Qualitative Study on Skills and Capacity Barriers in Turkana County, Kenya: Study Report

Integrated community case management (iCCM) brings identification, treatment, and referral of common childhood illnesses such as pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria, and malnutrition, as well as newborn care to the community. In Kenya, community health volunteers (CHVs) implement iCCM under the guidance of community health extension workers. While iCCM has a significant focus on disease treatment, it is unclear what level of counseling CHVs provide to facilitate the prevention of common childhood illnesses. USAID Advancing Nutrition conducted this formative research to understand the counseling CHVs provide related to the prevention of pneumonia and malnutrition. This formative research found that CHVs in Turkana provide all components of treatment, referral, and follow-up for childhood illness within iCCM. Support from CHEWs and the contextualized iCCM job aid were instrumental in this regard. The study also found that some CHVs successfully implemented problem-solving skills into counseling, but mostly with water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) behaviors.