Kenyan-founded organization transforming community health backed by Melinda French Gates’ Health Initiative

Lwala Community Alliance, a Kenyan-founded organization that has built a comprehensive, community-led approach to improving health outcomes for women and girls in rural western Kenya, has been named an awardee of Action for Women's Health, a landmark global women’s health initiative launched by Pivotal, a group of organisations founded by philanthropist Melinda French Gates.

In 2024, Pivotal, in partnership with Lever for Change, launched Action for Women’s Health: a $250 million global open call to support organisations working to improve women's mental and physical health around the world.

The call drew applications from thousands of organisations across more than 100 countries. In November 2025, Lwala Community Alliance was one of just over 80 organisations selected worldwide to receive this recognition.

The recognition comes as Melinda French Gates announced an additional $215 million in global funding for women’s health in June 2026, bringing her total commitment to women's health to more than $600 million in just the last two years.

Lwala Community Alliance’s selection as an Action for Women’s Health awardee places it among a distinguished global cohort of organizations advancing women’s health. 

For French Gates, supporting organizations like Lwala Community Alliance reflects a deliberate commitment to African-led innovation in women’s health.

“The lack of investment in basic health care for women and girls is a global challenge,” she said.

“But I’m inspired to see organizations like Lwala Community Alliance bringing communities together to build their own solutions and get women the care they need. 

Lwala is making an extraordinary impact, thanks to the knowledge, network, and deep trust they’ve built, and that impact will continue to grow even beyond Kenya, as they help show the world the value of community-led solutions.” 

In rural western Kenya, many women still travel hours to reach a health facility, often delivering without a skilled healthcare worker present.

Lwala Community Alliance was founded by two Kenyan brothers and their community, who dared to fight back against health inequity.

Together, they built the first hospital in Lwala, their home village, laying the foundation for a community-led health movement rooted in local knowledge and community trust.

Lwala's model rests on four pillars: community delivery of health services, community decision-making where women have equal representation, health facilities that provide the care women and girls need, and policy change to address the root causes of poor health.

Today, the majority of Lwala's frontline health workers are women from the communities they serve, ensuring care is accessible, familiar, and responsive to the women it is designed to reach.

For Julius Mbeya, Co-CEO of Lwala Community Alliance, the recognition marks a significant milestone for the organisation and the communities it serves.

He says, "Being named an awardee of Melinda French Gates' Action for Women's Health initiative validates what our community has known for nearly two decades, that when communities lead, change is lasting. This recognition gives us a broader platform to show the world what is possible when health care is built from the inside out." 

Lwala Community Alliance’s recognition through the Action for Women's Health initiative is a testament to the power of African-led innovation in women's health and to the growing global conversation about the solutions being built on the continent.

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