About Juani
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We're making preventive healthcare more accessible to women in rural Kenya - we hope you'll join us!
Juani (joo-ah-knee) began in 2023 and was created to address the unmet healthcare needs of women in Sega, Kenya. Our name is derived from Swahili and literally means "in the sun" while the verb Kujua means "to know." Juani was founded by a group of clinical and public health practitioners and women's health champions seeking to improve reproductive and maternal health outcomes in Siaya County.
Juani is a community-based organization (CBO) in Siaya County and a fiscally sponsored project of U.S.-based 501(c)(3) non-profit Empowerment WORKS. We're prioritizing initiatives that improve the health of women and girls in our community, including increasing access to obstetric and women's health services, improving health literacy, and addressing gender-based violence within our community.
We hope this project lives up to its name and brings knowledge, health, and empowerment to the women and girls of Siaya County so they can look forward to many sunny days ahead.
Mission & Vision
Mission & Vision
Our mission is to improve the lives of women and girls in rural Kenya through healthcare, education, and empowerment. We envision a future where all women are safe from violence, are empowered to make their own healthcare decisions, and can access the care they need.
Location
Sega, Kenya is approximately 1.5-2 hours by car from the city of Kisumu and 20 minutes to the Ugandan border.
Our Initiatives & Focus Areas
Our Initiatives & Focus Areas
Obstetric Care
Maternal mortality rate (MMR) is the number of women who die from pregnancy-related causes while pregnant or within 42 days of pregnancy termination per 100,000 live births. In 2023, Kenya's MMR was 149 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births. In contrast, the 2023 MMR for the United States was 17/100,000, while that of Japan was just 3/100,000(1). Our clinic will soon provide antenatal and postpartum care, focusing on early prenatal care during the first trimester.
Multiple Micronutrient Supplement Distribution
We're distributing MMS to pregnant and breastfeeding women to improve maternal and infant health outcomes. MMS include 15 vitamins and minerals, including iron and folic acid, which support healthy moms and babies. Women have increased iron needs during pregnancy so that they can make enough red blood cells to deliver oxygen to their babies. Pregnant women with low iron levels are at risk for iron deficiency anemia which is associated with cesarean delivery, preterm labor, postpartum hemorrhage, and maternal death(2). In Kenya, postpartum hemorrhage is currently the leading cause of maternal death(3).
Use of MMS during pregnancy has been shown to:
Reduce low birth weight infants by 12-14%
Reduce preterm births by 6 to 8%
Reduce the number of stillbirths by 8% (4).
Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Support
In Kenya, 38% of women age 15-49 report experiencing intimate partner violence, while 14% of women reported experiencing any form of sexual violence.
We're currently focusing on:
Creating awareness about gender-based violence through community outreach
Preventing violence within future generations through educational programming at our partner schools
Providing support to survivors of gender-based violence
Health Literacy
Our initial needs assessment revealed low health literacy among the women in our community. We're focusing on women's health education, and in particular, education on cervical cancer, as cervical cancer is currently the most deadly cancer affecting women in Kenya. Additionally, we've held educational programming on prenatal care, breast cancer, and menstrual hygiene.
Women's Health Care
We're opening a women's health clinic which will offer obstetric and reproductive health services, with a focus on preventive health, including cervical and breast cancer screening. Most of our services will be offered free of charge.
Community Based Organization
Juani is a CBO registered with the Directorate of Social Development in Siaya County. Our CBO has 77 registered members and continues to grow. We meet quarterly and our members receive education at each meeting on topics affecting women's health. We also conduct community outreach and partner with schools to provide heath education. Membership is open to women (and supporters of women!) living in Siaya County. To become a member, contact maureen@juani.org.
Chairperson, Juani CBO
Lenox Oduor, Secretary
Women's Healthcare at Juani Medical
We're currently putting the finishing touches on our building and undergoing licensing and registration of our medical clinic, specializing in women's health and preventative medicine. Visit our Juani Medical page to learn more about our planned services.
Please join us on 23 August, 2025 for Juani Medical's Grand Opening!
A Message from the Founders
We created Juani in 2023 to bring preventive healthcare to women in Siaya County, a region with significant barriers to accessing quality healthcare. As nurses, we're tackling healthcare, because it's what we know and because it's what the community needs. We’ve built The Wilson Center for Women on our family’s land, named after John’s father, Wilson Onyango. We're personally and professionally invested in this project and we hope you'll join us in bringing primary care to women and girls in rural Kenya.
We're tremendously grateful to everyone who has contributed to our project, especially our volunteers and interns, who have collectively devoted more than 2,000 hours to ensuring the success of our project.
Sincerely,
The Onyangos
Project Directors (U.S.)
Sara Onyango
DHSc, MPH, APRN, CHES
John Onyango
BBA, LPN
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