Factors Affecting Sustainability Of Exit Strategies Of Community Health Projects Employed By Ngo’s In Narok Constituency

Abstract

Community Health interventions aims at promoting healthy living practices in the community, and equip the community with preventive measures or practices that results into effective healthy communities free of diseases. Therefore, the need for this project impacts and changes to last beyond the duration of the projects themselves. Exit strategies are exit thinking plan that project implementers come up with the purpose of aiding successful phasing over of community health projects. Some donors in the present day, have made it a requirement that NGOs requesting for funding must incorporate exit strategies into their proposal. NGOs have planned for exit strategies but in most cases, they have not been successful, hindering its sustainability. The purpose of this study was to examine factors affecting sustainability of exit strategies of community health projects in Narok North Constituency. Often are times that benefits of implementing community health projects are not sustained, which means that the desired changes in the community is not achieved. The study aimed to highlight the factors that affect the sustainability of exit strategies of community health projects. The specific objective was to examine how access to resources, appropriate motivation, capacity building and proper linkages affects the sustainability of community health projects in Narok North Constituency. The beneficiaries of the project will be project managers and coordinators of community health projects. The study will also contribute to literature on exit strategies related to community health interventions. The study adopted a descriptive research survey design. The target population comprised of 30 employees from NGOs in Narok North Constituency which include: APHIA PLUS, ENAITOTI NARETU OLMA COALITION and OLMAREIKANG. Primary data was collected for the study using self-administered questionnaire and the study used a quantitative method of data analysis. The results are based on a response rate of 90% (n=30). Data analysis was done using descriptive statistics of frequencies, percentages, and correlation and regression analysis. The study findings were presented using graphs and tables. The study concludes resources, motivation, capacity building and linkages all affect the sustainability of exit strategies but the extent of influence vary considerably. The study recommends that employees of this NGOs should be educated and trained more regarding effective exit strategies for successful phasing over of community health projects to be attained.