AMPATH Partners Receive Three 5-year HIV Cooperative Agreements from PEPFAR/USAID

AMPATH received a series of great news over the past several months as partners Moi University College of Health Sciences (MUCHS) and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital (MTRH) were awarded competitively three new grants from the United States President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID). These were part of Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) focused as the Kenya Health Partnership for Quality Services (KHPQS) program. The new grants continue and expand care and treatment activities for people living with HIV and provide health and social services for orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and their families as well as adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) in western Kenya.

The AMPATHPlus name, which was the name of the $152M USAID award to MTRH since 2012, will be retired and the new awards will bear the names USAID AMPATH Uzima, USAID Dumisha Afya and USAID 4TheChild. All of the new awards will continue for five years and total more than USD $120 million.

USAID AMPATH Uzima (“life”) is a five-year award to MTRH to implement HIV care and treatment in the counties of Uasin Gishu, Trans Nzoia, West Pokot and Elgeyo Marakwet. It also includes OVC programs in Uasin Gishu and Trans Nzoia counties as well as Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCAH) in Trans Nzoia County.

USAID Dumisha Afya (“maintain health”) was awarded to MTRH to implement HIV care and treatment in Bungoma and Busia counties for the next five years. Professor Sylvester Kimaiyo, AMPATH Executive Director for Care, continues as the Chief of Party for USAID AMPATH Uzima, while Dr. Everline Ashiono is the Chief of Party for USAID Dumisha Afya and Mr. Kenneth Otieno, the Deputy Chief of Party, is the Acting COP for USAID 4TheChild.

“For the last two decades, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital has worked with our AMPATH partners to lead one of the largest and most comprehensive HIV care and control programs in sub-Saharan Africa,” said MTRH CEO, Dr. Wilson Aruasa, EBS. “We are honored to be selected to continue this vital service to our fellow Kenyans.”

USAID 4TheChild is implemented in the counties of Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, Kisumu, and Siaya with the aim of increasing the use of quality county-led health and social services to orphans and vulnerable children and their families and adolescent girls and young women. The project is implemented by MUCHS as the prime recipient through the AMPATH partnership. MUCHS has partnered with two local organizations in Kenya, including Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF) and Make Me Smile Kenya (MMS-K) working together with nine small local implementing partners.

“Moi University College of Health Sciences is pleased to partner with United States Agency for International Development (USAID) in implementing the USAID 4TheChild grant,” said Professor Robert Tenge, Principal of MUCHS. “Through this award, the University will continue to deepen her contributions in health and social services in the five target counties. In implementing USAID 4TheChild, MUCHS is committed to working with and supporting the national and county governments to put in place structures towards county-owned, county-managed, and county-led programming in line with Journey to Self-Reliance (J2SR),” he continued.

“These new grants from PEPFAR through USAID empower AMPATH to continue to improve the lives of people living with or impacted by HIV with our partners Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital and Moi University College of Health Sciences,” said Professor Kimaiyo. “We appreciate the support for the 110,000 people currently receiving care and treatment at 306 clinics throughout western Kenya, as well as prevention and screening efforts to end HIV transmission.”

Leaders of civil society organizations in Bungoma, Busia, and Kakamega counties participate in a two-day training with USAID 4TheChild on local resource mobilization, lobbying, and advocacy.