Declining donor funding is forcing health organisations to rethink how they finance and sustain essential services, including HIV prevention and treatment, mental health and maternal healthcare.
LVCT Health is responding by diversifying its income, strengthening its social enterprise and expanding locally driven health innovations to advance Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
With more than 25 years of experience in public health, the organisation has also rebranded to reflect its growth beyond HIV services into broader health systems, innovation and implementation.
Partnerships key to healthcare delivery
Dr Anne Musuva, Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Healthcare Federation (KHF), said collaboration between public and private sector institutions is essential to improving access to quality healthcare.
Musuva described LVCT Health as an esteemed member of KHF, the apex body representing Kenya’s private health sector.
“We recognise that no single sector, organisation or institution can deliver universal health coverage alone. We need partnerships that bring together the private sector, government, academia, civil society organisations and development partners, with each contributing its expertise to improve healthcare services for Kenyans,” she said.
She commended the organisation for embracing a social enterprise model amid changes in global development financing.
“One of the things we are proud of LVCT Health for is its willingness to explore the social enterprise model. Following the disruptions in the global financing architecture last year, organisations have had to rethink how they can continue delivering services that are critical to Kenyans as donor funding declines,” she said.
Musuva said the approach could help sustain research, mental health and other essential services despite funding uncertainties.
KHF would continue supporting partnerships with government and private sector organisations to strengthen healthcare delivery.
Reaching young people through community-led solutions
Patriciah Jeckonia, Programme Manager for Policy Intervention and Social Enterprise at LVCT Health, said locally developed solutions are essential to addressing community health needs, particularly among young people.
“We truly believe in local solutions, both based here in Kenya and across Africa, co-creating with the communities,” she said, adding that communities understand their challenges and can help develop interventions that address their needs.
The organisation uses digital platforms and peer-to-peer engagement to connect young people with health information and services.
“Annually, we reach over one million young people in Kenya and beyond,” Jeckonia said.
Its digital channels include a youth-friendly website, toll-free hotline, SMS, WhatsApp and applications that provide sexual and reproductive health information, initial counselling and referrals.
Some content is developed by young people to make it relevant to their needs.
The second approach involves training young people to share information with peers in colleges and other familiar settings. This has also helped improve awareness and uptake of HIV self-testing.
Jeckonia said the organisation is open to working with businesses, government, funders and philanthropists to expand its social impact.
“Half the time, they just need somebody to sit down with them, help them design it, and roll it out. And that is where LVCT fits perfectly,” she said, emphasising the importance of supporting community-led initiatives.
Diversifying income to sustain health programmes
Dr Lilian Otiso, Executive Director of LVCT Health, said the rebranding reflects the organisation’s growth beyond HIV services, its identity as a Kenyan non-governmental organisation and its commitment to long-term sustainability.
“Many people know us as Liverpool or by different names. We have gone through a rebranding process because we are a Kenyan NGO, and we are very proud of our identity,” Otiso said.
The new brand builds on the trust established over the years while communicating its broader health mandate.
Its logo retains the signature purple alongside green, representing mental health.
Otiso said the organisation had recognised the risks of relying on a single donor before recent funding cuts and incorporated income diversification into its 2022 strategy.
The United States government previously provided more than 90 per cent of its funding.
“We recognised that putting all our eggs in one basket was a big risk. This is a journey we had already started, which is why we established the social enterprise,” she said.
The enterprise aims to turn the organisation’s research, data, expertise and intellectual property into services and products that generate income while sustaining its social impact.
These include professional health training, workplace wellness and mental health services, safeguarding, research and evaluation, digital innovation, and support for companies implementing environmental, social and governance (ESG) and corporate social responsibility initiatives.
The organisation works across more than 36 counties.
Despite diversifying its income, HIV remains a priority, particularly among young people.
Its programmes include testing, treatment, prevention of mother-to-child transmission and work with government to introduce technologies such as injectable pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP).
Otiso said the expansion into other health areas grew from experience supporting people living with HIV, many of whom face additional health challenges.
The organisation now applies its expertise and community networks to support other vulnerable and marginalised populations.
On maternal health, she cited gaps in health facilities, shortages of essential commodities, service costs and difficulties accessing healthcare as barriers to care.
The organisation works with community health workers to encourage pregnant women to attend antenatal care (ANC).
Otiso said attendance at four visits was estimated at more than 70 to 80 per cent, while uptake of the eight contacts recommended by the World Health Organization remained below 20 per cent.
She urged businesses and local organisations to invest in sustainable health interventions.
“Not everything has to be donor-funded. As Africa, we now really have to look at our own resources and what is available,” she said.
