The Danish delegation from the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Ambassador of Denmark to Kenya along with the UNHCR Country Representative, the Head of Kakuma Sub-Office and UNHCR Kenya’s Senior Public Health Officer, at the UNHCR Sub-office in Kakuma. ©UNHCR
Kakuma – In support of the local development plan for Turkana West sub-County, refugee inclusion and better health for all is at the centre of a new Danish partnership Inclusive Refugee Response Partnership.
This week, UNHCR Kenya hosted two of the Danish partners, the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, supporting UNHCR on this initiative on a mission to Kalobeyei Integrated Settlement and Kakuma refugee camp. The Chairmanship of the Novo Nordisk Foundation and the Ambassador of Denmark to Kenya came to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges and opportunities ahead following the launch of the new partnership.
Improving access to health care for all by strengthening the nationally accredited health facilities in the refugee hosting areas is a key aim of the partnership. People living with non-communicable diseases (NCDs) like hypertension (high blood pressure) and diabetes are among the many in need of services from qualified health staff. These types of chronic diseases are on the rise in all parts of the world and require trained healthcare workers due to the complexity of the diseases and the need for continuous follow-up.
In Turkana County some health facilities do not have qualified health workers and as part of the partnership the need to boost the healthcare capacity will be addressed together with the Kenya Medical Training College facility in Lodwar, where students from the refugee and host communities will be supported to take courses in nursing.
The Danish mission met with the county authorities and several partner organisations supporting the refugee response and valued the interaction with refugee and hosting communities to learn from their experiences and ability to cope under difficult circumstances.
“I have witnessed a lot of suffering in many parts of the world, where people face very difficult living conditions, but I also get a strong sense of optimism, when I see how the refugees and host communities here manage everyday life with determination and gratitude,” said the Chairman of the Novo Nordisk Foundation, Lars Rebien Sørensen.
At Natukobenyo health facility in Kalobeyei, the delegation visited the clinic dedicated to providing care for people with NCDs, run by the Kenya Red Cross Society with support from UNHCR. They spoke with patients, who shared their stories of how this clinic had already improved their access to health care.
I came to Kenya as a refugee from South Sudan in 2016 and two years later, I found myself in such a bad state that I was hardly able to walk. Only when I came to the clinic here did I learn that my high blood pressure was making me sick and I had to take medication to control it. Charles Oliwa Akim, who is a patient at the NCD clinic at Natukobenyo.
Establishing more of this kind of integrated clinic for NCD care at the primary health facilities is one of the objectives of the new Danish partnership.
Despite everyday life challenges experienced by many of the people the mission engaged with, the delegation left Turkana with a strong sense of hope for the future and was clearly inspired by the entrepreneurial skills and power of the refugees they met.
Speaking after the mission, UNHCR Country Representative Caroline Van Buren stressed the importance of the partnership; “UNHCR is aware of the challenges refugees face and we are committed to providing quality health services. Support from the Novo Nordisk Foundation will ensure that these services are improved and scaled up, with an increase in the number of qualified personnel attending to the patients and enhanced infrastructure. UNHCR also appreciates the technical support from the Foundation, a partner that has also shown a great deal of commitment to refugees and hosting communities in Turkana County. We look forward to further strengthening our partnership in the years to come.”
Background:
The new Danish partnership UNHCR Kenya and partners are implementing is part of the Inclusive Refugee Response Partnership – a new public-private alliance between the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs and three major Danish foundations: Novo Nordisk Foundation, Grundfos Foundation and Lego Foundation. As a first step, the alliance is pioneering a programme in Kenya in support of the country’s efforts to deliver integrated services for refugees and host communities in the health, water and education sectors in Turkana County as part of the KISEDP II, the Kalobeyei Integrated Socio-Economic Development Plan in Turkana West Sub-County. As part of the alliance initiative, the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs will also be supporting UNHCR’s health and education programme in Turkana.
Share on Facebook Share on Twitter
