STRENGTHENing Gender-Responsive Health Systems for Addressing Non-Communicable Diseases in Climate-Affected Fishing Communities in Western Kenya

project summary

Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as type 2 diabetes and hypertension are rising rapidly in Kenya and are now major health challenges. People living in fishing economy dependent communities (FEDCs) along Lake Victoria are especially vulnerable because they face overlapping pressures: unstable incomes, limited access to health care, changing diets, and the growing impacts of climate change. Women and men are affected in different ways, but the Kenyan health system is not yet fully able to address these inequalities and to strengthen NCD management.

This project, STRENGTHEN, aims to improve the prevention and management of NCDs in climate-affected fishing communities in Western Kenya by making the health systems even more gender-responsive. The project will generate evidence on how community health promoters (CHPs) provide NCD care in FEDCs affected by climate change. It will address five key health systems building blocks: health information systems, health workforce, health service, medical technology, and policy and governance.

The research will adopt a rigorous mixed-methods, interdisciplinary, and community-based design, combining quantitative surveys with qualitative approaches. This will ensure a deeper understanding of how gender, climate stressors, social determinants, and health capabilities influence NCD care, and health system responses.

The study will be carried out in three phases. First, we will assess how social factors (such as income, food access, and gender roles), individual health capabilities (such as literacy, behaviors, and treatment adherence), and climate-related challenges shape the experience of NCDs in FEDCs. Also, the CHPs abilities and challenges to support NCD management in FEDCs is explored. Second, we will co-create and pilot a training program for CHPs, equipping them with the knowledge and tools to deliver more gender-responsive and effective NCD care. Third, we will strengthen research and policy capacity and share lessons widely through policy briefs, and scientific publications.

By bringing together researchers from Denmark and Kenya with policymakers, civil society, and fishing communities themselves, STRENGTHEN will deliver practical tools and an intervention that improves NCD care, reduces gender inequalities, and helps health systems adapt to the challenges of climate change. These lessons will not only benefit fishing communities in Kenya but can also be scaled up to other regions facing similar challenges.