Giving Every Child in Nairobi the Best Start: County Government, M-PESA Foundation and Amref Health Africa Design a New Responsive Caregiving Programme

A baby’s brain develops faster in the first three years of life than at any other stage. Every smile, conversation, cuddle and moment of play helps shape how a child learns, grows and thrives. These early experiences lay the foundation for lifelong health, learning and wellbeing.

Yet for many families, the pressures of daily life, economic challenges and limited access to mental health support and wellbeing can make it difficult to provide the nurturing environment young children need to reach their full potential.

Recognizing the critical role caregivers play in shaping children’s futures, Nairobi County Government, Amref Health Africa and M-PESA Foundation have come together to co-create a three-year Responsive Caregiving Programme aimed at strengthening parental mental health and wellbeing, support at home and in groups for caregivers and improving developmental outcomes for children aged 0–3 years across Nairobi County.

The programme was shaped during a two-day co-creation workshop that brought together county leadership, technical experts and partners to jointly design practical, evidence-based solutions that can be integrated into existing health and community systems.

At the heart of the discussions was a shared commitment to ensuring that interventions are rooted in the realities of families and communities and are owned by the county structures that will sustain them.

The commitment reflects Nairobi County’s broader vision of placing children and families at the centre of development planning and ensuring that responsive caregiving becomes an integral part of health and community systems.

The partnership reflects a shared commitment to strengthening nurturing care through sustainable, government-led approaches that are embedded within existing health and community systems.

“Every child deserves the best possible start in life, and achieving this requires more than good intentions—it requires strong health systems, empowered caregivers and committed partnerships. At Amref Health Africa, we are proud to work alongside Nairobi County Government and M-PESA Foundation to co-create sustainable solutions that strengthen responsive caregiving, improve child development outcomes and ensure that no child is left behind during the most critical years of life,” said Anne Gitimu, Director Family Reproductive Health, Amref Health Africa.

Building on this shared vision, the workshop focused on translating evidence into practical interventions that can be delivered through existing health and community systems, ensuring responsive caregiving becomes part of routine service delivery rather than a standalone programme.

Nurturing Care Framework defines as: Responsive caregiving refers to the ability of caregivers to notice, understand and respond to a child’s signals in a timely and appropriate manner. Research shows that these responsive interactions are critical for healthy brain development, social and emotional wellbeing and lifelong learning.

For Amref Health Africa, strengthening responsive caregiving is about empowering caregivers with the knowledge, skills and support they need to nurture children during the most important years of life.

She further emphasized the need to move beyond traditional child survival indicators and focus on helping children thrive.

“For many years, health systems have focused on helping children survive. Our challenge now is to ensure that children thrive by strengthening responsive caregiving, opportunities for early learning, and safety and security within primary health care.”

During the workshop, participants explored interventions that can support families at multiple levels—from households and communities to health facilities. Discussions focused on strengthening positive parenting practices, integrating maternal and paternal mental health support into routine services, optimize developmental screening and referral systems, supporting caregiver groups and creating more child-friendly environments within communities and health facilities.

The workshop also highlighted the importance of engaging fathers and other caregivers more intentionally, recognizing that nurturing care is a shared responsibility that extends beyond mothers alone.

M-PESA Foundation reaffirmed its commitment to investing in sustainable, locally driven solutions that improve the lives of children and families.

She noted that lasting impact is achieved by working alongside government and communities to build solutions that are locally owned, evidence-based and designed to strengthen existing systems.

Echoing this commitment, Sophie Zubeida Onyango, Manager, Foundations Programmes at M-PESA Foundation, highlighted the importance of co-creation in designing interventions that respond to the realities of caregivers and frontline health workers.

“The most effective solutions are those designed together with the people who will implement and benefit from them. Through this partnership with Nairobi County and Amref Health Africa, we are committed to supporting evidence-based interventions that strengthen caregivers, improve child development outcomes and create sustainable impact at scale,” said Sophie Zubeida Onyango, M-PESA Foundation.

The co-creation process will culminate in the development of a comprehensive programme proposal outlining priority interventions, implementation approaches and sustainability mechanisms for the next three years.

By bringing together government leadership, technical expertise and strategic investment, the partnership seeks to create an enabling environment where every child can receive the care, stimulation, protection and support needed to reach their full potential.

As Nairobi County continues to champion child-centred development, the Responsive Caregiving Programme represents an important step towards a future where every child is given the strongest possible start in life.

Because when caregivers thrive, children thrive, and when children thrive, communities prosper.