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Building Healthier, Inclusive, Accountable and Resilient Communities

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We connect Primary Health Care, gender equity, accountable governance and climate action to advance locally led solutions that improve lives.

Violet Mbiti Foundation (VMF) is a Kenyan locally led organization working at the intersection of health systems, governance, gender equity, climate resilience and inclusive economic development.

We work with communities, women, young people, civil society, government, policymakers and development partners to turn community priorities and evidence into policy influence, accountable public investment and practical solutions.
 

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Why We Exist

 

Health and wellbeing are shaped by the systems around us.

What happens in a health facility is only one part of the health story.

Health outcomes are influenced by public financing, governance, gender, livelihoods, household energy, climate and the ability of communities to participate in decisions that affect their lives.

VMF works across these interconnected systems to ensure that women, young people and communities have the voice, evidence, leadership and opportunities to influence change.

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Our Approach

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Listen → Generate Evidence → Build Leadership → Convene → Influence → Build Solutions → Learn & Scale

 

What We Do

 

Health Systems & Primary Health Care
We strengthen community participation, health accountability and Primary Health Care financing to promote more responsive and equitable health systems.
 

Women, Gender & Youth Leadership

We strengthen the leadership, participation and economic opportunities of women and young people in health, governance and development
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Governance, Policy & Public Finance

We connect community priorities and evidence with policy, planning, budgeting and public accountability.

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Climate, Clean Energy & Resilient Livelihoods

We advance clean cooking, green skills, climate resilience and sustainable livelihoods, particularly for women and young people.

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From Community Voice to Systems Change 

 

We believe communities should not only be beneficiaries of development. They should be co-creators, decision-makers and leaders of change.
 

Our work connects:
 

Community Voice
Understanding lived experiences and priorities.
 

Evidence
Generating and using research to understand systemic challenges.
 

Leadership
Equipping women, youth and communities to influence decisions.
 

Policy & Public Finance
Turning evidence and community priorities into policy and resource-allocation decisions.
 

Practical Solutions
Supporting locally led approaches that create tangible social, economic and environmental benefits.
 

Our Impact

Over the years, VMF and its networks have contributed to:
 

- Strengthening Primary Health Care financing and accountability
- Generating evidence to inform health planning and resource allocation
- Advancing citizen participation in county planning and budgeting
- Supporting women and youth leadership and participation
- Contributing to policy advocacy, including the Machakos County Youth Act
- Advancing disability inclusion and responsive public services
- Strengthening civil-society and community accountability
- Developing locally led approaches to clean cooking, green skills and resilient livelihoods

 

Our Belief

 

Health does not begin at the health facility.

It begins in homes, communities and the systems that determine whether people have access to resources, opportunities, clean environments, responsive public services and a meaningful voice in decisions that affect their lives.

This is why we work across systems.

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Partner With Us

We welcome partnerships with government, civil society, communities, researchers, private-sector actors and development partners seeking to advance inclusive, sustainable and locally led solutions in Kenya and Africa.

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