Improving quality increasing access to reproductive health care in African urban slums. Community members linked to health care providers in the urban informal settlements of Nairobi Kenya.

Urbanization is changing the dynamics of health in Africa and those living in the densely-packed and underserved informal settlements or slums are among those who suffer the most as a result. For many reasons access to quality health care is limited in the slums. This is especially true for reproductive health (RH) and family planning (FP) services; they are often mediocre at best and dangerous at worst. Jhpiego with generous support from the Wallace Global Fund has leveraged its history and success in two slum communities -- Korogocho and Viwandani -- in Nairobi Kenya to further improve the well-being of women and households in these urban informal settlements. In partnership with the communities and with health care providers Jhpiego has conducted targeted activities to meet two distinct objectives: Improve the quality of and increase the use of reproductive health and family planning (RH / FP) services in the slums; Learn lessons about RH / FP usage in the slums that can be scaled up within other programs and to other urban centers nationally regionally and across regions. (Excerpt)