How Kenya's supply chain heroes are saving lives. By Ronald Ng'eno (VillageReach), Charity Mureithi (InSupply Health) and Florence Wairimu (InSupply Health) One ordinary morning, a mother walked into Lokori Sub-County Hospital in Turkana County, Kenya, desperate for an IUCD. The team thought they were completely out. Joyce Chebet - being Joyce - went back to the store one last time and, hidden behind some boxes, found a single kit. She prepped it carefully and handed it over. The woman's face lit up. "God bless you," she kept repeating, tears in her eyes. Joyce smiled, but she also felt the risk. What about the next mother? Or the child who shows up when the paracetamol is gone and the roads are flooded? In Turkana, supplies don't just "run low"; they can disappear for weeks. Distances are large, transport during the rains is anything but reliable and every hour counts. Such moments are why Joyce now spends her days making sure the shelves never stay empty. While she never set out to be the one who keeps a hospital from running out of supplies, at Lokori Sub-County Hospital, that's exactly what she's become. Why getting the numbers right actually saves lives. Everything starts with knowing what people really need and planning for it before a crisis hits. Joyce puts it simply: "We count what we have, we look at what's being used and we stop guessing." This is what is known as quantification, a technical term that means estimating the quantity and costs of products required for a specific health program or service. Mark Osiemo, supply chain manager at inSupply Health, notes: "The work was labour-intensive and highly prone to errors, with broken formulas and long turnaround times that could force teams to restart large parts of the process." Then everything got simpler. VillageReach and InSupply Health teamed up with county governments and the Ministry of Health's Directorate of Health Products and Technologies (DHPT). Together, they built the Strategic Resource Management Tool (SMArT), which ensures resources are used efficiently. No more guessing based on "whatever flew off the shelf last month." Now teams sit down, count stock, check consumption, spot what's not moving and move near-expiry items to where they'll actually get used. The tool does the heavy math in seconds, so people can focus on decisions rather than wrestling with Excel. Dr. Jamlick Karumbi from DHPT sums it up best: the point isn't fancy software - it's giving Kenyan teams better information so they can make better calls. What this looks like on the ground in Turkana. Joyce and her colleagues are constantly on WhatsApp with sub-county teams. "Shortage at Lokori - anyone have extra amoxicillin?" One facility's overstock becomes another's lifeline. When roads become impassable during the rains, partners step in with transport. They keep about two months of buffer stock. This buffer leads to peace of mind. It's the reason a sick child doesn't have to wait for the next delivery truck that might never come. Joyce notes: "When supplies run out, it's the children who suffer most. Adults can sometimes hang on. Kids arrive when things are already bad." From pilot to nationwide shift. The same approach that started in Trans Nzoia is now rolling out across counties and even feeding into national planning. For the first time, Turkana County can see exactly what community health promoters need in the villages; they no longer need to guess. And the cost? Approximately USD 212 per community health worker per year to keep essential commodities available at the community level. In a setting like Turkana, that small investment can mean the difference between a child being treated early at home or arriving at a health facility already in critical condition. When the system works, you feel it when a mother leaves the clinic with what she needs instead of walking away disappointed. When a child gets treated before the fever spikes dangerously high. When a community health promoter rides back to the village with a full kit instead of empty hands. And Joyce Chebet goes home knowing she didn't just fill a shelf - she helped build a health system that puts people first. That's the real story. Not the spreadsheet. Not the tool. B ut counties and a nation learning to plan better for the families they serve.

Top 10 highlights from 2025: USA Programs. Director, US Programs 2025 was a year full of partnership, learning and meaningful moments with the communities VillageReach work alongside. From strategic planning and data tools to listening sessions and ride-alongs, its USA Programs team had plenty of chances to connect, collaborate and grow together. Here are ten highlights VillageReach is especially proud of. VillageReach were honored to present at the Washington State Public Health Association (WSPHA) and Oregon Public Health Association (OPHA) conferences, sharing lessons from its virtual course on Building Effective Public Health Programs, findings from its Permanent Supportive Housing evaluation in Whatcom County and strategic planning insights from its work with Marion County Health & Human Services. It's always fun to connect in person with partners and peers who care deeply about public health. These gatherings remind VillageReach how much VillageReach can learn from one another and how strong this community really is. Spending time with residents of Permanent Supportive Housing this year was deeply humbling. VillageReach is grateful to everyone who trusted VillageReach with their stories and helped shape the evaluation through their lived experience. Their perspectives are what ground this work and keep it focused on what matters most. Partnering with Spokane Regional Health District on their 2025 - 2030 strategic plan was a true privilege. They brought together leadership, staff, elected officials and community partners to form a collaborative planning committee and shape the direction of their work. VillageReach were proud to support such an inclusive process and excited to see the strong, community-driven plan that emerged. To help ensure Marion County Health & Human Services' strategic plan was truly evidence-based and feedback-driven, VillageReach hosted a fun and interactive "data walk." Staff explored key findings on county strengths, challenges, trends and potential priorities at stations set up across four locations. More than 200 employees participated, sharing ideas, asking thoughtful questions and ranking priorities. Their input directly shaped the plan and made the process both energizing and practical. VillageReach can't wait to see the final plan in action. Working with the Olympic Community of Health to complete a Regional Community Health Assessment was a meaningful milestone this year. Together, partners across Clallam, Jefferson and Kitsap counties built a shared, data-informed picture of regional strengths and needs. This common foundation helps align efforts and supports more coordinated action. VillageReach is grateful for the collaboration and commitment each partner brought to the process. VillageReach has absolutely loved continuing its partnership with Northeast Tri County Health District, its longest-standing collaboration. This year, VillageReach launched a public data dashboard that brings together their routinely collected program data in one place. It's a practical tool that improves transparency, supports decision-making and gives the community real-time insight into the incredible work happening across the district. Seeing it go live felt like a big win for everyone involved. It was an honor to join the East Jefferson CARES team for a ride-along and see their work up close. They support frequent 911 callers and help connect people with the care they need before emergencies happen. In just one day, VillageReach got to witness the CARES team coordinating with families caring for loved ones with dementia, makingd homes safer to prevent falls and even watering plants for someone who couldn't manage it themselves. Small acts, big impact. It was a powerful reminder that public health often looks like everyday care and compassion. 8. Graduating the first cohort of public health professionals from its virtual course In 2025, VillageReach celebrated graduating the first cohort of its Building Effective Public Health Programs course and kicked off a second cohort. The course helps public health professionals strengthen program design, evaluation and continuous improvement in ways that fit their day-to-day realities. VillageReach is grateful participants trusted VillageReach as partners in their learning and are inspired by how they're already bringing these tools back to their teams and communities. VillageReach were proud to partner with Whatcom County Health and Community Services to release the Justice Project Evaluation & Performance Measurement Plan. Reducing incarceration and improving community safety is an important and often overlooked part of public health. This effort brought together elected officials, community members with lived experience, law enforcement, prosecutors and defenders, healthcare providers, tribes, behavioral health and substance use counselors and emergency services. It was a true cross-sector collaboration focused on building safer, healthier communities. Showing up for the 2025 legislative session in Olympia was a meaningful moment for its team. VillageReach joined partners from across Washington to advocate for strong and sustainable foundational public health services. It was energizing to stand alongside others doing this work and a good reminder that collective advocacy really does matter. VillageReach is grateful to the Washington Public Health Association for hosting and already looking forward to next year's session.

Now in partnership with LEARN Logistics by the Kühne Foundation, VillageReach and the MoH are working with health training institutions like St. Josephs' College of Health Sciences to enhance the PA program curriculum to include supply chain management and logistics.