Safe water in Kenya is being paired with malaria prevention as LifeStraw and Vestergaard expand support for vulnerable communities in the country’s western region.
Vestergaard and LifeStraw are strengthening their collaboration in western Kenya through a new annual commitment to donate 1,000 PermaNet Dual long-lasting insecticidal mosquito nets.
The initiative builds on more than a decade of work at Emusanda Health Centre in Lurambi, Kenya, and LifeStraw’s wider Give Back programme, which provides safe drinking water to schools and communities.
Vestergaard first rehabilitated the Emusanda Health Centre in 2009, establishing a community clinic providing primary and paediatric care, as well as services for people living with HIV.
Since LifeStraw became an independent company in 2020, it has continued to support the facility, including through a maternity ward and strengthened pre- and postnatal services.
Safe water in Kenya linked with malaria prevention
Through the expanded collaboration, Vestergaard will donate 1,000 PermaNet Dual mosquito nets each year.
The nets will be integrated into LifeStraw’s existing community health programmes, extending protection beyond healthcare facilities to boarding schools caring for orphans and children with disabilities.
At Emusanda Health Centre, Vestergaard has provided mosquito nets for every mother giving birth at the centre and every family with children under five accessing care.
Each family also receives a LifeStraw household water purifier, while LifeStraw’s local teams continue to support staffing gaps and provide essential medicines to help services operate around the clock.
The companies said combining safe drinking water with malaria prevention provides a practical package of protection for mothers, newborns and school-aged children.
LifeStraw Give Back programme supports safe drinking water
LifeStraw’s Give Back programme provides safe water to schoolchildren and communities in Kenya and other countries.
The company says the programme has reached more than 14 million children globally.
Vestergaard and LifeStraw said the expanded Kenya work builds on the programme’s existing community reach and LifeStraw’s long-term engagement in western Kenya.
Safe water in Kenya remains central to the partnership, with water purification and malaria prevention being brought together in community and school settings.
PermaNet Dual added to community health programmes
Vestergaard’s PermaNet Dual is a dual active-ingredient mosquito net designed to address malaria transmission, including in areas affected by insecticide resistance.
The company says the net combines two insecticides with different modes of action.
According to the release, malaria remains a major threat to child health in Kenya, with more than four million cases estimated nationwide in 2024.
The release also said insecticide-treated nets accounted for 72% of all malaria cases prevented between 2000 and 2024, while next-generation dual active-ingredient nets including PermaNet Dual have stopped an estimated 40 million cases since their introduction in 2019.
Companies cite practical community health model
Amar Ali, CEO of Vestergaard, said: “LifeStraw’s frontline work continues to show where the gaps are, and how well-targeted interventions can protect children who might otherwise be left behind. By formalizing this annual PermaNet donation, we’re reinforcing our shared commitment to helping communities access the basic tools they need for a safer and healthier start in life.”
Alison Hill, CEO of LifeStraw, said: “Safe water and malaria prevention are two of the most fundamental building blocks of community health, yet too many families still lack consistent access to either. LifeStraw’s mission has always been rooted in the belief that safe water is a foundation for health and opportunity, but water alone is not enough. By integrating Vestergaard’s PermaNet Dual into our programs, we are bringing together the right interventions for families and children, improving both health and educational outcomes. It is a practical, scalable approach grounded in decades of work in these communities.”
The partnership highlights how safe water, disease prevention and maternal and child health can be addressed together in community-level programmes.
For more coverage of drinking water access and public health, visit H2O Global News’ Drinking Water section.
Source: Vestergaard; LifeStraw
