"My passion for those affected and infected by HIV/AIDS began when I realized that many people in my community were dying due to the effects of this disease, and the biggest problem was the lack of information," says Eunice Owino, Director of the Jiupachi Community-Based Support Centre in Kisumu, Kenya.

Founded in 2004 by individuals affected by HIV/AIDS, Jiupachi is an organization committed to providing essential support to children and households affected by HIV and disabilities in Kisumu County, Kenya. Jiupachi is now working in partnership with USAID Advancing Nutrition, USAID’s flagship multi-sectoral nutrition project. Through this partnership, Jiupachi is prioritizing crucial nutrition interventions to tackle malnutrition within the community and mitigate the impact of these challenges on the overall well-being of vulnerable individuals. 

Through this collaboration, Eunice has come to recognize the linkages between HIV/AIDS, disability, and nutrition. "As a civil society organization (CSO), we had not yet realized how nutrition plays a key role in mitigating HIV/AIDS," Eunice said. “It was only through our collaboration with USAID Advancing Nutrition that we discovered the critical connection between HIV/AIDS, disability, and nutrition." This partnership has helped to improve Jiupachi’s operations, strengthening their systems and enhancing the capacity of their staff in monitoring, budget allocation, and nutrition assessment. USAID Advancing Nutrition conducted a rapid organizational capacity assessment with the Jiupachi that revealed both weaknesses and strengths within their systems. "Poor systems prevented us from capturing the impact of our good work."