๐—ต๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ฎ
๐Ÿ“… ๐—ข๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ผ๐—ฏ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿฌโ€“๐Ÿฏ๐Ÿญ | ๐Ÿต:๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฌ ๐—ฎ.๐—บ โ€“ ๐Ÿฐ:๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฌ ๐—ฝ.๐—บ
๐Ÿ’ฐ ๐—ž๐˜€๐—ต ๐Ÿฑ,๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฌ๐Ÿฌ ๐—ผ๐—ป๐—น๐˜† | ๐Ÿ“ž +๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿฑ๐Ÿฐ๐Ÿณ๐Ÿต๐Ÿญ๐Ÿญ๐Ÿณ๐Ÿฐ๐Ÿฎ๐Ÿณ๐Ÿฏ
๐˜™๐˜ฆ๐˜จ๐˜ช๐˜ด๐˜ต๐˜ข๐˜ณ: ๐˜ฉ๐˜ต๐˜ต๐˜ฑ๐˜ด://๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฎ๐˜ด.๐˜จ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ/๐˜ค๐˜Ž๐˜š๐˜‰176๐˜“๐˜Ÿ๐˜ž4๐˜ด๐˜‹๐˜ณ๐˜“27

Book a spot for your child today!

Over the years, working to make communities healthier, weโ€™ve learned that their surroundings 'the air they breathe, the ...
10/10/2025

Over the years, working to make communities healthier, weโ€™ve learned that their surroundings 'the air they breathe, the water they use, and the environment they live in' play a huge role in shaping their health.

This yearโ€™s Mazingira Day theme, โ€œCitizen-Centric Tree Growing and Environmental Stewardship,โ€ reminds us that protecting our environment is everyoneโ€™s responsibility and that every small action counts.

Our solar-powered Ubuntu-Afya Kiosks in underserved areas are proof that healthcare and sustainability can thrive together. By harnessing clean energy, weโ€™re keeping clinics open and creating green spaces where innovation and wellness grow side by side.

Weโ€™ve learned that sustainability isnโ€™t an afterthought rather itโ€™s the backbone of lasting healthcare. This Mazingira Day, we celebrate the unbreakable link between a healthy planet and a healthy people.

Luxury looks different for everyone. For mothers in the informal settlements we work in, it often meant choosing between...
03/09/2025

Luxury looks different for everyone. For mothers in the informal settlements we work in, it often meant choosing between daily survival and the high cost of disposable diapers. It was from this reality that the idea to train caregivers on how to make reusable diapers was born.

We may not shout our accomplishments from rooftops, but in our hearts, we know we changed the lives of three or four mothers who had been quietly carrying the weight of these struggles. And sometimes, that is where true impact lies.
WomenLift Health Politics4Her Hivos Global Fund for Women



Last week, Cdsk Disability hosted the closeout session for the Make Way Programme, bringing together partners from Afya ...
01/09/2025

Last week, Cdsk Disability hosted the closeout session for the Make Way Programme, bringing together partners from Afya Research Africa and St. Francis Oriang.

The session was both reflective and celebratory, marking five years of the Make Way Programme. For the past two years, Afya Research Africa (ARA) has been part of this journey, working with young people with disabilities in Kibera and Mukuru Kwa Reuben. Through safe spaces, we have opened up conversations on their rights, empowered them to speak confidently about their sexual and reproductive health and equipped them with practical skills such as making reusable sanitary towels and diapers.

In addition, the session highlighted findings from our research titled โ€œAssessing Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability, and Quality (AAAQ) of SRH Services for Persons with Disabilities in Primary Health Care Facilities in Kenya.โ€

This evidence has been key in shaping advocacy efforts and sparking conversations that matter for more intersectional health systems.

The gathering spotlighted success stories and drew important lessons for the future, particularly the need for strong partnerships, government collaboration and an intersectional approach to addressing overlapping vulnerabilities.

