WHO WE ARE

Uniting Communities. Championing Health. Defeating Malaria.

HERF is a registered foundation building the capacity of civil society organizations to fight malaria, NCDs, and disease across 12 highland endemic counties in Kenya.

Human Rights & Gender Training

About Us

Who We Are

Highland Endemic Region Foundation (HERF) is a registered foundation bringing together civil society and community-based organizations engaged in promoting health across the highland endemic epidemiological zone of Kenya. Established in 2017, HERF covers a 12-county network from Uasin Gishu to Nyamira and nine other highland counties.

HERF serves as a capacity-building, advocacy, and coordination platform — strengthening member organizations so they can deliver impactful, evidence-based health programmes effectively at community level.

Our Work

Eight Health Priorities. One Mission.

Hover on each card to discover how HERF builds capacity across eight interconnected health focus areas in the highland endemic region.

Malaria Prevention & Control

FOCUS AREA 01

Malaria Prevention & Control

HERF advocates for ring-fenced malaria budgets and supports member organizations in malaria programming and surveillance across the highland endemic region.
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Non-Communicable Diseases

FOCUS AREA 02

Non-Communicable Diseases

Building member capacity for community NCD awareness, screening, and prevention — cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, and respiratory conditions.
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HIV, TB & Infectious Diseases

FOCUS AREA 03

HIV, TB & Infectious Diseases

Supporting health education, linkage to care, and advocacy for equitable resource allocation for infectious disease control across the network.
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Maternal & Child Health

FOCUS AREA 04

Maternal & Child Health

Capacity building for organizations improving access to antenatal care and nutrition programmes for women and children across the highlands.
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Sexual & Reproductive Health

FOCUS AREA 05

Sexual & Reproductive Health

Supporting adolescent and youth SRH programming so young people in highland communities access information, services, and rights.
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Water, Sanitation & Hygiene

FOCUS AREA 06

Water, Sanitation & Hygiene

Advocating for WASH integration in county health budgets and supporting community sanitation education to prevent disease.
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Advocacy & Budget Tracking

FOCUS AREA 07

Advocacy & Budget Tracking

Training members in social accountability, budget tracking, and community scorecards to hold duty-bearers accountable for health financing.
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Gender & Rights

FOCUS AREA 08

Gender & Rights

Mainstreaming gender equity and rights-based approaches so women, children, and marginalized groups are centred in health policy.
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Our Mandate

Defeating malaria in Kenya's most overlooked region.

HERF’s founding identity is rooted in malaria advocacy in the highland endemic region — an area of low but volatile malaria prevalence. During rainy seasons, upsurges can push mortality up to ten times higher than baseline levels. Because of this low endemic status, malaria is frequently deprioritised by national and county governments, leaving women, children, and vulnerable populations underserved.

Building on this foundation, HERF has expanded its mandate to advocate across a broader spectrum of public health — including Non-Communicable Diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and cancer, as well as other infectious and epidemic diseases — reflecting the interconnected health challenges facing highland communities in Kenya.

Get Involved

Join hands with us against malaria & disease.

Partner with HERF or strengthen your community-based organization through our network across the 12 highland endemic counties.