NAIROBI, Kenya, June 9 – More than 63,000 residents in Makueni and Tana River counties are set to benefit from a new $100,000 (Ksh12.91 million) climate and health resilience fund targeting women and children facing mounting health risks due to extreme weather.
The initiative, launched through a partnership between Prudential Kenya and the Kenya Red Cross Society, aims to build long-term community resilience to climate-induced health challenges including malnutrition, waterborne diseases, and poor maternal and child health outcomes.
The one-year programme will target approximately 14,000 children under five, 27,000 primary school children, and 22,000 women of reproductive age. It will be implemented in areas where changing climate patterns have intensified droughts, flooding, food insecurity and disease outbreaks—conditions common across Kenya’s arid and semi-arid lands.
The Kenya Red Cross will lead implementation of community-based interventions, including climate-health education in schools, training on first aid and disease prevention, and support for water purification systems and school kitchen gardens. Mother and youth groups will be mobilised to promote hygiene and climate-resilient practices, while Community Health Workers and school leaders will be trained to integrate climate adaptation into education and health systems.
Kenya’s ASAL counties remain highly vulnerable, with recent data showing that more than 2.1 million people faced acute food insecurity last year. Stunting among children under five stands at 18.3% in Tana River and 17.6% in Makueni, according to the Ministry of Health.
The project is supported by the Ministry of Environment, the Ministry of Health, and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, with monitoring provided through quarterly reporting by KRCS.
The fund builds on Prudential’s previous support for health and humanitarian programmes in Kenya, including school-based nutrition efforts and disaster relief. It aims to strengthen health outcomes while reinforcing local climate resilience in some of Kenya’s most at-risk communities.
