This project is funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies Data for Health Initiative - Global Grants Program. The main objective was to establish an online Kenya Verbal Autopsy (KeVA) Resource/Knowledge Management Hub, To streamline and standardize resources for VA implementation in Kenya, to mobilize discussions regarding institutionalization and scale-up, to disseminate resources for relevant stakeholders across the country and to make resources readily accessible for anyone pursuing VA implementation in Kenya.
CDC has been supporting national CRVS improvement efforts in Kenya since 2011, with subnational support starting in Rachuonyo North Sub-county, within Homabay County, in 2013.
D4H began contributing support to the most recent focus area of these activities, verbal autopsy, as an ad hoc project starting in 2017. Within Rachuonyo North, community health volunteers (CHVs) record death events, and community health assistants (CHAs) follow up to do verbal autopsy. With CDC/D4H support, these activities have led to the development of several tools, such as VA Standards and VA training materials, to help VA implementation. There was also a mortality report generated for 2016 data, with a report for 2017-2019 data being drafted. However, at present, there is no central repository for these materials, and there are known gaps in the resources available.
National- and county-level leaders are interested in establishing additional guidance to support VA scale-up. They also intend to create an online platform, within the MOH website, where implementers and researchers can find standardized, Kenya-specific guidance on VA implementation. The anticipated outcome is a package of resources to support standard VA practices across all programs where verbal autopsy is applied, including multiple Health and Demographic Surveillance Sites (HDSSs) across the country, in order to support institutionalization and scale-up of verbal autopsy, as well as compilation and use of this valuable source of mortality data.
The creation of a central resource hub will promote the use and scale-up of verbal autopsy in Kenya, by providing users a foundation of tools to start with, and a place to post and share further developments. Materials will also be focused on documenting and promoting cost-effective practices to encourage long-term sustainability.
Collaborators and partners