While the programme may have closed, the impact is undeniable. The voices raised, the evidence generated and the partnerships strengthened will continue to drive the vision of a future where SRHR is truly intersectional and accessible for all. VSO WomenLift Health Liliane Fonds Hivos

๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐˜„๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜ ๐˜๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ฒ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ฎ ๐—ด๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐—น ๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐—ฎ ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜๐˜† ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜„๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐˜…๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฑ๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜๐—ต? In a Ma...
11/07/2025

๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ป ๐˜„๐—ฎ๐˜€ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—น๐—ฎ๐˜€๐˜ ๐˜๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ฒ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ฎ๐˜€๐—ธ๐—ฒ๐—ฑ ๐—ฎ ๐—ด๐—ถ๐—ฟ๐—น ๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐—ฎ ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜๐˜† ๐˜„๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐˜€๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐˜„๐—ฎ๐—ป๐˜๐˜€ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐˜…๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐—ฑ๐˜‚๐—ฐ๐˜๐—ถ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐—ต๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜๐—ต? In a Make Way session in Kibera, Nairobi, young girls with disabilities alongside their caregivers challenged the silence and stigma surrounding their sexuality.

They spoke openly about how society often views them as asexual or worse, unworthy of love, relationships or agency. Yet their voices were powerful, clear, and bold: "๐—ช๐—ฒ ๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ ๐˜๐—ต๐—ฒ ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—ด๐—ต๐˜ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ธ๐—ป๐—ผ๐˜„, ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฐ๐—ต๐—ผ๐—ผ๐˜€๐—ฒ, ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ฝ๐—ฟ๐—ผ๐˜๐—ฒ๐—ฐ๐˜ ๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ๐˜€๐—ฒ๐—น๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐˜€."

S*x education is for everyone. And when we create safe, inclusive spaces, we begin to break down the harmful stereotypes that hold too many girls back.
๐—ช๐—ต๐—ฎ๐˜ ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚ ๐—ฑ๐—ผ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ฟ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—บ๐—บ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ถ๐˜๐˜† ๐˜๐—ผ ๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ฐ๐—น๐˜‚๐—ฑ๐—ฒ ๐˜†๐—ผ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ด ๐—ฝ๐—ฒ๐—ผ๐—ฝ๐—น๐—ฒ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐—ฑ๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ฆ๐—ฅ๐—›๐—ฅ ๐—ฐ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜ƒ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€? Cdsk Disability

In collaboration with Cheshire Disability Services Kenya and St. Francis Oriang Development Programme, we joined regiona...
01/07/2025

In collaboration with Cheshire Disability Services Kenya and St. Francis Oriang Development Programme, we joined regional Make Way implementing partners at the 8th Pan-African AYSRHR Scientific Conference 2025, hosted by Reproductive Health Network Kenya and The Ministry of Health.

At the conference, our team delivered an insightful presentation on: โ€œ๐—”๐˜€๐˜€๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ป๐—ด ๐—”๐˜ƒ๐—ฎ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜๐˜†, ๐—”๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€๐˜€๐—ถ๐—ฏ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜๐˜†, ๐—”๐—ฐ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐—ฝ๐˜๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜๐˜†, ๐—ฎ๐—ป๐—ฑ ๐—ค๐˜‚๐—ฎ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜๐˜† (๐—”๐—”๐—”๐—ค) ๐—ผ๐—ณ ๐—ฆ๐—ฅ๐—› ๐—ฆ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜ƒ๐—ถ๐—ฐ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ณ๐—ผ๐—ฟ ๐—ฃ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ๐˜€๐—ผ๐—ป๐˜€ ๐˜„๐—ถ๐˜๐—ต ๐——๐—ถ๐˜€๐—ฎ๐—ฏ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ฃ๐—ฟ๐—ถ๐—บ๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐˜† ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜๐—ต ๐—–๐—ฎ๐—ฟ๐—ฒ ๐—™๐—ฎ๐—ฐ๐—ถ๐—น๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€ ๐—ถ๐—ป ๐—ž๐—ฒ๐—ป๐˜†๐—ฎ.โ€

Our participation emphasized the importance of integrating an intersectional lens in advancing SRHR, especially for youth with disabilities. Together with our partners, we contributed to youth-led sessions that explored the Intersectionality-Based Policy Analysis (IBPA) tool in addressing SRHR challenges.

Innovative approaches to bridging the gap between disability and SRHR. Strengthening health systems to respond to evolving global and local threats through inclusive programming.

