Margaret Kenyatta, the First Lady of Kenya, reinforced her commitment to champion the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in a meeting with UNAIDS Deputy Executive Director Gunilla Carlsson in Nairobi, Kenya, on 29 May.
The First Lady and Ms Carlsson discussed the Beyond Zero platform, a groundbreaking initiative spearheaded by the First Lady. Through Beyond Zero, the First Lady has mobilized resources from the private sector to respond to the health and well-being of women and children, with a focus on HIV and sexual and reproductive health.
“There is so much momentum and support from Kenyans themselves for the Beyond Zero initiative. They feel that it is theirs and that they own it,” said Ms Kenyatta.
Beyond Zero has delivered 52 mobile clinics to every county in Kenya. The operationalization of the clinics has resulted in substantial community mobilization and demand creation for HIV services. Initiatives such as Beyond Zero have contributed to significant progress in the AIDS response in Kenya, with new HIV infections among children aged 0 to 14 years reducing from about 14 000 in 2013 to 6100 in 2016, while in the same period the percentage of mothers delivering without a skilled health provider decreased from 56% to 34%.
Building on those gains, the First Lady launched a new framework earlier this year to advance the Beyond Zero initiative. The framework adopts a life-cycle approach, addressing challenges, including HIV, at different stages of life. Ms Kenyatta’s championship for Kenya to reach validation by the World Health Organization for the pre-elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV is a core commitment of the framework.
“Beyond Zero is a powerful initiative. An advocacy platform that has fostered public–private partnership for the health agenda and the elimination of mother-to-child transmission of HIV in particular,” said Ms Carlsson.
