The County Government of Turkana, in partnership with Turkana Christian Development Mission (TCDM) and with support from Save the Children, is nearing the completion of the three-year ACCEPT project.
The project is an initiative that has reshaped how families detect and respond to childhood malnutrition.
As the project enters its exit phase, a joint monitoring team is touring Loima and Turkana North to document the profound changes occurring in households and health facilities.
The ACCEPT project "Accelerating Access and Availability of Enhanced Lifesaving, Prevention and Treatment Services" was launched to address persistent barriers such as delayed malnutrition detection, low treatment coverage, and weak links between communities and health facilities.
Today, one innovation stands out: Family MUAC, a model that trains caregivers to measure their children’s Mid-Upper Arm Circumference at home, enabling early detection of acute malnutrition.
For mothers like Leah Acharait from Lokoyo in Loima Sub-County, the impact has been immediate and personal.
“Before this training, we waited for outreach days. Now I check my children every week, and I have been doing this consistently,” she said.
“If the measurements fall in the red mark, I know my baby is in danger and will rush him to the hospital.”
Ordinarily, parents rely on outreach services or community health promoters (CHPs) for malnutrition assessments. But in remote Turkana, where illnesses like acute diarrhea can escalate quickly, home-based screening can mean the difference between life and death.
CHPs report that empowered caregivers are transforming the referral system.
Sandra Awechukul, a CHP in Lochwa Village, oversees 52 households. She says Family MUAC has sharpened detection and reduced severe cases.
“I have learned how to detect and refer malnutrition cases for children under five. Malaria cases have also reduced now that we can detect and treat cases within households,” she noted.
Health staff echo this progress. Phanice Atee, a Community Health Assistant (CHA) at Lokoyo Dispensary, says communities are acting faster than ever:
“We have witnessed fewer severe cases because caregivers nowadays act quickly.”
In Turkana North, Dalmus Kalayo, a CHA at Naduat Health Centre, added that CHPs are setting the example:
“None of our CHPs’ children have malnutrition, and they are actively involving communities. They’re leading from the front.”
Nutritionists say the results speak for themselves. According to Justus Iperit, a Nutritionist in Loima Sub-County, Family MUAC has driven up referrals, admissions, and recovery rates.
“There is a significant difference due to this approach. Families now play a central role in protecting their children.”
County officials emphasize that Family MUAC has redefined community health by shifting power to households.
“Family MUAC has strengthened early detection at the household level, this is real community empowerment,” said Calis Elamach, Deputy Director of Nutrition and Dietetics.
“It is encouraging to see mothers taking the lead in safeguarding their children’s health.”
Save the Children agrees.
“When caregivers are empowered, children survive,” said Dominic Ekal, the organization’s Health and Nutrition Officer.
"Family MUAC has shown us that simple knowledge in the hands of a mother can save a life.”
So far, trained caregivers have screened 12,007 children, identifying 455 Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) cases, 2,550 Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) cases, and confirming 9,002 children as healthy, evidence of the approach’s growing impact.
TCDM’s Health and Nutrition Officer, Martin Imoni, believes the project’s legacy will endure long after its official closure.
“The strong community ownership and adaptability we’ve witnessed give us confidence that Family MUAC will outlive the project.”
As the ACCEPT project winds down, one thing is clear: mothers and caregivers across Turkana are not just participants, they are leading the county’s fight against childhood malnutrition, one weekly check at a time.