These discussions called for:

โœ”๏ธ Institutionalizing intersectionality in health and legal frameworks

โœ”๏ธ Strengthening inclusive policy and financing mechanisms

โœ”๏ธ Increasing youth representation; especially those with intellectual disabilities in decision-making

โœ”๏ธ Fostering cross-movement solidarity to ensure no one is left behind

Regional Make Way partners from Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zambia showcased groundbreaking initiatives supporting inclusive, high-quality health services, safe spaces for advocacy, and meaningful youth participation in SRHR.

A key message that emerged throughout the conference was the urgent need to embed SRHR, especially family planning into Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

This concern was powerfully captured by Dr. Mohamed Sheikh, Director General of the National Council for Population and Development, who reminded participants.

โ€œUniversal health coverage (UHC) must include access to family planning, because SRHR is not optional but essential.โ€

His words echoed the collective call to action to ensure SRHR is not treated as an add-on, but as a core element of UHC, backed by inclusive policies, financing, and accountability mechanisms that leave no one behind.

We are proud to be part of a movement that champions inclusive SRHR and centers the voices of youth with disabilities at the heart of health policy dialogue.

26/06/2025

Weโ€™re thrilled to be part of the 8th Pan-African AYSRHR Scientific Conference, hosted by The Reproductive Health Network Kenya (RHNK) in partnership with The Ministry of Health

Join us tomorrow at 10AM as we present our abstract: โ€œAssessing Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability, and Quality (AAAQ) of SRH Services for Persons with Disabilities in Primary Health Care Facilities in Kenya.โ€





Grateful to our partners, county officials, health workers, and community representatives for joining us in reviewing pr...
19/06/2025

Grateful to our partners, county officials, health workers, and community representatives for joining us in reviewing progress on disability inclusive SRHR services.



In collaboration with the Nairobi City County health officials, facility in-charges from Langโ€™ata and Kibera public hosp...
19/06/2025

In collaboration with the Nairobi City County health officials, facility in-charges from Langโ€™ata and Kibera public hospitals, policymakers, and persons with disabilities, we held a review meeting yesterday to the progress of policy commitments that followed our research on "The Availability, Accessibility, Acceptability, and Quality (AAAQ) of SRH Services for People with Disabilities."

The review was anchored on the key recommendations presented during the dissemination of the research findings eight months ago.

The discussion highlighted significant actions already underway by the Nairobi City County Government (NCCG) including; infrastructure renovations to enhance physical accessibility in health facilities and the training of healthcare workers in basic Kenyan Sign Language to improve service delivery for patients with hearing impairments.

This collaborative effort underscores the importance of evidence-based advocacy and sustained engagement in achieving inclusive, equitable healthcare for persons with disabilities.

This joint effort among our partners Cheshire Disability Services Kenya, Make Way and us, reflects our shared commitment to promoting equitable and inclusive SRHR for persons with disabilities.

Today, we are proud to see our CEO, Dr. Samson Gwer, recognized by Business Daily for his visionary leadership and firm ...
13/06/2025

Today, we are proud to see our CEO, Dr. Samson Gwer, recognized by Business Daily for his visionary leadership and firm commitment to transforming healthcare in Kenya and across Africa.

As a paediatric neurologist, award-winning researcher, and Executive Director at Afya Research Africa, Dr. Gwer has pioneered initiatives that expand access to quality healthcare for underserved communities. His groundbreaking work in child neurology and digital health innovation continues to shape policy, practice, and training across the continent.

Join us in congratulating Dr. Gwer, an exemplary figure whose dedication inspires our team and the broader medical community.

Read the full storyโคต๏ธ

โ€œThey remembered us.โ€Thatโ€™s what one of the girls whispered during our safe space session in Kibera this past Saturday.F...
03/06/2025

โ€œThey remembered us.โ€

Thatโ€™s what one of the girls whispered during our safe space session in Kibera this past Saturday.

For many girls with disabilities, managing periods or incontinence is a quiet, often painful struggle. Supplies are expensive. Support is scarce. And being overlooked feels like the norm.

But on this day, they were not invisible. We spent the morning learning, laughing, sharing stories and making sure no girl left empty-handed. We came with sanitary towels and diapers, not as an act of charity, but as an offering of care.

A small gesture, yes, but for them, it meant everything.
Cheshire Disability Services Kenya

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