About Afya Yetu Initiative

Afya Yetu Initiative (AYI)was founded with the aim of championing; promoting and implementing people owned and people driven initiatives that reduce risks facing the poor

.
The poor are highly vulnerable to risks and are constantly preoccupied with risk coping strategies. These strategies are to help them avoid sinking further into poverty. The poor and near poor are particularly at risk since they have no assets, reserves or other opportunities to fall back to;
To cope, the poor have come up with many risk reduction mechanisms. They may sell property, reduce investments, reduce budgets, reduce treatment dosage, or do nothing to wait for their fate.

Others form informal family and community based mechanisms to provide a certain level of social protection to the affected population.These informal mechanisms may eventually encourage community- driven intervention like Mutual Health Organizations.

Afya Yetu Initiative is involved in promoting the Community Based Health Insurance Schemes (CBHIS), being one of the community-driven health financing instruments available to the poor.

The overall goal is to bridge the health insurance gap experienced by the low income population in order that they may have financial access to quality and equitable healthcare in hospitals near them.

The intervention is currently operational in three counties that constitute part of Mount Kenya region. These are Nyeri, Kirinyaga and Murang’a counties.

The target group is the household that hasthe propensity and willingness to contribute towards its health needs.Majority of the households are small scale and subsistence farmers in the rural settings. The other target group is the low income individuals operating small and micro-businesses, with small outlay of capitalin the informal sector.