LERN Network Established to Strengthen Malaria Response Across 8 Lake Region Counties
In 2022, a coalition of Civil Society Organizations operating across former Nyanza and Western Kenya came together to form the Lake Endemic Region Malaria CSO Network — known as LERN. The Network was established in response to a critical need: to bridge the persistent gap between communities, health systems, and national disease control strategies in one of Kenya’s highest malaria-burden regions.
Covering eight counties along the Lake Victoria basin — Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay, Migori, Busia, Bungoma, Kakamega, and Vihiga — LERN brings together CSO members with deep roots in community health, advocacy, and service delivery to mount a coordinated, community-led response to malaria and related diseases.
Why the Lake Endemic Region Needs a Unified Network
The Lake Victoria basin counties bear a disproportionate share of Kenya’s malaria burden. Proximity to the lake, high humidity, and population mobility create conditions for sustained malaria transmission, while gaps in community health infrastructure, commodity supply chains, and health worker capacity continue to limit the effectiveness of national control efforts.
Prior to LERN’s formation, CSO efforts in the region were largely fragmented — individual organisations working in isolation, with limited coordination, shared learning, or collective advocacy. LERN was designed to change that.
Seven Programme Areas, One Mission
LERN’s work spans seven integrated programme areas: Malaria Prevention, HIV and TB, Community Systems Strengthening, Resilient and Sustainable Health Systems, Community-Led Monitoring, Human Rights and Gender Equity, and Advocacy, Policy and Domestic Resource Mobilisation.
Across all seven areas, LERN applies a community-led, equity-focused approach — ensuring that the most vulnerable and underserved populations, including women, children, fishing communities, and people living in informal settlements, are at the centre of health interventions.
Looking Ahead
Since its establishment, LERN has grown its membership, deepened its county-level presence, and begun engaging national and international partners to mobilise resources for community health programming in the Lake Endemic Region.
“We are building something lasting,” said the LERN Network Coordinator. “A network that communities trust, that governments listen to, and that partners can rely on to deliver results where they are needed most.”
To learn more about LERN or to partner with the Network, contact lakeendemicmalariacsonetwork@gmail.com or call +254 723 215 230.
