With the support of the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund, the UN Refugee Agency has provided more than 3,140 pregnant women and girls in Kenya’s Kakuma camp and Kalobeyei settlement with uninterrupted access to maternal health services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Below is the story of Eliana, who recently gave birth to a healthy girl.

Eliana was four months pregnant when she heard about the first novel coronavirus case in Kakuma refugee camps in northwestern Kenya.

“I was scared that, with most services closing down, the hospitals would close, too,” said the Burundian refugee. “Later, I saw that the hospitals remained opened and I was relieved.”

For mothers like Eliana, an increase in prices and restrictions of movement have also meant limited access to basic items such as secondhand clothing for babies and fresh food for their health and well-being.

“During my first pregnancy, I easily got fresh fruits. Currently, it has been difficult to find any in the market,” she said.

Luckily, despite the pandemic, Eliana was still able to access her routine medical visits, thanks to the maternity wing at Natukobenyo Health Clinic, managed by the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS), a health partner of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR).

KRCS hires community health promoters, including refugees who regularly followed up with Eliana and other pregnant women and girls in the camp to ensure that they have access to prenatal care at nearby health facilities.

“I feel very safe when the health promoters come to check on me,” Eliana said.

With support from the COVID-19 Solidarity Response Fund and the United Nations Foundation, UNHCR and partners have ensured continuity of essential medical services, including routine vaccinations, reproductive health services for pregnancy and delivery, emergency care, and other services across all health facilities in the Kakuma refugee camps and the Kalobeyei settlement. This is in addition to COVID-19 support, including testing and treatment.

Read the full article about maternal health during COVID-19 by Sarah Alaoui at United Nations Foundation.