USAID 4TheChild and Postbank Sign MoU to Support Children and Adolescents

In January, USAID 4TheChild and Kenya Post Office Savings Bank (Postbank) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to come together to protect, invest in, and improve the health and education of 132,771 orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) and enhance the resilience of at least 14,337 adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) against HIV/AIDS in five western Kenya counties of Bungoma, Busia, Kakamega, Kisumu and Siaya.

LEFT TO RIGHT: USAID 4TheChild Acting Chief of Party Kenneth Otieno, USAID 4TheChild Beneficiary, Postbank Managing Director Raphael Lekolool, AMPATH Executive Director for Care Prof. Sylvester Kimaiyo, Kisumu County Director of Health, Policy and Partnerships Dr. James Odiga, and USAID 4TheChild Household Economic Strengthening Manager Emilly Omudho displaying the signed model of the MoU between USAID 4TheChild and Postbank to support OVC and AGYW in western Kenya.

“The MoU we are signing today will provide a framework for a partnership that will help our USAID-funded project to achieve its objectives while also helping Postbank to realize its mandate to inculcate thrift and mobilize savings for national development,” said Professor Sylvester Kimaiyo, AMPATH Executive Director for Care, during the MoU signing event in Kisumu.

In 2021, USAID 4TheChild mapped Postbank as one of the stakeholders in the project counties to provide financial literacy and savings services to its beneficiaries. The project, therefore, agreed with Postbank to (i) provide an engagement framework between the two partners in the project counties, (ii) provide financial literacy and savings services that will complement the efforts of the project to achieve the five domains of wellbeing (i.e., Healthy, Stable, Safe, and Schooled), and (iii) leverage resources that will target OVC and their households and AGYW to strengthen them economically.

Postbank Managing Director Raphael Lekolool and AMPATH Executive Director for Care Prof. Sylvester Kimaiyo displaying the signed model of the MoU between USAID 4TheChild and Postbank to support OVC and AGYW in western Kenya.

Kenneth Otieno, USAID 4TheChild Acting/Deputy Chief of Party, applauded Postbank for accepting to partner with Moi University College of Health Sciences (MUCHS) – the lead project implementing partner – in furthering the objectives of USAID 4TheChild in relation to economic strengthening for vulnerable households and beneficiary savings groups.

Kenneth added that MUCHS was keen to develop and nurture strategic partnerships that would help deliver the project in the context of public-private partnerships. “This will help us leverage resources for optimal reach in service delivery,” he said.

“USAID 4TheChild is mandated to facilitate quality health and social services to vulnerable populations,” Kenneth said. “This requires collaboration and partnerships with public and private sector players with a common interest.”

Economic disparity related to gender inequality is an ongoing and complex driver of HIV, noted Simon Peter, Director for Make Me Smile Kenya (MMS-K), USAID 4TheChild’s strategic and local implementing partner. “This partnership will provide an opportunity to strengthen AGYW’s self-efficacy and decision-making power,” he said.

Simon Peter added that the adolescent girls under USAID 4TheChild’s DREAMS (Determined, Resilient, Empowered, AIDS-free, Mentored, and Safe) intervention would go through training on how to deter them from early pregnancies.

Postbank Managing Director, Raphael Lekolool, said that the bank would provide financial literacy and savings services to caregivers of the OVC and AGYW in the project counties that would complement the efforts of the project and its partners to achieve its objectives. Lekolool added that the bank staff in the Western Region would offer the necessary financial education to the OVC families and AGYW that would be directly linked to the program.

“On our part, as Postbank, we will offer the OVC caregivers and AGYW good financial services and training and ensure that the savings program that they wish to undertake comes to fruition,” Lekolool said.

USAID 4TheChild is implemented by Moi University College of Health Sciences (MUCHS) through AMPATH and in collaboration with two local strategic partners – Make Me Smile Kenya (MMS-K) and Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF).