The Capacity Project assisted the Kenya Ministry of Health (MOH) with the emergency hiring and deployment of 40 nurses to various Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camps in the Rift Valley, Western and Nyanza Provinces in response to an urgent appeal from the MOH.

These additional workers are needed to prevent health disasters for the 300,000 IDPs living in temporary camps that have sprung up during the post-election violence.The Project utilized the database generated from its Emergency Hiring Plan (EHP) to recruit candidates. Project staff, MOH officials and the Provincial Medical Offices collaborated on a half-day induction program for the new hires. The trained nurses have been deployed to different camps based on needs. After completing three-month contracts, they will be reassigned to serve in regular facilities.

At the camps, the nurses will report to MOH-designated staff charged with coordinating the health response being carried out by the government, NGOs and partners. The Project will monitor the new hires’ work. Both USAID/Kenya and the MOH have lauded the EHP mechanism as an extremely flexible and responsive innovation that can be utilized for different needs of the health system.

February 2008