
OUR WORK > CARE PROGRAMS
Child Health
PRIORITIZING THE MOST VULNERABLE PEOPLE WE SERVE.
Children make up nearly half of Kenya’s population, but they suffer from the highest mortality of any age group. About one in 10 children in Western Kenya die before they reach the age of five, mostly from preventable illnesses such as pneumonia, diarrhea, HIV, malaria, malnutrition, measles, and neonatal complications.
AMPATH is working hard to change that, from prevention and home testing programs to making sure all children have access to primary health care, as well as improving birth and newborn services in-home and in-hospital. We also go beyond care to make sure children have the nutrition, shelter, counseling, and social support they need to thrive.

132,000+
Orphans and vulnerable children supported in 5 counties
6,230
Children in active care for HIV
240
Children with cancer treated each month

AREAS OF FOCUS
Without treatment, the chances a pregnant HIV-positive mother will pass the virus to her infant or newborn are 35%. Together, our in-clinic and home-based programs have lowered mother-to-child HIV transmission to 4.2%, practically preventing it in our treatment areas.
HIV-positive and HIV-affected children have often seen their entire family structure change, or even go completely away. We act quickly to help them stabilize and get the basic support they need (caretakers, food, shelter, etc.) and then stick around with regular visits to make sure they’re set up for long-term success with educational programs, psychosocial support, and economic security initiatives.
AMPATH cares for more than 6,000 children who are living with HIV, and our comprehensive care goes far beyond treatment. Together with our partners, we help young people overcome the challenges of being HIV positive, accepting and disclosing their status, and consistently taking their medicine. In 2016 we opened the MTRH Rafiki Center for Excellence in Adolescent Health, a space dedicated to the unique needs of teens with HIV providing treatment, nutritional support, peer support groups, educational sessions, and more.
The Sally Test Child Life Program at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital provides educational and recreational activities for 200 children each day. Our dedicated staff provide a nurturing environment for adults and children alike, including counseling, medical play and cuddling, and procedural preparation for Kenyan children and their families.
Before 2010, no treatment for pediatric cancer existed in Western Kenya. It was then AMPATH began oncology training opportunities for doctors, students, nurses, and other health care providers to test for, diagnose, and treat pediatric cancer. Today, we’re continuing to increase the quality of pediatric cancer care in Kenya, helping more and more children survive and thrive.
Children with developmental disabilities suffer the threat of being hidden, excluded from society. Families often do not understand disabilities or know where to turn for help. AMPATH partners are developing programs to serve the needs of children and families through upskilling health workers, identifying resources for children with disabilities and creating the new Wezesha Watoto Neurodevelopment Clinic.
YOUR GIFT MAKES A DIFFERENCE.
$25
One month of anti-retroviral treatment for a patient living with HIV
$100
35-40 insecticide treated mosquito nets to prevent malaria
$200
Specialty testing for childhood cancer

LATEST NEWS ON CHILD HEALTH
The pediatric HIV clinic at the AMPATH Centre at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) recently celebrated the impressive viral suppression rate of 98.6%, surpassing the UNAIDS target of 95%.
Each month the Sally Test Child Life Program at Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Kenya helps more than 4,500 children and their families cope with their mental, emotional and social needs as they face hospitalization and medical procedures.
Celebrating HIV-exposed infants (HEI) who reach two years without contracting the virus is a significant achievement in HIV care.
The County Government of Elgeyo Marakwet, Metkei Ward, in collaboration with AMPATH and Moi University, has received a generous equipment donation from the German Doctors Agency to equip the new Metkei Community Maternity Ward.
Tremendous successes have been achieved through the Chamas for Change program activities over the past 12 years of implementation.
The winners of The Kusoma Book Project, which invited Kenyan storytellers to submit a manuscript for a children’s book that celebrated intellectual, physical and emotional differences, were announced and celebrated at an artist’s reception in Eldoret earlier this year.
OTHER CARE PROGRAMS
