In Kisumu, Kenya, one barrier to healthcare for parents is the unmet need for childcare. This barrier is especially pronounced for women who assume almost all of early childcare responsibilities. When mothers need to attend their appointment, another woman (sister, cousin, aunt, friend in the village) will watch the children until the mother’s return. 

However, when a mother can’t find or afford childcare and she has a health appointment, she will arrive late, leave early, or miss it entirely. In each of these scenarios, the mother is either partially or completely prevented from accessing her maternal health services which are necessary to improving early childhood and maternal health. Another scenario is that the mother attends the appointment, but she brings her child to the appointment as well. The child’s presence can create a distracting appointment environment which inhibits a mother’s ability to focus entirely on her healthcare needs. A childcare center at the health facility would provide mothers with childcare and enable full access to their appointments and important health services.

A local and no-cost childcare center at a local hospital in Kenya helped over 2,000 mothers attend their appointments and improved their overall hospital visit experience. Mothers reported that the center made it much easier to attend their appointments and a strong desire to use these services again. It was also concluded that such a childcare center is feasible within the Kenyan healthcare system when working with Community Health Promoters and local hospital administration. Currently, the center is being managed from abroad but efforts are being made towards complete local ownership over a transition period of two years.