Guest blog: CHASE Africa at 25 – improving healthcare for communities in East Africa

This week, our guest blog is from CHASE Africa (Community Health and Sustainable Environment) . King Charles III Charitable Fund first supported the charity in 2018. It was an honour to attend the charity’s 25th anniversary reception in London and to meet key stakeholders including local partner organisations providing rural communities in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania access to family planning, healthcare, information, and rights.

Over the past 25 years, CHASE Africa has grown from humble beginnings of planting trees in the Rift Valley in Kenya, to helping hundreds of thousands of women access healthcare and rights across East Africa. 

The issues 

Where we work, access to health information and services is limited, with little or no public transport. Communities are often patriarchal and women and girls are often unable to make decisions about their own health and bodies. Early marriage, teenage pregnancy and female genital mutilation (FGM) still prevalent in many areas. 

Communities are heavily dependent on natural resources for their lives and livelihoods, with pressure on these resources increasing in many areas due to a rapidly growing population. There are additional pressures in communities where people and wildlife live in close proximity as human-wildlife conflict can result. 

What we do 

Our community health programmes run various activities to ensure communities can access essential care and support. From community dialogues, outreach clinics, Backpack Nurses and youth-friendly services in and out of schools, we are enhancing knowledge, changing attitudes, and improving access to healthcare and contraception. 

CHASE Africa promotes a one-health approach, recognising the interconnectedness of human and environmental health and wellbeing. We have supported 8 locally based conservation organisations to start up and integrate community health programmes into their work. We also enhance food security through kitchen gardens and climate smart agriculture in 2 programmes in Uganda. 

Take a look back at 25 years of impact in CHASE Africa’s anniversary film. 

Valine’s story

Valine Nareno, a 22-year-old mother of three from Kenya lives a long way from the nearest health centre. Her children were not immunised, and she had never attended antenatal care clinics during any of her pregnancies or used any form of family planning methods. 

With support from CHASE Africa, our local partner Dandelion Africa introduced a Backpack Nurse outreach site near to Valine’s home. For the first time, she could access healthcare services conveniently. Her youngest child is now fully immunised, and she attended all antenatal clinics during her most recent pregnancy. She has also chosen a longer term three-year contraceptive method, giving her more control over her family’s health and wellbeing. 

Having the Backpack Nurse site nearby has changed my life. I no longer worry about how to cross the river to reach the clinic, or miss out on essential healthcare. My children are healthier, and I feel more confident to make decisions about my family’s future.

Our impact

Since our inception, we have:  

• Delivered over 1,597,750 primary health services and over 679,784 family planning services  
• Distributed 5,540,275 condoms 
• Recorded 668,390 attendances at Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights information and awareness raising sessions in 2024
• Seen a shift in the attitudes of men and boys towards Sexual and Reproductive Health and family planning 
• Increased youth-friendly Sexual and Reproductive Health service provision 
• Trained and supported over 370 Community Health Workers and over 100 nurses  

What’s next 

With the right support, we can ensure that many more women and girls have access to life-changing healthcare, while protecting the natural environment they depend on. As well as expanding our programmes, we plan to support more organisations delivering community health programmes with practical tools and resources and expand our efforts to strengthen existing health systems. 

As we mark 25 years, we are proud of what has been achieved with our partners and supporters and excited for what lies ahead. 

You can find out more about our work by visiting our website, where you can also subscribe to our newsletter. You can also keep up to date with the latest news by following us on social media.