Our Lady Of Perpetual Support

Aimed at curbing the spread of HIV. OLPS implements HIV prevention interventions for the general population with emphasis on Key Populations (KP) and Priority Populations (PPs) to reduce the number of new infections. The project targets Female sex workers, Fisher Folk (FF) as well as adolescent and young persons (AYP). Other services integrated within the HIV Prevention interventions include peer education, risk-reduction counselling, health education, and evidence-based behavioral and biomedical interventions; and prevention and mitigation measures against violence towards PP, Adolescent Girls and Young Women (AGYW), and Sero-discordant couples.

OLPS provides Care and Treatment Services to 1400+ enrolled clients at the OLPS HIV Clinic. We implement differentiated models of care and treatment to improve retention and optimize treatment outcomes. Some of the strategies under this model multi-month prescription (MMP), community ART groups (CAG), age-appropriate support groups, and high VL monitoring. Differentiated Service Models are client-centered, simplifies and adapts HIV services across the clinical cascade to reflect the preferences and expectations of various groups of people living with HIV (PLHIV) while reducing unnecessary burdens on the health system. Besides mainstream care and treatment services, OLPS also integrates other services within the care model such as Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) for eligible populations, assessment of family planning needs, and provision of contraception or safer pregnancy counseling in HIV care. OLPS also supports screening, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of STIs, TB/drug resistant (DR) TB and other opportunistic infections (OIs). 

OLPS uses innovative approaches to enhance identification of People Living with HIV (PLHIV) and link them to treatment facilities. We maximize case identification through the scale-up of index testing (ICT), self-testing, and optimization of (provider-initiated testing and counseling (PITC) and community-based testing for targeted populations, especially for adolescents, men, and key populations (KPs).

OLPS provides quality pediatric HIV package of services to 1000+ children and adolescents living with HIV as per national guidelines and adolescent package of care (APOC). We expand use of age appropriate Psychosocial Support Groups including engagement with Children and adolescents Living with HIV through Pediatric support groups, Caregiver support groups and Adolescent Operation Triple Zero Clubs (OTZ), fast-track services for adolescents, adolescent peer support, and adolescent clinics with flexible hours.

OLPS implements effective programs that sustain both the mother and child, recognizing that newborn and maternal health and survival are closely linked. By increasing pregnant women’s access to quality care before, during, and after childbirth, mothers and babies around the world can have a bright future. We believe in keeping mothers healthy improves the health of the whole family.

OLPS integrates Prevention of Mother to child transmission of HIV into mainstream ANC services. It is worth noting that despite tremendous improvement made in preventing HIV transmission from mothers to their children, western region where we work still account for about 9.1% MTCT rate. The challenges include low ANC attendance, low completing the 4th ANC visit, low retention of mother/infant pairs, low skilled delivery, nevirapine stock-outs, late HEI identification, low male involvement, and low retesting rates for pregnant and breastfeeding women testing negative. To address these, OLPS implements a comprehensive facility and community-based PMTCT program that ensures HIV+ pregnant and breastfeeding women living with HIV receive treatment to prevent HIV transmission to their babies.

With this intervention, OLPS works to accelerate the reduction of TB, leprosy and lung disease burden through provision of people-centered, universally accessible, acceptable and affordable quality services in Kenya. The program is implemented through 5 modules, i.e. TB Care and Prevention, Multiple Drug Resistant TB, Resilient and Sustainable Systems for Health (RSSH), TB/HIV, and Covid 19 response mechanism. The project is driven by Community Health Volunteers who conduct screening of household contacts of TB patients. The project aims at strengthening community health systems within the counties of implementation (Nyamira, Kericho, and Kisumu)

OLPS provides outpatient medical services to a community with a catchment population of 23,839 through OLPS Outpatient Medical Facility. We provide services such as medical treatment services, consultation, TB Management, Family Planning services, Basic Lab services, MCH services, HIV Testing and Counseling Services, Pharmaceutical services, clinical nutrition, Voluntary Medical Male Circumcision (VMMC), and management of non-communicable diseases.

The need for a WASH Project was informed by various factors, key among them being the fact OLPS works in dry areas receiving one season of rainfall often lasting 2 months and when it rains, the areas are prone to heavy flooding resulting in easy transmission of water-borne diseases. During the dry period, the only available water source is polluted rivers being choked by wastes from local industries. Lack of access to clean and safe drinking water has exposed the community to dangers associated with consumption of unsafe available water from shallow wells and the rivers, often leading to high incidences of water-borne diseases. Additionally, women/children upon whom the responsibility of fetching water falls on, have to walk long distances searching for water.

OLPS works to ensure access to clean and safe water for the community. The organization sunk a borehole and installed a 3.5km pipeline to take water closer to the people. Besides this, OLPS has also trained 50+ WASH volunteers as champions of WASH within the community.